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Celestial Eye Goldfish

Family: Cyprinidae

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Carassius auratus auratus Photo © Animal-World: Courtesy Jessica Loewy

   With eyes that are permanently looking skyward, the Celestial Eye Goldfish is known by the Chinese as the Stargazer!

   The eerie eyes of the Celestial Eye Goldfish make it perhaps one of the most unusual of all the goldfish varieties, with the Telescope Goldfish and Bubble Eye Goldfish following close behind. The Chinese, who called this fish the Stargazer, were believed to have developed it in the later part of the nineteenth century, somewhere around 1870. During this time its eyes were at least partially mobile. Then in the early 1900's the Japanese further developed it, and through selective breeding the result was a goldfish whose eyes were permanently locked in an upward position. To the Japanese it is known as the Deme-Ranchu.

   Rather than having the long slender body of the Common Goldfish or the Shubunkins, the Celestial Eye Goldfish is one of the more rounded or egg-shaped fancy gold fish. Like the Lionhead Goldfish, the Celestial Eye is one of the dorsal less goldfish. Its is also very similar to the Lionhead in general form and size, but does not develop its raspberry looking head growth. It has a curved countour shape to its back and the twin caudal (tail) fin and anal fin, and the caudal fin on both these fish is quite similar to that of the Fantail Goldfish. The Celestial Eye Goldfish are available in a orange, black, and a pretty calico.

   The Celestial Eye Goldfish is considered a rather delicate fish and is not recommended for beginners. Its swimming ability is cumbersome because of its rounded body which is further diminished by the lack of a stabilizing dorsal fin, a trait that is also seen in the Lionhead Goldfish and Water-Bubble Eye Goldfish. Many of the elongated goldfish varieties like the the Common Goldfish, Comet Goldfish, the Shubunkin, are not really good companions for the Celestial Eye Goldfish because they are fast swimmers and too competitive during feeding time. Better tank mates would be the similarly handicapped but less hardy Water-Bubble Eye Goldfish, Telescope Goldfish, and Lionhead Goldfish. It won't win any races, but if kept with other slow-moving varieties the Celestial Eye Goldfish should get plenty to eat and do well.

For more Information on keeping this fish see:
Guide to a Happy, Healthy Freshwater Aquarium

Distribution:
   The Goldfish, a wild carp originally known by such names as the Crucian Carp, Gibel Carp, or Golden Carp, was described by Linnaeus in 1758. They originated in Asia; Central Asia and China. Today domesticated goldfish are distributed world-wide. These fish inhabit the slow moving and stagnant waters of rivers, lakes, ponds, and ditches feeding on plants, detritus, small crustaceans, and insects.
   In the early 1600's these fish were exported first to Japan and then to Europe and were developed into the wonderful colors and forms of gold fish we see today. The Celestial Eye Goldfish are believed to have developed it in the later part of the nineteenth century, somewhere around 1870. During this time its eyes were at least partially mobile, until the early 1900's when the Japanese further developed it. Then through selective breedingit was developed it into a goldfish whose eyes were permanently locked in an upward position. This is one of more than 125 captive bred fancy goldfish varieties.

Status:
   This species is not listed on the IUCN Red List, and presumably there are no wild populations of this captive bred variety.

Description:
   The Celestial Eye Goldfish is an egg-shaped variety of goldfish. The body is short and stubby and they have a double caudal (tail) fin and a double anal fin. Their most distinctive feature are the eyes which extend out from the sides of the head and are locked into a permanent upward looking position. In juveniles the eyes are normal, but within a short time the eyes begin to protrude and then the upturned vision develops and becomes locked in. Available color varieties include orange, black, and calico.

Size - Weight:
   Celestial Eye Goldfish will generally reach about 5 inches (13 cm), though some hobbyist report them reaching 6" (15 cm) or more.

Care and feeding:
   Since they are omnivorous, the Celestial Goldfish will generally eat all kinds of fresh, frozen, and flake foods. To keep a good balance give them a high quality flake food everyday. To care for your Celestial Eye Goldfish, feed brine shrimp (either live or frozen), blood worms, Daphnia, or tubifex worms as a treat. It is usually better to feed freeze-dried foods as opposed to live foods to avoid parasites and bacterial infections that could be present in live foods. Due to their upturned eyes they have poor vision and a harder time seeing their food, so need extra time to feed. When it comes to feeding, they will not thrive well with fast competitive tank mates.
   Celestial Eye Goldfish are some of the more delicate species of goldfish. Unlike the flat-bodied types of goldfish, they have a lower tolerance for pollution. They will need good care and plenty of space. Many people will keep goldfish in small one or two gallon bowls with no heater or filtration. But for the best success in keeping these goldfish, provide them the same filtration, especially biological filtration, that other aquarium residents enjoy.
   The shape and size of the aquarium is important and depends upon the number of fish you are going to keep. Goldfish need a lot of oxygen and produce a lot of waste.

• A large surface area of water will help minimize goldfish suffering from an oxygen shortage. Surface area is determined by the shape of the tank. For the same volume of water, an elongated tank offers more surface area (and oxygen) than a tall tank. In a fish bowl, filling the bowl to the middle offers more surface area (and oxygen) than filling the bowl to the top. Always provide the maximum amount of surface area.
• Providing a large amount of water per fish will help dilute the amount of waste and reduce the number of water changes needed.
• A general rule of thumb for young fish only is: 1 inch of fish (2.54 cm) per 1 gallon of water. This rule applies only to young fish and is not adequate as they grow. Larger gold fish consume much more oxygen than young fish so maintaining this formula for growing fish will stunt them, and can contribute to disease and even death.
• Keep the tank size and shape in mind when you are buying your fish. To allow for growth, either buy fewer fish than the maximum number of fish (based on the above formula) or be prepared to get a larger tank.

   Because goldfish produce a lot of waste, good filtration is very helpful in maintaining the water quality of the aquarium. Regular weekly water changes of 1/4 to 1/3 is strongly recommended to keep these fish healthy. The Celestial Eye Goldfish can reportedly to live up to 15 years when kept in a well maintained and safe environment.
   Use a gravel substrate. You can add some decor but keep in mind that its head growth can be a handicap, giving these fish poor vision. Make sure that all ornamentation is smooth with no protruding points or sharp edges. Driftwood and smooth rocks make good, safe decorations; and plants are especially appreciated, either live or plastic. A cover for the tank is desirable as it reduces evaporation and though they are not prone to jumping, on occasion some gold fish will jump out. Most aquariums come with a cover that includes lighting. It is not essential for goldfish, but will help if you have live plants.
   Goldfish are subject to the same diseases as tropical fish. A couple of the more common problems are Ich, Swim Bladder disease, and external parasites including flukes, lice and anchor worms. To learn about these and other diseases and how to treat them see: Aquarim Fish Diseases & Treatments.

Water Region: Top, Middle, Bottom:
   These fish will swim in all areas of the aquarium.

Acceptable Water Conditions:
Unlike the flat-bodied types of goldfish, they have a lower tolerance for pollution and cannot tolerate temperatures much below 60° F (16° C).
   Temp: Goldfish are a cold water fish and will do best at temperatures between 65 - 72° F (18°- 22° C)
   Hardness: 5 - 19° dGH
   Ph: 6.0 to 8.0

Social Behaviors:
   Goldfish are very social animals and thrive in a community. Not only are they a great community fish but they are great scavengers as well. When choosing tank mates, keep in mind the physical traits of the Celestial Eye Goldfish. Like the Telescope Goldfish, Bubble Eye Gold fish and the Lionhead Goldfish, it is visually handicapped. Further its swimming ability is cumbersome because of its rounded body and the lack of a stabilizing dorsal fin, a trait that is also seen in the Lionhead and the Water-Bubble Eye Goldfish. While the Celestial Eye cannot readily compete for food with fast swimming types of goldfish, these similarly handicapped varieties can make good companions. It is really not necessary to add other scavengers or other bottom feeders to the aquarium when you have goldfish.

Sexual Differences:
   Although is it impossible to sex Goldfish when they are young and not in breeding season, the male is usually smaller and more slender that the female. In the breeding season the male has white prickles, called breeding tubercles, on its gill covers and head. Seen from above the female will have a fatter appearance as she is carrying eggs.

Breeding/Reproduction:
   Celestial Eye Goldfish are egg layers that spawn readily in the right conditions. See Breeding Freshwater Fish - Goldfish for more information on breeding Goldfish.

Availability:
   The Celestial Goldfish is occasionally available and is not overly expensive.

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Latest Comments
I've been keeping fish for awhile now, and still to this date no fish steals my heart like the Celestial Eye. I had one awhile back, but he had a deformity and died due to complications of it. I have a new one now (who's as healthy as can be) named Keith. He's not the brightest of my Golds, but he's the one who puts a smile on my face. My other fish love him, despite the fact that he normally swims one way when they go another. His best friend seems to be my calico Oranda named Afro, and he's good friends with Eric (black Fantail) and Chell (calico Lionhead) as well. Nagi 2008-12-28
I just bought my new fish tank, a 10 gallon. And I bought Goober (a Celestial Goldfish aka Stargazer). He is doing just fine it with two fiddler crabs (Moe and Marty). Honestly I thought he'd be upside down after going from a small tank into a big one but, he's doing good! He keeps on going around like the usual ones do, and being himself, and eating when he needs to. The crabs do the same. I will be doing a complete make over on the tank and doing a very very cool setup. I'll be adding more fish like a another Stargazer and a few frogs, bettas, and lion heads too. Probably also with help, I wanna make it a brackish fish tank, and add a black finned shark or eels. Some feeders too, besides the guppies I have as well. If any help with these fish combinations please let me know, and all help will be taken as great help for me. MnMatty2507 2008-09-05

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Author: David Brough. CFS.