Calico goldfish are
goldfish
The goldfish (''Carassius auratus'') is a freshwater fish in the family Cyprinidae of order Cypriniformes. It is commonly kept as a pet in indoor aquariums, and is one of the most popular aquarium fish. Goldfish released into the wild have bec ...
of any breed that have a type of scale that is intermediate between the metallic type of scales and the transparent type.
These scales have a slight sheen that produces a pearly appearance.
["An Interpet Guide to Fancy Goldfish" by Dr. Chris Andrews, Interpet Publishing, 2002 - ]["Fancy Goldfish: A Complete Guide to Care and Collecting" by Dr. Erik L. Johnson, D.V.M. and Richard E. Hess, Weatherhill, Shambala Publications, Inc., 2006 - ] The name "calico goldfish" came about because the first fish that were introduced with this type of scales had a mottled
calico
Calico (; in British usage since 1505) is a heavy plain-woven textile made from unbleached, and often not fully processed, cotton. It may also contain unseparated husk parts. The fabric is far coarser than muslin, but less coarse and thick than ...
pattern with several colours.
[
Calico goldfish often have patches of red, yellow, grey and black along with dark speckles on a blue background. This coloration usually extends over the fins.]ryukin
The is a short deep-bodied fancy goldfish with a characteristic hump in the shoulder region.Andrews, Chris, Dr. An Interpet Guide to Fancy Goldfish, Interpet Publishing, 2002. - Johnson, Erik L., Dr. D.V.M. and Richard E. Hess. Fancy Goldfish: A ...
s, oranda
An oranda is a breed of goldfish characterized by a prominent bubble-like "hood" on the head. The headgrowth or hood (also known as ''wen'' or ''crown'') may be a prominent growth on the top of the head (cranial region) or may encase the entire ...
s, and ranchu
The (also Maruko) is a hooded variety of goldfish native to China.Andrews, Dr. Chris. "An Interpet Guide to Fancy Goldfish", Interpet Publishing, 2002. - It is referred to as the 'king of goldfish" by the Japanese. Maruko more commonly refers ...
s, the nacreous scale characteristic is usually exclusive to the shubunkin
are a hardy, single-tailed goldfish with nacreous scales and a pattern known as calico. The Shubunkins are of Japanese origin.Chris Andrews, Interpet Publishing (2002) ''An Interpet Guide to Fancy Goldfish''. Erik L. Johnson, D.V.M. and Richard E ...
s which are single-tailed fish that are similar to the common goldfish
The common goldfish is a breed of goldfish with no other differences from its living ancestor, other than its color and shape. Goldfish are a form of domesticated wild carp and are a close relative of koi. Most varieties of fancy goldfish we ...
and could grow up to 12 inches in length.
See also
References
External links
Varieties of Goldfish -About Calico Ryukin
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