
Ryukin are friendly and social, and integrate well with other goldfish, although they will out compete more fragile varieties such as Bubble Eyes when it comes to food. The average size of an adult Ryukin is 6 inches, although they have been known to grow to as long as 10 inches and live for more than 20 years if well cared for. They are relatively hardy and easy to care for, and are capable of living outside in cooler temperatures or in poorer quality water. Ryukin come in all kinds of colours, including orange, black, white, and calico. The short bodied Ryukin were developed from the common fantail and can be easily identified by the large hump behind their head which gives their back and face a pointed appearance. Ryukin By Lerdsuwa (CC BY-SA 3.0 licence) If given enough space, fantail goldfish can grow quite large - averaging at around 6 to 8 inches in length - but to be healthy they do require a minimum of 10 to 20 gallons of water per fish.Įven though fantails are a hardy fancy fish, they can still be prone to swim bladder issues, so it’s important that they eat a balanced diet. They are a very friendly and docile fish, although as medium strength swimmers they should be kept with other goldfish varieties which are similarly competent swimmers rather than slower, more fragile varieties. The fantail is one of the hardiest fancy varieties, and features an egg shaped body and a split caudal fin which fans out behind them.įantails are typically found in orange, yellow, or calico colours, and are easy to care for - and can even often live outdoors as pond fish. Types of Goldfish Fantail By Pogrebnoj-Alexandroff (CC BY 3.0 licence) They are extremely gentle, peaceful fish which are a pleasure to watch. Hardy goldfish also have big appetites which when combined with their speedy swimming style can often mean that slow moving fancy goldfish are left with little or nothing to eat, or injured, so it may not be advisable to keep the two types together in a small space.įancy goldfish are also much more sensitive to poor water conditions, but they are also a glamorous addition to a freshwater aquarium, and can live a long time when cared for correctly.ĭepending on the variety they can have long, double fins, protruding eyes, bubble pouches beneath the eyes, calico colouring, or other interesting physical features. They tend to be slim bodied in appearance, are strong and less prone to disease, and are strong swimmers.

Hardy goldfish are tougher and can be kept in outdoor ponds as well as inside in tanks. Goldfish fall into two main categories - hardy and fancy - both of which are freshwater fish that can tolerate cooler water temperatures.
