A Crazy Calico Carassius
The Calico Fantail Goldfish (Carassius auratus) is a roundish shaped goldfish with gorgeous flowing fins, mottled in white, platinum, black and orange. They can get to be almost seven inches long, and much of this is due to their stunning fins! While Calico Fantail Goldfish cannot be found in the wild, the original aquarium goldfish came from fish being bred for specific colors in China at least 1000 years ago! The native fish, like the domesticated one we know and love today, likes slow moving, cool bodies of water.
While a single Calico Fantail Goldfish could be kept in a 20 gallon aquarium, we recommend something larger, more along the lines of a 40 gallon breeder style aquarium, which would let you keep a few. Cooler temperatures than tropical aquariums will be desired, so no heater will be needed in most climate controlled homes as goldfish like to be between 65-70 degrees Fahrenheit. Make sure that the aquarium is easily cleaned, and has excess filtration; Goldfish produce a ton of waste so filtration must be powerful and the aquarist needs to make sure waste isn’t building up in the aquarium. Live plants for the most part will be eaten – with the exception of very large, sturdy pond plants. Buyer beware here, goldfish love to eat plants! Also take a few moments and see our other recent articles on setting up Goldfish tanks and outside-the-glass box ideas for Goldfish displays. Goldfish aren’t picky eaters, but care should be taken to accommodate their specific needs. Goldfish are omnivores & should be fed a quality flake or pellet that doesn’t float, because floating foods could cause them to ingest air which can cause issues. Fancy goldfish can have digestive issues and so giving them high quality enrichment foods like Nutramar's Algae and Color Boost Shots as well as things like blanched veggies (spinach, lettuce, zucchini, and peas are good places to start) is important for their health.
Breeding goldfish is not very difficult. Given proper age, feeding, and environment (cool, clean water) healthy goldfish should spawn readily. Females in breeding condition will be appear rounder or plumper than males. Ideally, there should be 2-3 females for every male. Watch for breeding behavior; males will chase or “nudge” females when they are ready to spawn. Properly conditioned fish can breed in their normal environment or be added to a separate aquarium. This makes it easier to have the fry isolated because they might get consumed or pulled into the powerful filtration system of a larger tank. Fine leafed plants or spawning mops (these can be as simple as yarn from a craft store) should be added to give these fish a place to spawn as they would in nature (on plants). After the eggs have been laid the parents can be returned to their home (if they were placed in a spawning tank) as goldfish are known to eat their fry. Then just watch for the eggs to hatch in a couple days! Look for a more detailed article on this and rearing fry soon.
Calico Fantail Goldfish have the iconic shape and colors many people are searching for in goldfish. Spawning them can be rewarding to see what different combinations and patterns will arise in the offspring. If you are up to the challenge of setting up a tank dedicated to goldfish, the Calico Fantail is a great choice. Ask your local fish store for sustainably farmed Calico Fantail Goldfish from Aquatropic today!