As the name implies, this variety is the common or garden goldfish, without frill and fancy, often seen in everyone’s pond. The colour should be a deep red and the fish must be of a very high quality to win at a large show.
Identical body to the Common Goldfish but carrying the nacreous colour of the Bristol Shubunkin.
These are again a slim bodied fish with a very long and widespread finnage but in this variety the tail, or caudal fin as it is called, is broad and rounded rather than pointed as in the Comet. The colour must be a good calico, i.e. a bright blue background interspersed with patches of red, brown, yellow and violet and with the whole splashed with black. Well marked specimens of this colour are very attractive indeed and all goldfish varieties of calico colour should be so marked.
Again, the colour should be a deep These are a very slim bodied fish with extremely long and sharply pointed finnage. The colour to be red or yellow, although calico coloured fish are recognised.
Depth of body approximately 40% of body length, caudal fin divided, forked and well rounded well spread lobes held above horizontal. At least 50% of the body to be white with the snout, dorsal, pectoral, ventral, anal and caudal fins solid red.
Body to be strong and sturdy with a smooth outline, caudal fin well divided, forked and held slightly above horizontal. Self-coloured (metallic) or calico.
These are oval or egg shaped fish with very short finnage. The tail must be divided, in other words it is a twin-tailed fish and also the anal fins are paired, whereas in all the aforementioned fishes there is a single tail and a single anal fin. The colour may be red or calico.
Is as the Fantail but the scales on the body are raised in the shape of “pearls”, hence the name.
Caudal well divided, forked and should be equal to the length of the body. Body to be rounded in appearance with a pronounced hump rising from the head smoothly over the dorsal contour. Colour metallic or Calico.
These are very round bodied fish with a dorsal fin as high as the body is deep and with a long flowing “veil” tail. The tail is divided and the anal fins are paired. Colour may be red (metallic) or calico.
These are shaped and finned as for the above two varieties but the colour can only be a deep velvety black. In addition, the eyes protrude out of the head in a telescopic manner and the excellence in development of these protruding eyes plays a large part in determining the worth of the fish as an exhibit, as indeed do all the other particular characteristics of each named variety.
Body short and rounded with a smooth outline. The Dorsal fin carried high and erect, caudal fin forked and well divided. Eyes prominent and good development, not the same as the Moor; they should be truncated cones not spherical. Metallic group black only or calico.
All the remarks apply as for the Veiltail but in addition there is a “raspberry-like” growth on the head, called a “hood” and whereas the head of the Veiltail is narrow, by comparison the head of the Oranda is very wide.
Similar in every way to the Oranda although hood to be on top of head only. Metallic group with a deep red on cap only, the rest of body to be white.
Body to be short and rounded with the head being long and pointed. Caudal fin is joined and should have the strength to hold a good pan shaped contour with the upper lobes turning initially forwards towards the fish’s head, thereafter turning down and backwards with the leading edges of the lobes finishing in line with the peduncle.
These are red or calico and carry very short finnage but should have a good “hood” development. There is also no dorsal fin and the back should be absolutely smooth. Depth of body to be approximately 60% of body length.
Similar to Lionhead but depth of body to approximately 50% of body length. Dorsal fin absent caudal fin well divided, forked and held slightly above horizontal.
Depth of body approximately 50% of body length. Caudal fin divided, forked with slightly rounded well spread lobes held above horizontal. Dorsal fin Absent. Eye sacs under and around sides of each eye.
These are similar to the Fantail but with no dorsal fin and with “upturned” eyes.
Are similar short finned twin-tailed fishes with no dorsal fin and the characteristics implied by the respective names.
Any Other Varieties:
Refers to fish that have not yet been bred consistently for type or presently recognised by the NATIONWIDE: GOLDFISH STANDARDS of the UNITED KINGDOM.
Note: Our thanks to the Bristol Aquarist’s Society for their kind permission to reproduce the above information relating to fish varieties with additional varieties added and edited by Association of Midland Goldfish Keepers.