Celestial Eye Goldfish

Looks how to spot one

Scaled, egg-shaped, dorsal-less twin-tailed goldfish with upturned eyes

A slender, egg-shaped goldfish with no dorsal fin and a double tail between half and the full length of the body. Its large telescope eyes are rotated so the pupils look straight up at the sky. Fish hatch with normal eyes, which turn upward over roughly the first six months.13

Personality what they are like

Peaceful and lively, as nimble a swimmer as most goldfish. Because its eyes look upward it finds food less easily, so it is happiest on its own or with bubble eyes and other gentle fancies.1

Daily activity how busy a day looks

Moderate. An active swimmer that enjoys open space with gentle flow.14

Grooming and care the hands-on bits

Needs a good filter, regular partial water changes with dechlorinated, temperature-matched water, and routine tests showing zero ammonia and nitrite. Use a smooth-bottomed setup with silk or soft plants such as anubias or java fern.45

Home where they are happiest

Keep in a filtered aquarium, not a bowl. Aqueon suggests at least 40 litres (10 US gallons) per adult fancy goldfish, while the RSPCA advises at least 60 litres per goldfish, with wider tanks giving more stable water. Celestials prefer about 21-24 °C and do best when the temperature is kept steady. A pH of roughly 6.0-8.4 is fine (FishBase gives 6.0-8.0, Aqueon 7.0-8.4).546

Food basics what goes in the bowl

Omnivore. Offer a goldfish flake, granule or sinking pellet once or twice a day, only as much as is eaten in two to three minutes, with frozen or live foods as occasional treats. Choose sinking foods and give it time, as it looks upward when hunting for food.56

Company who they like around

Sociable; FishBase suggests goldfish in groups of five or more. Best kept with other celestials or bubble eyes, which feed at a similar pace.61

The story where it all began

The celestial arose from telescope goldfish in 18th-century China and appears on a Chinese scroll from 1772. Thirty fish sent to Japan in 1903 founded the Japanese stock, which supplied much of the world until the Second World War, and the variety reached the USA in the early 1900s.1

Recognised by the official bits

American Goldfish Association / Goldfish Society of America

Shared American standard for the celestial1

British goldfish societies

British standard favours a deeper body and shorter fins1

Taxonomy

Dorsal-less twin-tailed fancy goldfish with upturned telescope eyes3

IUCN Red List

The parent species Carassius auratus is assessed as Least Concern6