GOLDFISH

Goldfish are popular throughout the world and make excellent pond fish.

Where do goldfish come from?
Goldfish originated in Southern China as colored varieties of a native, dull brown fish, and were being kept as pets before 1000AD.  Since that time they have spread around the world and as you have noticed have changed quite a bit with many types of species available today.

Which goldfish are the hardiest?
The common goldfish as well as comets, shubunkins, and the red & white varieties.  These goldfish have great adaptability.  Although they can be stressed by sudden temperature changes, they can tolerate temperatures from 0º- 32ºC (32º -90ºF). and can withstand mild pollution and low oxygen levels for short periods, making them ideal for the garden pond.

Fancy goldfish
There are a number of goldfish that are classified as "fancy".  These goldfish have shortened bodies that are almost egg shaped.  One of the most popular is the fantail, with its double tail, usually divided but sometimes jointed at the top.  It comes in red, red and white and calico (the term used to describe Shubunkin-type coloration on fancy goldfish).  The Japanese form of fantail has a high back and is known as a Ryukin.  Moors are jet black fantails with telescope eyes that protrude eerily from their heads.  Red and calico forms of telescope-eyed fish are also available but not as popular.  Orandas have short dumpy bodies like fantails, but their heads are covered with an interesting growth that is similar in appearance to a raspberry.  Their are many varieties of colors but the most striking is the white body with the red "raspberry" hood, the red-cap.  All of the above fancy goldfish can be found in veil tail form which have a long flowing  tail.  These are more delicate goldfish.

The Lionhead is similar to the Oranda, but without a dorsal fin.  The Lionhead also grows at a slower rate.  Bubble Eyes and Celestials, like the Lionhead, have no dorsal fin but are without the Oranda-type hood.  Bubble Eye goldfish have a very strange jelly like sac under each eye and Celestial have protruding eyes with point upwards.  Both the Bubble Eye and the Celestial are rather delicate fish and best appreciated when viewed from above.

All the goldfish can interbreed, but it is wiser to keep the more delicate fish separate from the larger varieties such as Koi, Orfe and large common goldfish.  Fancy goldfish are less hardy than the more common goldfish, their fancy fins and tails are more prone to damage from infection their surroundings.  The fancy goldfishes' intestines more compressed in their shorter bodies which can increase the risks in indigestion.  If you feed them excessively with dried food it will swell up inside the fish, putting pressure on the small internal air sacs (the swim bladder), causing the fish to lose their balance, floating to the surface or sinking to the bottom.  In some cases permanent damage can occur.  To avoid this from happening, feed fancy goldfish moistened foods and occasionally intermingle with commercial frozen foods containing bloodworm or daphnia.  Micro-Pellet food is preferable to flake food but you should pre-soak the pellets to drive out any excess air to prevent them from swelling.

Fancy Goldfish can be kept in outdoor ponds and can tolerate low temperatures but are really better suited to conservatory ponds and aquariums where the temperature rarely falls below  50 F

Other Pond Fish

The Golden Orfe is a hardy golden form of the European Ide, which lives in lakes and slow moving rivers.  Golden Orfe is an excellent choice for the larger pond.  When these fish are viewed from above they have a narrow, torpedo-shaped body and vary in color from pale salmon-orange to a carrot hue, often with speckles of dark brown or black pigment on the head and along the back.  These are fast growers and put on weight quickly.  There is also a new blue form of the Orfe.  The color is not yet stable, but on good specimens the intensity of pale blue is quite striking.  The Orfe is not suited for small ponds as they will eventually outgrow them and may even jump out.

Golden Orfe

Golden Rudd is similar in shape to the Orfe.  The improved forms are burnished gold sides with a hint of orange to their brown backs and bright red fins.

Tench is an olive green or bronze fish with rounded fins, small slimy scales and red eyes. Found at the bottom of stagnant still waters, often in the mud as Tench can survive in waters with low oxygen levels. The females grow considerably larger than the males and lay up to 900,000 small green eggs from May to July. The Golden Tench is an ornamental variety of tench and is found in UK waters. It is bright orange in color, quite often with dark colored spots.