Gold Fish Care

Fantail Goldfish

Origin:

China

Size:

Total length of the fish is 6 inches (18 cm), body length is 2.25 inches (5.5 cm), and depth of the body should be more than 3/5th of the body length.

Lifespan:

The average lifespan is 12 to 15 years.

Physical Description

Fantail is a fancy Goldfish which is an ideal choice for beginners. Fantail can be differentiated from other Goldfish varieties by their short body with double or split tail fins. It has a single dorsal fin and all other fins are paired. Years ago, this fish had two standard type of tails: one was long with thin tail, another one was short with stump tail. Nowadays, it is combined together with an intermediate tail pattern.

Color Varieties of Fantail

Fantail can be found in patches of violet, red, orange, yellow and brown with blue background. They are also found in metallic colors.

Housing

You can make your fish happy in a 20 gallon water tank. You have to maintain cold water in the tank. You can use gravel and rock in the aquarium. Fantails like to swim in between plants. It is a better choice to decorate your aquarium with pond and aquatic plants. Fantail should be kept with other fishes. Use of java moss plant in the aquarium may help fry to survive well in the tank.

Temperature:

Temperature varies from 65 - 72 degrees F (18 - 22 degrees C). You have to maintain a natural lighting effect.

Water Condition:

The tank water conditions should be maintained at a pH level of 6.5 - 7.5 and dH of 4 - 20.

Moving Level in Water:

It can swim in all levels of water.

Feeding

Fantail is omnivorous. So, you can feed all kinds of fresh, frozen and flake types of food. You can also feed live food like blood worms, daphnia or tubifex worms, but make sure live food is not affected by bacteria or parasite. Frozen or dried foods is a better and a safer choice.

Reproduction

It is the easiest fish to breed. Matured fantails have to kept in the spawning condition.

It will lay up to 1000 eggs. Fry comes out from eggs within 5 to 6 days.

Selecting a good Fantail

The following points are helpful to identify a good specimen.

1. The body of the fish should not elongated.
2. Body should have a smooth outline.
3. Caudal fin should be well divided at the top than at the bottom.
4. Caudal should be held high without drooping and look like a fan in the rear view.

5. The pair of anal fin should completely separate from each other.
6. Good Fantail fins has high intensity color.