Calico Fantail

Calico Fantail Goldfish - Carassius auratus

(1.5″)

Calico Fantail Goldfish show a pattern of red, white, grey, black and/or blue on a short, wide body with a flowing fan tail. Calico Fantail Goldfish can display anywhere from two to five of the available colors. The nearly infinite pattern possibilities creates a varied and interesting type of Goldfish.

Calico Fantail Goldfish can be kept alone or in combination with Koi, Butterfly Koi or other types of Goldfish. However, take caution when keeping large Koi and Butterfly Koi with small Calico Fantail Goldfish.

Rather than having the long slender body of the Common Goldfish or the Shubunkins, the Fantail Goldfish is one of the more rounded or egg-shaped fancy gold fish. These fish are bred for showing and its main feature, the split tail fin is medium in length and slightly forked.

To be a good show specimen, the tail fin needs to be completely split with the two lobes being much closer together on top than on the bottom, making it look triangular when viewed from the back. Good show goldfish also have a double anal fin with complete separation. Those whose tail fins are not completely split won’t win any prizes, but still make great pets.

Fantail Goldfish are available in several scale types or color. The hardiest and most competitive show type is metallic, a solid reddish orange. Other scale types include nacreous which is speckled, and matt which is a whitish color. The Ryukin Goldfish is a Japanese version of the Fantail, with a highly curved back and a wider caudal fin than the Fantail Goldfish.

Both Fantail Goldfish and Ryukin Goldfish are recommended for the beginner. Other good beginner fancy goldfish are Common Goldfish, Comet Goldfish, the Shubunkin, and the Black Moor. These fish can tolerate temperatures a few degrees above freezing, as long as the cooling drops only a few degrees a day. Their hardiness and ability to live at colder temperatures makes them ideal for outdoor ponds. The Black Moor is the only possible exception to this, not because it lacks hardiness but because of its telescopic eyes. These eyes cause it to have poor vision so it is not a good competitor for food, and they are subject to injury and infection.

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