Originated from Asia, goldfish now have a wide spread around the world. They are among the most popular freshwater fish in aquarium hobby with their unique characteristics and attractive looking.
In the wild, it’s possible for them to live about 40 years and reach more than 15 inches, but in captivity, their lifespan and adult size will be shortened, which are about 5-10 years and 2-6 inches. These are the average data, some goldfish can live up to 20 years and reach more than 10 inches in a fish tank.
Goldfish are easy to keep once you can handle the massive waste they produce. For a goldfish tank, you must prepare a powerful filter and do a water change of 25% every week to make sure of good water quality. Once you can get over this issue, you can enjoy the fun of keeping goldfish.
In addition, you should also make sure the oxygen and light supply. Goldfish need about 12-hour light every day, and the light should not be direct sunlight, so you might need to search for artificial light.
Goldfish is a common name, several types of fish are included in this name. In this article, you’ll know the 15 most popular types of goldfish, including their pictures, basic information, feeding methods and other details.
15 most popular types of goldfish
Goldfish can be divided into the single finned type and fancy types according to their tails. In the following 15 types of goldfish, you will find the first 4 are single-finned goldfish that have only one tail, and the rest 11 are fancy goldfish that have double tails.
1. Common Goldfish
- Lifespan: 5-20 years
- Size: 4 inches
- Minimum tank size: 15 gallons
Common goldfish are similar to their ancestor-carp, they have a thin body and short, single tail. The most commonly seen colors are red and orange, but you can also find white or double-colored common goldfish.
They are suitable for beginners because of their hardiness, peaceful temperament and the character of recognizing their owners. So, if you want to send a gift to someone, common fish would be a good choice.
To start a common goldfish tank, the first thing you need to add to your cart is a powerful filter. The hygger small aquarium corner filter would be a good choice for a 15-gallon tank since it won’t occupy too much space in your tank.
To mimic the natural environment, you may want to add some plants to the tank, but remember to choose java fern, Amazon sword or hornwort since your common goldfish will eat plants sometimes, and these plants are not their taste.
2. Comet Goldfish
- Lifespan: 5-14 years
- Size: 12 inches
- Minimum tank size: 75 gallons
Do you know comet? Comet goldfish got the name since their tail looks like the tail of a comet, which is very striking!
Most aquarists keep comet goldfish in their tank just because of the tail. And that’s why they need a tank of at least 75 gallons although they are just 12 inches in length.
They are easy to maintain and very active. You’ll find them swimming around all the time and sometimes, they will contact you, which is quite interesting.
To avoid diseases, you should make the water well filtered and oxygenated. There are many filters and pumps available on our website, you can select one that fits your needs.
Given that they have a charming tail, when choosing tank mates for them, you should avoid fin nippers to prevent them from hurt. And the tough decorations in the tank should be glossy without any sharp edges.
3. Shubunkin
- Lifespan: 10-15 years
- Size: 9-18 inches
- Minimum tank size: 20 gallons
Shubunkin goldfish are tolerable to different levels of water temperatures, which is why they are also suitable for outdoor ponds.
They don’t need heaters on most occasions, but you should prepare one in case of abnormal weather. To decorate your tank with plants, you’d better choose floating plants since they are bottom dwellers and will uproot plants on the substrate.
4. Wakin Goldfish
- Lifespan: 10-15 years
- Size: 10-12 inches
- Minimum tank size: 30 gallons
Wakin goldfish are double-colored fish, you can see white and red colors on their body. The white color occupies most of the body while the red colors are seen on their head and caudal fin.
Unlike other species that are peaceful and kind to other fish, Wakin goldfish will show aggression to some fish. And they are not omnivores but herbivores, so you might need to replace the real plant in your tank with some plastic ones.
In addition, they need much space to swim around, so prepare a bigger tank for them if you want to see more behaviors.
5. Bubble Eye Goldfish
- Lifespan: 10-15 years
- Size: 3-4 inches
- Minimum tank size: 10 gallons
From the name, I think you’ve already known the most outstanding character of bubble eye goldfish. Yes, their eyes are big and like bubbles, which makes them unique from other species.
The other thing that makes them different from other goldfish is their care level. Most goldfish are easy to maintain once you can make sure well-filtered water, but for keeping bubble eye goldfish, you need more experience.
We know that bubbles are brittle, so caring for a bubble eye fish requires you to make sure there are no potential dangers to their bubble eyes.
For the decorations, you need to choose smooth substrate, rocks, and caves with no sharp edges. And you should also keep them away from aggressive fish that will attack their bubble eyes.
For the filtration system, you should not buy a too powerful filter considering that bubble eye goldfish are small and can easily get sucked in.
6. Moor Goldfish
- Lifespan: 10-15 years
- Size: about 8 inches
- Minimum tank size: 20 gallons
Most goldfish have bright colors like red, orange, white or yellow, but this one is different. Moor fish have telescope-shaped eyes and are solid black in color. They swim slowly, that’s why we can call them elegant swimmers.
During feeding time, you must make sure the food supply is you keep moor goldfish with other species since they move slowly. If you ignore this, they will starve because the food has been eaten up before they reach for it.
And you should prepare many hiding spots for them. Moor goldfish are more active during daylight and prefer to hide at the night. Without a decorative hiding place, your moor goldfish will get stressed and sick.
7. Fantail Goldfish
- Lifespan: 5-10 years
- Size: 6-8 inches
- Minimum tank size: 10 gallons
Whether you are a beginner in fish-keeping or have started this hobby for years, fantail goldfish would be a choice for your aquarium. Just look at their tails, don’t you think watching this beautiful tail is a pleasure?
Keeping a fantail goldfish in a fish tank can be easy. First, they can bear a wide temperature range, so you don’t have to worry about the water temperature.
Secondly, fantail goldfish love digging into the substrate. Therefore, to avoid any injuries, prepare a soft substrate for them, such as a sandy one. And put some decorative stuff on the substrate to mimic the natural environment and provide shelters.
Finally, equip your tank with a good filter to purify water and remove debris, an aquarium light to help with plant growth and offer light for fish, and a pump to oxygenate the water.
8. Ryukin Goldfish
- Lifespan: 10-15 years
- Size: up to 8 inches
- Minimum tank size: 10 gallons
Ryukin goldfish are another special-looking goldfish. Look at the picture above, you can see there are various colors on their body, such as black, red, yellow and white. Compared with those who have a solid color or double colors, Ryukin goldfish are more colorful. They are egg-shaped and easy to differentiate from others.
9. Veiltail Goldfish
- Lifespan: 10-15 years
- Size: 6-7 inches
- Minimum tank size: 20 gallons
Veiltail goldfish is the second fish we mentioned today that require more experience to keep. Although I didn’t mention the natural habitat of each type of goldfish, I believe you’ve already known it while searching. But I think you failed to find the habitat of veiltail. In fact, they do not have a habitat as they are bred by humans.
Veiltail goldfish are bottom feeders, so make sure the food will sink into the bottom while feeding, you can soak the food before feeding to achieve this. Bottom feeders like digging into the substrate, and so do veiltail goldfish. Thus, a soft substrate should be on your shopping list. Moreover, if you are planning to add decorations, refuse those that will hurt the beautiful tail of your fish. After all, injuries will bring diseases.
10. Oranda Goldfish
- Lifespan: up to 15 years
- Size: 8-12 inches
- Minimum tank size: 30 gallons
Oranda goldfish vary in color. Except for the color in the picture above, you can also find black, blue and red Oranda goldfish. They are easy to tell by the crown on their head, which will grow larger when they fully mature.
Most goldfish do not need a heater because they are hardy and can tolerate cold water, but Oranda goldfish are different. Any changes in water temperature will make them stressed, so you’d better buy a heater to raise and maintain a stable water temperature.
Meanwhile, they feel more comfortable in a planted fish tank, so please put some plants in your fish tank, whether they are real or artificial.
11. Butterfly Goldfish
- Lifespan: 10-15 years
- Size: 6-8 inches
- Minimum tank size: 20 gallons
They got their name from their butterfly-shaped tails, which also make them one of the most beautiful fancy goldfish. They have rounded eyes, multiple colors and a short body.
Keeping a butterfly goldfish is not an easy task, if you lack experience, do not try this one. In addition to the normal maintenance, you should pay extra attention to their attractive tails. Do not put fin nippers with them and avoid any decorations that are dangerous for them.
12. Lionhead Goldfish
- Lifespan: 10-15 years
- Size: up to 6 inches
- Minimum tank size: 20 gallons
Lionhead goldfish are also elegant swimmers. Take a look at their fins, you’ll find they missing a dorsal fin, which is why they swim slowly. They are great fish for beginners since they are peaceful, easy to maintain and have an interesting looking. You’ll notice that their head is similar to Oranda goldfish because of the crown-shaped hump.
Lionhead goldfish can go well with other species, such as tetras. But do remember not to put them with some aggressive fish and ensure they won’t starve due to their slow speed.
13. Telescope Eye Goldfish
- Lifespan: 10-15 years
- Size: 4-10 inches
- Minimum tank size: 30 gallons
You can distinguish telescope eye goldfish with their eyes and long tails. From the picture above, you can know that their eyes are like telescopes, and that’s where their name comes from. Also, you can see that their tail are much longer than most goldfish, even most fancy goldfish.
Dark and bright colors can both be found on telescope eye goldfish, but the dark color is more common, especially in adult fish. They love searching every corner of your fish tank and will hide in the decorations if being threatened or attacked, or feeling dangerous.
14. Pearlscale Goldfish
- Lifespan: 5-10 years
- Size: 6-8 inches
- Minimum tank size: 20 gallons
Pearlscale goldfish got their name from their pearl scale skin. You can see their scales are well-arranged, like strings of pearls. From their body shape, we can know that they are not fast swimmers. But according to the minimum tank size and their adult size, we can see that they do require lots of space to swim.
They have the same demands for other things needed in the fish tank. For example, they need a filter to get clean water, some decorative rocks, caves and driftwood without sharp edges, and some plants that won’t be destroyed by them.
15. Celestial Eye Goldfish
- Lifespan: 10-15 years
- Size: about 5 inches
- Minimum tank size: 10 gallons
Now comes the last one, celestial eye goldfish. Celestial eye goldfish look very strange with their eyes laying above their head. They are not as hardy as most goldfish, that’s why they are not suitable for beginners.
To keep a celestial eye goldfish in your tank, you should buy a tank of at least 10 gallons with an efficient and but not too powerful filter, an aquarium light to support them with 8-10 hours of light, a softy and smooth substrate, and some plants that don’t fit their taste. In addition, you should change about 30% of the water every week to remove the toxins in the water and provide a clean environment.
Conclusion
Adding goldfish to a fish tank would never be a bad idea if you can deal with the water purifying. They are bottom feeders that can help clean your substrate. They are low-maintenance fish that won’t take you too much time in keeping. You can also interact with them while feeding, which is very interesting!
Above we introduced the 15 most popular goldfish for your aquarium, have you determined which one to buy? I think all of them are suitable for you once you are experienced enough and ready to spend your time on them.