Shubunkin Goldfish

The Shubunkin Goldfish has become a very popular pond fish since it is one of the toughest goldfish types. The Shubunkin Goldfish sports a slender body just like the Common Goldfish, but distinguishes itself by having red, brown, orange and yellow colours combined with black spots – the so called “calico colours”. These colours are found on the main body as well as on the fins and are displayed on a violet or silvery-blue background. The blue coloration, which is very much sought after, will depend on the amount of melanin in the sub-epidermal layers. The scales on a Shubunkin Goldfish are transparent. The most valued coloration can be found in those Shubunkin Goldfishes that lack certain genes from the metallic common goldfish.

The Shubunkin Goldfish is usually kept in ponds, but you can keep a Shubunkin Goldfish in an aquarium as well as long as you can provide it with enough space. The Shubunkin Goldfish can grow very large and an adult Shubunkin Goldfish will need at least 30-40 gallons of water, while a juvenile requires around 15 gallons. The aquarium or pond should be decorated and provide the Shubunkin Goldfish with heavily planted places as well as open areas for swimming. Regardless of whether you keep your Shubunkin Goldfish in an aquarium or a pond, it is unadvisable to keep it together with slower swimming fish such as Telescope Goldfish or Bubble Eye Goldfish. The slower fishes might starve since the Shubunkin Goldfish will eat all the food before they have a chance to. A Koi is a much more suitable companion for a Shubunkin Goldfish.

The Shubunkin Goldfish is a happy eater and will readily accept most sources of food. You can feed your Shubunkin Goldfish pellets or flakes, as long as they are vegetable based. The Shubunkin Goldfish needs vegetables to do well. The recommended amount of food will depend on the temperature of the water, and it will therefore be necessary to adjust the amount of food according to season.

The Shubunkin Goldfish was developed in Japan during in the early years of the 20th century. Today, there are three different types of Shubunkin Goldfish - Japanese/American Shubunkin Goldfish, London Shubunkin Goldfish and Bristol Shubunkin Goldfish. They share the same colouration but have different tail configurations. The Japanese/American Shubunkin Goldfish is the original variant and has a deeply forked caudal fin. The fin is equipped with long narrow lobes that end in a point. The caudal fin should be at least as long as the body of the fish. The London Shubunkin Goldfish has a much shorter caudal fin; the fin length should ideally stay at around 25 percent of the body length. The caudal fin should be well rounded with just a moderate forking. The Bristol Shubunkin Goldfish separates itself from the two other types of Shubunkin Goldfish by having much longer finnage and a very rounded caudal fin, especially in the two wide lobes. When the Bristol Shubunkin Goldfish grow old, the wide lobes can collapse.

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