Currently I have a mix of many different types of fancy goldfish in a well planted 180 gallon tank. (None of my fish have been sexed) I don't want any breeding if I can help it! Aren't there special steps I'd have to take to induce this..? It won't just pop up and be a problem, right?

Also, is it possible for say, a pearlscale to breed with a ranchu? And if so, are they usually pretty wacky and deformed? thank you in advance

Well, when fish have matured, sooner or later they will breed if kept together. If u really don't want them to breed, the only solution is to identify which are the males & which are females and separate them.

Any type of goldfish is able to mate with any type of goldfish. That's how we get all the different types of goldfish now, they're the result of careful cross-breeding that has been done for centuries.

As for pearlscale & ranchu combination, well believe or not in Bandung (Indonesia) they've just developed a new breed called the.....guess what....pearlscale ranchu. It's basically ranchu with pearlscales. Here are some pics below:

Thanks for the response. Eek! The Pearlscale Ranchu is just precious!!

About what age do they mature at?

Depends, some mature at 6 months, some later. A 1-yr old goldfish should be sexually mature no matter the breed.

that pearlscale ranchu is adorible. i wish i could have one

Leave it to Rix to dig up the beauties - that is one stunning fish! They aren't exporting that breed yet, hm?