Exotic Goldfish

There is something for everyone in the world of goldfish, whether you want a tank of all straight-bodied and single fins, or prefer to get into the fancier varieties.

Great debate exists amongst enthusiasts on the merits of the British and Chinese Lionheads versus the Ranchu, which is a look alike, and some breeders claim, a species that can appear from the breeding of two Lionheads. Generally speaking, the Lionhead is a short, and very chunky build, with a proportionately short tail, and no dorsal fin. The defining feature is the "hood", or almost bubbled, raised area of the head.

The Ranchu goldfish is reportedly the Japanese variation of the Lionhead. They are notable for their balanced coloring, e.g. red head/ white body with coloration, or white head/ red body coloration. This pattern continues in the calico varieties, where the head is a specific color, but the black spots may be sprinkled from head to tail. Ranchus have a higher and more prominent dorsal area, and a different angle from the body into the tail.

Pompons would appear to be some kind of distant relatives to the Ranchu and Lionhead. Except that instead of a hood, the Pompons have a ball-shaped extension above each eye, which resembles a pom-pom. The body is somewhat longer, and fuller in shape, but it has the same type of tail as the Ranchus and Lionheads, and is also lacking the dorsal fin, although a variety in Japan called the Hanafusa, does have a dorsal.

The Celestial goldfish are an entirely different prospect, and may not be suitable for mixing with your other fish if you have strong overhead lighting, or a lot of obstructive things in the tank. They are one of the short and cobby bodied goldfish, with a medium length fan tail, that come in metallic and calico colors. Their most interesting feature, is that the eyes extrude, not as a globe or bubble, but almost as an eye set on the exterior surface of the body, and turned upwards.

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