Ryukin Goldfish

The Ryukin goldfish is a deep-bodied, short, and fancy goldfish and it has a characteristic hump in the shoulder area. This fish is an attractive and hardy specimen of a goldfish and it has a pointed head. The Ryukin goldfish may be short-finned or long-finned. It is a twin-tail fish, and it has a pair of anal fins, pectoral fins, ventral fins, and tail fins. It is an active fish and not very tricky to keep. This fish can be housed with black moor goldfish, Oranda goldfish, Lionhead goldfish, and Ranchu goldfish.

Habitat and range

The Ryukin goldfish is very popular in Japan and the US. In 1770’s it arrived in Japan. Except for its massive dorsal hump, this fish is Japanese bred and very similar to the Fantail. The Ryukin goldfish is named after a string of the Island between Taiwan and Japan. Early Japanese literature refers to the Ryukin as the Nagasaki goldfish or Longtail goldfish.

The Ryukin goldfish appears in white and red, deep red, iron, white and calico colors. It is a fine aquarium fish which can grow up to 8 inches. This fish has a wider caudal fin. The average lifespan of Ryukin goldfish is 10 to 15 years. This fish has a fat belly and long feathery fins and its body is typically triangular in shape with the pointed and small mouth. With short and stubby body, it has an extremely high back.

Breeding

The Ryukin goldfish lays eggs that spawn willingly in the right conditions.

A Separate tank must be set up to break up the parents from the eggs. During the season of breeding the male has white prickles on its head and gill covers which are called breeding tubercles.

Tank size

To house the Ryukin Goldfish, ten gallons is the minimum requirement. But it’s better to start with 20 to 30 gallons. A maximum amount of surface area is good for them because a large surface area of water helps the fish in taking oxygen easily.

Water conditions

The Ryukin goldfish is very undemanding of temperature and water quality. This fish does its best at temperatures of around 65 to 72 degree F. And it can also tolerate a few degrees above freezing temperature. As it is a fresh water fish, it can also tolerate brackish water. To keep fish healthy, regular weekly water changes is ideal to keep them healthy. A Quick drop of temperature can kill the Ryukin goldfish. So, there should be balanced temperature for them.

Nutrition

The Ryukin goldfish is an omnivore; so generally, it can eat all kinds of frozen, flake and fresh food. Giving high quality flake food keeps it healthy. To keep a good balance of diet, feeding of blood worms, brine shrimp, Tubifex worms and Daphnia are ideal as a treat. Freeze dried foods are also ideal for it. Pellet food or goldfish flake is good for them because it provides proper nutrition to them. Protein rich foods are not ideal for them.

Setup

Setting up an aquarium for the Ryukin goldfish is the first step that will keep fish healthy and happy. Biological filtration is ideal to maintain the quality of water of the aquarium. Filtration removes much of the excess food, detritus and waste and also helps to keep the tank clean. This fish produce lots of waste and require high oxygen.