Wednesday, November 22, 2006


Pearlscale:
The Pearlscale is a type of Fancy Goldfish which is readily available at most aquatic centres. It has a short round body, and its noted feature (as the name suggests) is the white domed scales which rise out of the body slightly, glittering in the aquarium lights. This appearance is due to extra calcified scale material building up in the center of each scale. It is a highly sociable fish (like all goldfish) so should ideally be kept with other fancy goldfish. It is also fairly hardy, but is best kept at temperatures no lower than 55 degrees fahrenheit, as it can be sensitive to the cold. Although keeping them in ponds has been known, they are generally much happier and can be much more appreciated in an aquarium environment.
Most types of fancy goldfish including the Pearlscale are prone to problems with their swim bladders. To avoid this, a high-quality diet of sinking pelleted food or gelatin-based food is optimal. Floating foods are high in ash content and are not a good idea for fancy goldfish (most serious goldfish keepers and breeders don't use flake food of any kind). Sinking foods allow less air to be swallowed and can reduce bloating as well.
When choosing your fish, make sure you look for one that can swim upright without losing buoyancy, explores the tank in an alert but relaxed manner, and doesn't have frayed fins or other body sores.
Pearlscales come in a variety of red, orange and white colours and grow to about six inches in length.
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Oranda
An oranda is a type of goldfish characterized by a fleshy outgrowth on the top of its head and sides of its face, called a wen. They standardly have a dorsal fin and paired anal fins.Orandas can survive in temperatures ranging from 65-78 °F, in water with a pH of around 7 to 8, and are best fed a collection of fresh foods or hand made food due to the frequency of Flip-Over cases seen in these fish.
Due to the design of the wen, and the fact that it appears to grow in stages or bursts during the spring and fall season, they can be prone to bacterial infections and goldfish "pimples" on the wen. Most of the time they do not require any treatment, but if the lesion turns red or angry looking, steps should be taken to avoid infections.
Also, sometimes the wen can overgrow the eyes of the fish, causing it to have limited or no vision. These fish should not be destroyed as they can still function without their eyesight. The wen can be trimmed, but most of the time it simply regrows. When the wen grows to this extent, the fish is called a lionhead. (This is untrue; lionheads are a completely different variety of Fancy Goldfish. For one, they have no dorsal fin. - DM)
A common fancy version of this fish is called the Red Cap Oranda. It is characterized by a solid white body with a "red" (orange is often called red for goldfish and koi) wen. Due the genetics of the coloring, it is often the case that Red Caps will lose their redness as they age, becoming solid white fish. More recently Blue Scaled Orandas have been developed, and are becoming more and more common.
The Oranda is a highly favored fish with many beautiful qualities, and is compatible with other fancy varieties of goldfish.
Like many other fancy goldfish varieties, prolonged periods of cold are not advisable for the Oranda. They must not be kept below 55 degrees fahrenheit for long periods of time.
The Oranda is one of the larger fancy goldfish varieties growing up to 7 - 8 inches.



Lionhead (goldfish)

The lionhead is a variety of goldfish similar to the ranchu. Both lack dorsal fins, have a double tail, and compact, rounded bodies. The Lionhead is usually considered a Chinese variety, while the ranchu was developed in Japan.
In general, lionheads have more extensive headgrowth but less arch in their backs than do ranchus. They lack the distinctive "tail tuck" ranchus have. As breeders throughout Asia buy and sell breeding stock, a certain amount of overlap now exists between the two varieties.
Both types are prone to problems with their swim bladders. To avoid this, a high-quality diet of sinking pelleted food or gelatin-based food is optimal. Floating foods are high in ash content and are not a good idea for fancy goldfish (most serious goldfish keepers and breeders don't use flake food of any kind). Sinking foods allow less air to be swallowed and can reduce bloating as well.
When choosing fish, select one that can swim upright without losing buoyancy, explores the tank in an alert but relaxed manner, and doesn't have frayed fins or other body sores.
The lionhead goldfish is a comparatively hardy variety of the fancy goldfish and can be kept with other slower-moving fancy varieties such as the
fantail, veiltail, pearlscale and oranda. They have also been kept in ponds with success, however they are not as hardy as single-tailed varieties such as the common or comet goldfish and are better suited to aquarium living.
One of the smaller varieties of fancy goldfish, lionheads rarely grow beyond 5 inches.

BUBBLE EYE
The Bubble Eye is a variety of goldfish, characterized by the fluid-filled sacs it has underneath both eyes. It is a "fancy" variety, its unusual shape the result of many years of selective breeding.
Like the
ranchu, the bubble eye lacks a dorsal fin, and has a double tail. It occurs in a number of colors, including gold, red, black, white, red-and-white, and calico. Its eyesacs typically start small, and then grow as the fish does, partially occluding its vision. Bubble Eyes can reach to 6 to 8 inches (15 cm) in length
Care
While Bubble Eyes are as inexpensive and easy to find as other fancy varieties, they are not recommended for beginning fishkeepers because their delicate eyesacs can be easily damaged by rough or sharp surfaces, or by filter intakes. A Bubble Eye should never be kept in a tank with anything abrasive, such as most rocks. Should the eyesac become punctured, it is important that the owner keep the water especially clean, or use a topical product like Melafix, so as to stop the puncture from becoming infected. A punctured sac will eventually heal and grow back, although it is almost always scarred or misshapen after healing.

BLACK MOORE
The Black Moor, also known as the Dragon Eye Goldfish or the Black Peony, is a popular fish to own. It is also called Demekin in Japan. The Black Moor is often considered the most popular Chinese fish available.They have short, thick bodies with a hump around the shoulder area. They are typically a velvety black color, though sometimes with red and white spots. The most striking feature of the Black Moor is their eyes, which are large, and grow from the sides of their heads. At maturity, the Black Moor will reach a size of eight to ten inches. Blackmoors typically have a life span ranging from six to twenty-five years.
The Black Moor, Carassius auratus was originally found in China.

Specific Care Information
No goldfish, including the blackmoor, should ever be kept in a bowl. They do not provide adequate room or filtration and when hot they could cook. Due to their size when grown, black moors should never be kept in less than a 20 gallon aquarium. A general rule of thumb for goldfish of all kinds is no less than ten gallons per fish or for very large fish, per inch of fish. Granted this is an ideal and not always possible it should be attempted as closely as possible. Tank decor should be kept to a minimum to allow plenty of swimming room and decor with sharp edges should be avoided as blackmoor can damage their protuding eyes on them. Black Moors should be kept in water with a temperature ranging from 66 to 72 degrees Fahrenheit, though most can tolerate temperatures as high as 86 degrees. Higher temperatures may make tanks more bacteria prone or cause fish to be sluggish. Whenever keeping fish one should make sure that the tank is filtered using one of various kinds of filters that can be purchased at your local pet supply store or may come with the tank you purchase. Tanks should also be well lit. Before you place your fish in the tank, you should always use a water conditioner to make the tap water safe for your fish. A test kit to test your ph, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels is also essential. These are naturally occurring chemicals that result from decaying fish food and feces in the water. At high levels they become toxic to fish. To keep these levels low tank water should be tested at least once or twice a week and depeding on the levels of ph, ammonia etc a 25-50% water change should be done. More in depth information on this can be found at a variety of websites or in books found at your local pet supply store.
Diet
Like all goldfish Blackmoors like a varied diet. Fish flakes and pellets should be supplemented with vegetables like
zucchini, peas, spinach and lettuce. Some fruits are good for fish too such as oranges, peeled grapes and more. However fruit should only be given a couple times a month as the sugar and acid content can be too much for the fish. Frozen glass worms, blood worms, brine shrimp and daphnia should also be given in addition to fresh food and flakes. Other foods such as freeze dried and gel foods are also available. When feeding live or frozen worms always make sure your source is reliable as some can carry parasites that will infect your fish. Human foods like bread, some animal meats and sweets should never be given to fish as they cannot digest them well.





















Of course these aren't our real goldfish, but they sure do look a lot like them!Our fish are called Bud & Daisy, but, since we had to replace them a couple of times in the past years, we're not quite sure whether we still have a Bud & Daisy, or maybe 2 Buds or 2 Daisies............... But they swim anyway!They don't mind the cats at all, the cats never try to harm them, all they do is drink out of the bowl every now and then, because fish water tastes so much better then straight from the tap!