Shubunkin

Looks how to spot one

Single-tailed goldfish with nacreous (calico) scales

A streamlined goldfish with a single tail and evenly developed fins. Its scales are nacreous, a halfway stage between shiny metallic and clear scales, which gives a soft pearly sheen over a patchwork of colours. The London type has a sturdy body with short, rounded fins much like a common goldfish; the American type is slimmer with a long, deeply forked comet-style tail; the Bristol type has a slim body and a large, rounded, heart-shaped tail.142

Personality what they are like

Lively, peaceful and sociable. Shubunkins are quick, confident swimmers that do well with other single-tailed goldfish and similarly sized calm fish. Their speed means they can outcompete slow fancy goldfish at feeding time, so they are best kept with fish that match their pace.31

Daily activity how busy a day looks

High for a goldfish. An energetic swimmer that needs plenty of open length to swim, which is why a large aquarium or a garden pond suits it best.31

Grooming and care the hands-on bits

Needs strong filtration, weekly partial water changes (about 30%) with dechlorinated water and regular water tests for ammonia and nitrite. Feed small amounts that are finished within two to three minutes. Colour develops gradually: young fish take several months before their nacreous pattern shows fully.531

Home where they are happiest

A coldwater fish that prefers cooler water of about 15-21 °C (60-70 °F) and a pH of roughly 6.0-8.4 depending on source. In an aquarium allow at least about 75 litres (20 US gallons) per fish; a well-kept outdoor pond is an excellent long-term home. In the UK they thrive unheated in slightly alkaline, medium-hard water.36215

Food basics what goes in the bowl

Omnivore. A quality goldfish flake or pellet once or twice daily, plus vegetables such as blanched peas and occasional frozen or live treats like bloodworm. In ponds they also graze on plant material, small invertebrates and detritus.376

Company who they like around

A shoaling fish that should live in a group; FishBase recommends five or more goldfish together. Pairs well with comets, common goldfish and other active single-tailed varieties.63

The story where it all began

The shubunkin was created in Japan by crossing calico telescope-eyed goldfish with common single-tailed goldfish (wakin) and comet types. Sources date the first crosses to 1892 or around 1900, and the breeder is named as Akiyama. The name was given in 1900 by Japan's Fisheries Educational Institution under the Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce, and the fish was shown to the public in 1902. Once exported, it was shaped into regional types: the sturdy, short-finned London type; the comet-tailed American type, which became the most common worldwide; and the Bristol type, developed by the Bristol Aquarists' Society, which wrote the first Bristol Shubunkin standard in 1934 and adopted a modern standard in 1979 after about fifty years of selective breeding. British fishkeepers took to the shubunkin early as an ideal hardy, colourful coldwater fish.12

Recognised by the official bits

Bristol Aquarists' Society / goldfish-types.info

Bristol Shubunkin show standard first written in 1934, revised in 1938 and replaced by a modern standard in 1979: body about 35% as deep as long, single broad tail with rounded lobes, minimum body length 7.5 cm, at least 25% of the body blue2

Show standards (general)

Only nacreous (calico) scales are accepted under shubunkin standards; recognised types are London, Bristol and American1

IUCN Red List

The species Carassius auratus is assessed as Least Concern6

Taxonomy

Single-tailed domestic variety of the goldfish, family Cyprinidae4