Telescope Goldfish

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. 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. Today domesticated goldfish are distributed world-wide.
     The Telescope Goldfish was believed to be developed in China in the early 1700's where it was known as the Dragon Eyes or the Dragonfish. In the later part of the 1700's it was produced in Japan where it is known as the Demekin. The Black Moor is still referred to as the Dragon Eye Goldfish as well as the Black Demekin. Today there are more than 125 captive bred fancy gold fish 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 Telescope Goldfish is an egg-shaped variety of goldfish. Other than its eyes, and being slightly smaller, a basic Telescope Goldfish is very similar to the Fantail Goldfish. The body is short and stubby, the head is very wide, and they have a split caudal fin (tail fin) that is moderate in length and slightly forked. Their large eyes are set on top of long telescope or cone-like stalks mounted on the sides of its head. On some fish these stalks can extend out as far as 3/4 of an inch (19 - 20 cm), but they don't really start to protrude until these fish are about 6 months old.
     Today the Telescope Goldfish are also available with long flowing fins and a couple other tail fin styles: veil tail, broadtail, and butterfly. There are many different colors in both metallic and nacreous scale types, but seldom in a matte scale type. These include solids of red, blue, chocolate, or white; tri-colored and calico; and bi-colored fish in red/white and black/white.
     The bi-colored black/white version is affectionately known as the Panda Telescope Goldfish and there is a unique chocolate version with orange pompoms. The well known, and very popular Black Moor Goldfish is basically a black version of the Telescope Goldfish though its eyes don't protrude quite as far.

Size - Weight:      Telescope Goldfish will generally reach about 4 inches (10 cm), though they have been known to grow much larger in many aquarists tanks.

Care and feeding:      Since they are omnivorous, the Telescope 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. Due to the protruding 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.
     The Telescope Goldfish are not considered a good beginner fish. This is not because they lack general hardiness, but rather because of their more extremely telescopic eyes. Besides causing them to have poor vision, their eyes are subject to injury and infection.
     They are very undemanding of water quality and temperature. They can do well in a fishbowl, an aquarium, or even a pond if the environment is safe, well maintained, and have tank mates that are not competitive. Many people will keep goldfish in small one or two gallon bowls with no heater or filtration. But for the best success 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. Be careful when netting these fish, as their eyes are easily damaged.
     Use a gravel substrate. You can add some decor but keep in mind that its eyes are a handicap, and these fish have very poor vision. Make sure that all ornamentation is smooth with no protruding points or sharp edges. Plants would be the best choice but this fish is a digger, so live plants may be uprooted. Artificial plants make a good substitute and silk plants are safer than plastic ones. Other decor, such as smooth rocks or driftwood, should be used sparingly if at all. 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 the 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:      The Telescope Goldfish 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. The Telescope Goldfish, along with the Black Moor Goldfish, Bubble Eye Goldfish, and the Celestial Goldfish, are all visually handicapped. They cannot readily compete for food with other types of goldfish so should may not fare well if housed with them, but they will do well housed together. 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.

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

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

Availability:      The Telescope Goldfish is readily available and is fairly inexpensive.

Author: David Brough. CFS.