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Shubunkin GoldfishCalico Goldfish Family: Cyprinidae
The Shubunkin Goldfish is called Chuwen-chin in China, though It was probably developed in Japan around 1900!The Shubunkin Goldfish, Calico Goldfish, Speckled Goldfish, Coronation Fish, or Harlequin Goldfish are almost always speckled or have a variegated color pattern. Often referred to as the Calico Goldfish, they have many colors including yellow, orange, red, brown, black, blue, purple, gray, and white. The color blue is rarer and makes this Shubunkin Goldfish more valuable. There are two types of Shubunkins, the London type and the Bristol type. The London is very similar to the common goldfish except for the colors. The Bristol type has an enormous tail fin that is very wide, moderately forked with well-rounded lobes. The London type is much more common than the Bristol type and is usually what you will find at pet stores. Both types of Shubunkin Goldfish, especially the London type, as seen above, are recommended as a beginner fish. * See Fantail Goldfish for other goldfish recommended for beginners. For more Information on keeping this fish see:
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| Geographic Distribution Carassius auratus auratus |
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| Point data provided by FishBase.org |
Since they are omnivorous, the Shubunkin 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. 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.
Distribution:
Domesticated goldfish are distributed world-wide but originally
came from China.
Size - Weight:
Shubunkin Goldfish are somewhat smaller than common goldfish
and grow to about 15 cm (6 inches).
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.
Temperatures:
Recommended temperatures for Goldfish is 65°-72° F (18°-22°
C).
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.
Water Region: Top, Middle, Bottom:
These fish will swim in all areas of the aquarium.
Breeding/Reproduction:
Shubunkin Goldfish are egg layers that spawn readily in the
right conditions. See Breeding
Freshwater Fish - Goldfish for more information on breeding Goldfish.
Availability:
The Shubunkin Goldfish is readily available and is inexpensive.
Comments from people who have kept this fish:
I have quite a few of these fish mixed with many other goldfish. My pride and joy is a 4 year old, who is blue with a little orange on her head. She is roughly 13" long and is the largest fish in our pond.
I rescued a Shubunkin from a Unit as he had been abandoned by his Owner. At first we couldn't see a fish in the tank as the water was the colour of mint jelly, then a gaping mouth appeared at the glass and I just had to save this poor wretched creature. With nothing on hand but a dirty bucket and tap water we took him back to the office and he is a permanent member of our staff here. He is 18 cm long and we have named him Elvis. At first he didn't move around much and seemed to struggle to the top of the tank to feed, but now he is robust, active and kills anything we put in the tank. Elvis is IN the building!
I have two shubunkins and two weather loaches. They get on well and swim about together.
I just recently bought 2 calico and they have been a problem from the very beginning. They are not active like I hear in all the other stories. They don't swim much just stay on bottom of tank. I asked a couple of assistants at petsmart some questions like, Why do my fish swim sideways and upside down? They said they are bloated because I was just dropping flakes on top of water. This adds too much air which causes my fish to have gas! Weird huh. The soloution is to put them in warm water for 2 hours or so. It seems to work but every time I feed them (have to put flakes in hand and submerge hand in water then release food) they become bloated again. They are still swimming off balance and not vigourous at all. I can not keep pulling them out of water for their gas break! Funny huh but not after several days. I am just gonna wait it out and see if they adjust some how or change their food. Wish me Luck with Tinker bell and Frenchy!
I must disagree with the statement that shubunkin goldfish grow to about 6 inches as mine are 10" and 13" long after only 4 years. I have also seen other shubunkins that were well over 16".
Have 3 calico comets & 3 red comets. They are very nice, except for 1 calico, who is aggressive and territorial. Talked to some friends and people in the pet store, no one has ever heard about an aggressive calico comet, except mine.
Author: David Brough. CFS.
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| Fancy Goldfish: Complete Guide To Care... Erik L. Johnson, et al. |
