Goldfish of the month December: The COMMON!!


The Common goldfish is the Original goldfish (wild Carp) coming from the lakes and streams of China, this fish hasn't changed over the years.


Description
The common has a long (up to 12 inch in length) torpedo shape body with a high but short dorsal fin. The body depth of the fish should be approximately 3/7 of the length of the body. The dorsal fin should be straight and should be lined up with the caudal fin. The single caudal fin should forked, with round lobes. The caudal fins should be slightly forked and also have rounded edges. The pectoral and pelvic fins should be in a triangular shape.
The common is one of the few fish that is supposed to have a single anal fin, while in most other fish its considered a flaw in shows. The scales of the fish are metallic, and its being bred in many colors. The color of the fish should extend to the fins, if the fish is slightly black when young it should change to its solid color when older.

Habitat
Being a slender and fast fish, the common is a ideal candidate for ponds, and very easy to take care of if given the right amount of water. With a foot in length, the common is not a small fish, and to have him live comfortable and to his full size, anything above at least 20-30 gl is welcome. Considered his enormously long finnage, that is quite easy to figure out. He is a great companion for other pond fish like the koi and wakin, and can very well overwinter outside, as long as there is a hole left in the ice for oxygen and gas exchange, and the pond isn't frozen solid.

Food
The common is the original inventor of the phrase "Goldfish eat like pigs", and he can eat anything that fits in his mouth. Unfortunately, the common is too big for his own good, and could care less if other - slower - fish in his pond/tank are not getting enough food. Therefore it is recommended not to keep him with anything slower than him, otherwise the tranquil movement of the other fish won't get them very far, especially not to the food.
Speaking of food, due to his slender body shape and the fact that his intestines are not cramped at all, compared to lionheads, ryukin and orandas for example, floating pellets and flakes can't do him much harm at all. He takes very well to the food that is being fed to koi, so there is no need of feeding him separately.
Other food choices are spirulina, veggies like spinach, cucumber, lettuce, peas; all kinds of pellets and flakes, as well as the frozen varieties of krill, bloodworm, daphnia and so for. When out in the pond, the algae growing on the bottom and walls is a welcome snack for the comet as well.

My favorite!!! My guy is a Common Comet
He's very true in that he eats EVERYTHING. Even his own poop....or attempts to at least ^^;;
He also likes the give me a heart attack by wriggling under the filter and staying there for a while before wriggling out again. I think he naps there.....

He's turned pearly silver/white from the 75% orange that he was when I rescued him from the "Kill Tank" The picture is from before that happened tho

nice look champ, how long is he?

Hooray!

I like originals.

Thanks, KoKo! Nice seeing the Commons described so beautifully.

"Pete"

Uh....putting the ruler up to the glass and hoping he swims by....and stops moving.....

Hah! My best guess is that he's either a titch less than three inches, exactly three inches, or a titch more than three inches....But somewhere around that three inch mark. He was only about an inch and a half when I first "rescued" him.

wow, what a beautiful fish you have. I've never seen one with that kind of pattern!

do you still have to soak the food first????

no they can eat non soak food..you only soak the food if you have fancy goldfish

It depends on the individual fish. I have some comets that will go floaty if they gulp too much air, sinking food is better for floaty fish.

so it wont give him swim bladder??

if he doesn't float when you give him non soak food

Yep, that is right. No need to soak unless fish start to float. lol