List of goldfish varieties


This is a list of goldfish varieties and their characteristics. Currently, there are about 200 breeds of goldfish recognized in China.
Selective breeding over centuries has produced several color variations, some of them far removed from the "golden" color of the original fish. There are also different body shapes, fin, and eye configurations. Some extreme versions of the goldfish live only in aquariums—they are much less hardy than varieties closer to the "wild" original. However, some variations are hardier, such as the Shubunkin. The vast majority of goldfish breeds today originated from China. Some of the main varieties are:

Single-tailed varieties

Single tailed varieties have a single caudal fin and anal fin. They have long, streamlined bodies and are faster swimming than shorter egg-shaped goldfishes. They all come from common goldfish, but rare egg-shaped varieties like nymph goldfish are developed from egg-shaped goldfish. They have no telescopic eyes, celestial eyes, nor bubble eyes. They have no headgrowths like orandas, lionheads, and ranchus, narial bouquets like pompoms, or curled gills like curled-gill.

Long-bodied

Double-tailed or "fancy" goldfish. Fancy, in goldfish, meaning they have double caudal fins and anal fins. They are the most popular and the most expensive types of goldfish. There are two types of fancy goldfish:

Streamlined bodied

Egg-shaped goldfish is the most popular type of goldfish, they have two types:

Dorsal finned varieties

Dorsal finless varieties

Many people call it "stargazers" or "sky-gazers" because their eyeballs are turned permanently upwards. Due to its upturned eyes, they should not be kept in the aquarium that has rough objects that can harm or hurt their eyes, or even cause blindness. It is developed from the dorsal-less telescope eye goldfish. Some celestial eye goldfish have a dorsal fin.

Pond goldfish

Most goldfish varieties are capable of living in outdoor ponds. Goldfish that are not capable of living in ponds include telescope, celestial eye and bubble eye, because of their fragile eyes.

Goldfish tail types

Single tail types
Double tail types
Other tail identification
Sometimes a fancy goldfish have an angled tail peduncle which its type may also be included.

Colors of goldfish

There are three main color pigments of goldfish, but some are just a reflection that reflects a color other than these three color pigments.
These are the color combinations and appearance of the three main color pigments above.