Star is my Oranda Veil tail I bought from Tommy last December. My question is when well the tail get that long flowing look? Or was he mislabled?
My last picture of him. Need to get new ones but he has not changed really since this was taken. He might be wider and somewhat longer but no flowing fins yet and the head is still the same size.

So any clue? Or is he maybe young and the fins well grow later?

Being a veiltail does not always mean having a "flowy" tail, it just means that he doesn't have a fork in his tail the way fantails do.

It might take much longer before the fins will start growing, or they might not grow much at all! It really depends on the genetics of the fish.

I'm not sure about the tail growth or if they could of mislabled ..which I think can happen often...but whatta beauty ..such interesting markings...and your oranda in your avatar is amazing with those long graceful fins

There are tails and then there are tails.

In general, a "Veiltail" is a breed of fish - that carries a very long tail that is "flat" on the back - with no forking. Picture a triangle - the top point of the triangle is attached to the fish's body and the flat base of the triangle is the back of the tail - flat. A true veiltail will "droop" - actually that may be a misleading word for thetail should not look droopy, but drops down behindthe fish like a long train or veil is carried behind.

A different breed of fish can carry a veiltail, though. This means that it will have a long, flowing tail that has the flat back to it and it will drop in a train or veil behind the fish.

A fish that has a very long tail with the flat back shape, but the tail is held up in a standard angle for the fish is called a broadtail on the fish. (My avatar is a Ryukin with a broadtail)

Yet another modification in comportment of the flatbacked tail is the open tail that a Tosakin carries - a well bred Tosakin will have that tail opened out rather in a flat presentation - with the edges curled up and over to create the distinctive Tosakin look.

Your Oranda appears to have a slightly larger than normal tail for an Oranda - and it does appear to have the flat back to it. I think I would classify him as a broadtailed Oranda. A very pretty fish, that!

Well darn. I still like him/her but sure wanted a long flowing tail. lol

This is a bit of a rant but I always raise my eyebrows when viewing Tommy's auction. His fish are very nice however he always labels fish as "Veiltail" or "Show Quality" when they are neither.

is this what my guy is, a veiltail? i got him as a gift, so i dont know what he was 'officially' labeled as and i've been calling him a fantail for a year now, but i havent been able to find any others like him at any of my local spots - the fantails around here just dont have the majestic, flowing dress that this guy does. i'm about to vastly increase tank size so i can add one or two more, and i'd like to find tankmates that are of the same kind, but i'm realizing that i obviously dont know exactly what kind that is because i havent seen any like him. the picture is poor quality because he's active and my digital camera is.. . . vintage, but hopefully i've captured enough detail so someone could give me an assesment.
i apologize if i'm hijacking this thread, i really dont mean to. it did seem as though the original post had been addressed and i just thought that the contributors to this thread might be able to help me out.



*and YES, i'm scrapping the undergravel filter for a nice big biowheel in the new environment

Sorry not a veiltail. But he is still very pretty.

It has a fork in its tail, making it a fantail.

the fork in the tail told me he was a fantail as well but i just cant seem to find any with quite the same features. i guess i just got lucky with this one being as fancy as he is - i'm sure that'll do wonders for his prettyboy complex!
i also didnt want to be the guy on the forum calling my fish by the wrong genus - thanks for the clarification

All goldfish are the same genus and species: Carassius auratus
It's the breeds that are different.

It's like dogs, all dogs are the same genus and species, but they have different breeds.

i've got 2 fish with long flowy fins (Jackie and Taco) but both of them have the forked tail too