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Comet Goldfish

Family: Cyprinidae

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Carassius auratus auratusPhoto © Animal-World: Courtesy David Brough

     The Comet Goldfish is much like the common goldfish, but is a more reddish orange color and has a much longer, deeper forked tail fin!

     The Comet Goldfish, also called the Comet-tail Goldfish, are a 'reddish orange' colored goldfish that are inexpensive and readily available. This fish was the first variety of the single-tail goldfish to be developed with a long caudal (tail) fin. It was developed in the United States from the Common Goldfish in the early 19th century, presumably by Hugo Mullert of Philadelphia who then introduced them in quantity into the market. Though they are a bit smaller goldfish than the Common Goldfish, they are every bit as durable and can be kept in either an aquarium or in an outdoor pond.

   These fish can be quite personable and are delightful to watch. One of the hardiest of the gold fish varieties, the Comet Goldfish are recommended for beginners. They are an easy fish to keep as they are not picky and will readily eat what is offered. These are some of the most graceful of the elongated goldfish, emphasized by their long tail. They are active, rapid swimmers and will sometimes tend to leap out of the water, so having a lid on an aquarium is good idea. They are also very social and thrive well in a community.

Common Goldfish Comet Goldfish

     The Comet Goldfish is very similar to, and sometimes confused with, the Common Goldfish. The Comet Goldfish is a further development of the Common Goldfish. Both these fish have an almost identical body shape but the fins on the Comet are much longer, especially the caudal (tail) fin, and it is more deeply forked. Also, the Comet is generally a more reddish orange while the Common Goldfish is more orangish. The adult size of the Comet Goldfish is smaller too. On both these fish the caudal (tail) fin is held fully erect.

    Comet Goldfish, often called the Pond Comet, are primarily a reddish orange color, but they are also available in yellow, orange, white, and red. There is also a bi-color red/white combination and occasionally they are available with nacreous (pearly) scales, giving them a variegated color.

     Other types of Comet include the Sarasa Comet. This variety has long flowing fins and is characterized by a red-and-white coloration that holds a resemblance to a koi color pattern called 'Kohaku'. The Tancho Single-tail Comet is a silver colored variety with a red patch on its head.

     Along with the other elongated goldfish, such as the Common Goldfish and the Shubunkin Goldfish, the Comet varieties make good pond fish. They are hardy and can tolerate cold water temperatures. They are moderate in size but are active and fast, so will get along well with Koi. Also Comets usually won't uproot plants, but they will readily spawn so can quickly overpopulate your pond.

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 Comet Goldfish was the first variety of the single-tail goldfish to be developed with a long caudal (tail) fin. It was developed in the United States from the Common Goldfish in the early 19th century, presumably by Hugo Mullert of Philadelphia who then introduced them in quantity into the market. It is one of the more than 125 captive bred varieties of goldfish that have been developed.

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 Comet Goldfish is an elongated, flat-bodied variety of goldfish. The head is wide but short and it has a smoothly tapering body shape, from its back and belly to the base of its caudal fin (tail fin). The caudal fin is long, deeply forked and generally stands fully erect. They are primarily a reddish orange color, but they are also available in yellow, orange, white, and red. There are also a bi-color red/white combination and occasionally they are available with nacreous (pearly) scales, giving them a variegated color.
     Other types of Comet Goldfish include the Sarasa Comet. This variety has long flowing fins and is characterized by a red-and-white coloration that holds a resemblance to a koi color pattern called 'Kohaku'. The Tancho Single-tail Comet is a silver colored variety with a red patch on its head. Comets have a natural life span of up to 14 years, though possibly longer if kept in optimal conditions.

Size - Weight:      The Comet Goldfish is a bit smaller than the Common Goldfish, but even so, the environment it is kept in is a determining factor on whether your pet grows to its full potential size or is somewhat smaller. In an average 10 gallon tank, if well cared for and not crowded, they can grow up to about 4 inches (10 cm), while in a larger uncrowded tank they can grow larger generally reaching about 7 or 8 inches (17.78 - 20.32 cm). If kept in a spacious pond they can reach over 12 inches (30+ cm).

Care and feeding:      Since they are omnivorous, the Comet 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 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.
     Comet Goldfish are some of the hardier species of goldfish. They are very undemanding of water quality and temperature. Many people try to keep goldfish in small one or two gallon bowls with no heater or filtration. But for the best success in keeping 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.
     Use a gravel substrate and add some decorations that provide shelter for your pet goldfish. 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 and will help if you have live plants.
     Comet Goldfish can and do naturally change color, but color changes are also believed to be influenced by diet and the amount of light. Aquarists often report the reds and oranges of their goldfish changing to white. A fresh diet, along with good lighting but with shaded areas are suggested as the best way to maintain the original coloration, but are not always successful.
     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:      The Comet Goldfish is one of the most hardy varieties of goldfish and can tolerate temperatures a few degrees above freezing, as long as the cooling drops only a few degrees a day. A quick temperature drop can kill them, so if you live in a very cold climate a heater is advisable.
     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. It is really not necessary to add other scavengers or other bottom feeders to the aquarium when you have goldfish.
     Most fancy goldfish will thrive in both freshwater and tropical aquariums as long as there are no aggressive or territorial fish in the tank. Some good tank mates for fancy goldfish are the Chinese Blue Bitterling and the Northern Redbelly Dace. Comet Goldfish can be kept with other varieties of elongated goldfish, such as the Common Goldfish and the Shubunkin, and they also do fine with Koi.

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.

Buy Comet Goldfish From LiveAquaria.com

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

Availability:      The Comet Goldfish is readily available and is inexpensive.

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Latest Comments
My comet isn't very well, she has black spots on her mouth and various parts of the body, she just lies on the bottom of the tank and isn't eating.... can anyone help.. I have had her nearly 5 years and normally she is so active.. Thanks Donna donna 2010-01-31
Hi, my brother purchased a goldfish a while back but the pet store people had no record of what type of fish it was, but they assumed it was a comet. We had it 3 years and he got up to 4 inches at least. He all of the sudden started sinking to the bottom of the tank and ended up losing its scales and dying, why did this happen? Bailey Jo Jarrett 2009-12-29
My comet fish is not moving. I bought 2 comet fish today, and they are not moving in the tank when light is on, after switching off the light they start move around the tank. What's wrong with them? I think they love dark. After they came, it is about 1 day, and they dont eat anything. Why they don't eating? Can anyone help me please. rohan 2009-12-27
PLEASE HELP: my comet gold fish i bought it today and it dosent move i i think its got something wrong with it. it has a big enough tank and it has a real plant in there for oxygen and it has a snail to clean its waste i dont know what it wrong with it but i had two previous fish in there aswell and i only had one for not even a week and the other for 2 weeks and the fish i just bought i dont want it to die i am really sad i need help :( :( :) :) gwen 2009-11-06
Comet goldfish have a very long life span. Mine is 9 inches and is 10 years old. I have him in a 55 gallon aquarium all by himself (the other 2 calico'c died 2 years before his 10th year in my tank). The fish has great character and I am still trying to find another 7 inch goldfish. They are great pets! paul richards 2009-07-31

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