BREEDING OF GOLD FISH

K.N. MohantaS. SubramanianN. KomarpantA.V. Nirmale

~3Fjtl

ICAR

Fishery Sciences SectionICAR RESEARCH COMPLEX FOR GOA

Ela, Old Goa - 403 402, Goa India2008

Copyright © 2008, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)All Rights Reserved

For reproduction of this document or any part thereof,permission of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR),

New Delhi must be obtained.

Published by:Dr. V S KorikanthimathDirectorICAR Research Complex for GoaEla, Old Goa - 403 402, Goa, India

FaxPhoneEmailWeb site

91-832 - 228564991-832 - 2284678, 2284679director@icargoa.res.inhttp://www.icargoa.res.in

Mohanta K N, Subramanian S, Komarpant NandNirmale A V (2008). Breeding of Gold fish. TechnicalBulletin No: 16, ICAR Research Complex for Goa(Indian Council of Agricultural Research), Ela, OldGoa- 403 402, Goa, India

K ChodnekarSidharth K. Marathe

Page No.

01

In the recent years, the art ofrearing and fish keeping in aquariumhas become a passion and majorhobby among millions of peoplearound the globe. To manyenthusiasts, watching these beautifulcreatures swimming gracefully in theaquarium is a pure sense of joy andmental pleasure. It also adds to theaesthetic beauty of a house. Theglobal trade of ornamental fish isabout $ 9 billion dollar of which 85%are freshwater species and the restare marine species. The ornamentalfish is one of the fastest growingsectors in fisheries with an annualgrowth of over 10% in the world. Thedomestic growth of ornamental fishtrade is also about 20% per annum.There are about 300 freshwaterornamental fish varieties that areavailable in the market and beingtraded with different trade names.Among ornamental fish, gold fish(Carassius auratus) is considered tobe the most popular and attractive petfish due its many variations such ascolour, finnages, tail, shape, size andbody structure. Though similar inappearance to carp (Cyprinuscarpio), gold fish lack barbels and adark spot at the base of each scale. Itis reported to grow up to 20-30 cm. Itis the most common aquarium fish.and one of the oldest and best knownfish. Many aquarium fish keepers

considered that a communityaqarium fish tank is not a completeone unless it is having few varieties ofgold fish. It was developed in Chinamore than 1000 years ago as amutant arising from crucian carp. Itcan tolerate wide water temperaturevariations ranging from warm watersin tropics to cold waters wheresurface water freezes to ice duringwinter. They feed on aquatic plantsand small aquatic animals and easilyinterbreed with carps under normalconditions.

In recent years, due to advancesin selective breeding andhybridization, numerous varietieswith different colours, varied finpatterns and unbelievable shape andforms such as Coments, Calico,Fantail, Orando, Pyukin, Lion head,Pearl scale, Bubble eye, Telescope,etc., are available in the markets andhas great demand both in domesticaswell as international markets.

There are more than 100varieties of gold fish that appeal to awide range of aquarium fish lovers.All these varieties are originated fromsame species Carassius auratus.Some of the common gold fish arelisted as follows:

Common gold fish

This is typically a carp shapedfish with paired pectoral and pelvicfins and single dorsal and caudal fins.The body colours of the fish includemetallic, red, orange, yellow, whiteand black.

London Shubunkin (Nacreousgroup)

It has exactly the same body,head and finnage as the commongold fish. But it lacks the reflectivetissue and metallic shine. Thetransparent scales allow a multiplicityof colours to be seen. Thebackground colour of the fish is brightblue, interspersed with patches ofred, yellow, brown, violet and black,over which there is a black speckling.The colours are even spread into thefins. It is suitable for keeping both inpond and aquarium.

Wakin (Metallic group)

This is the common gold fish ofJapan with a similar body shape tothe common gold fish, but havingshort fins. It has a double caudal fins.

Tikin (The peacock tail metallicgroup)

A very old variety developed fromwakin. Apart from the caudal fin, thefins and body are the same as thewakin, although slightly compressedvertically and some are·thicker in thebelly region. The best ones have a

silver body with red lips and fins butperfect placement of the red colour isvery rare.

Ryukin (Metallic group)

The Ryukin is popular withprofessional fish breeders becauseof its hardiness, ease ofmanagement and the highpercentage of good progeny which itproduces. It is Japan's second mostpopular variety of gold fish. The bodyis short, deep bodied and moderatelycompressed, often with apronounced hump at the junctionwith the head. The fins are longerthan those of the wakin, the caudalregion is forked and divided in to fins,and the anal fins are also paired. Thisfish is suitable for rearing both inpond and aquarium.

Fantail

This fish variety is the westernversion of the Ryukin and found inboth normal and telescope-eyedform. The fan tail can best bedescribed as an egg-shaped fish. It isnot so deep bodied as the Ryukin andhas no trace of hump on its back. Thisbreed is found in a range of colours,including meta.llic self, variegatedand calico.

Demekin

'Kuro Demekin is a velvety blackfish due to its excessive melanicpigment. Some tend to turn red withage. 'Aka Demekin' is the red metallic

type.'Sansho Demekin' is thenecarious form. The eye protrudesgreatly from the head. The bodyshape and finnage is very similar tothe Ryukin.

Tosakin

Tosakin resembles as that ofRyukin. But the main differencesbetween these two varieties are thatthe Tosakin has slightly shallowerbody and shorter fins along with apeculiar caudal fin. The lower lobes ofthe caudal fin are greatly extendedwith up-turned outer edges, the finhas the appearance of beingreversed and spread out in thedirection of the head. This fish varietyis suitable for aquarium only.

Comet

The comet is one variety of goldfish which is produced in largenumbers. It is readily available in themarket, very hardy and fares wellboth in aquarium and pond. Yellow isthe most usual colour of this fish,however, a deep reddish orange ismore preferred. In pond environment,it exercises its occasional turn ofspeed.

Veil tail

This variety is available both innormal and telescope-eyed forms. Itis one of the most exquisite andgraceful fish among the different gold-fish breeds. Its pointed head has nohood growth. The double tail fins of

the veil tail have no indentationbetween the lobes. This square cuttail and the very high erect dorsal finare the most characteristic featuresof this breed. Veils are often very rareas only a small percentage of theirprogeny develop in to true veil tails.

Moor

It is a telescope-eyed variety.The colour of the fish is velvety blackextending to the tips of the fins. Thebody and finnage of this fish variety isidentical to the veil tail in all respects.It is mainly reared by Britishaquarists.

Oranda

Granda is a short bodied high-backed fish with long paired fins, ahigh dorsal fin and a hood growthcovering the head. The hood shouldideally grow equally in all sections,leaving only the eyes and the mouthexposed. However, the hooddevelopment is generally occurred inthe cranial region.

Redcap Oranda and Redcap Lionhead

The body of the fish is silver incolour and the hood is restricted tothe top of the head. The head colouris red and hence, the name. It issuitable for pond or aquariumrearing.

Ranchu

This fish was developed in Japan. It

is a short, round-bodied fish having abroad head covered with a generoushead growth. All the fins are short withthe double tail fin being attached tothe caudal peduncle at a sharp angle.The tail fin is held erect and can befully divided or partially webbed. Thecurvature along the back is a smootharch with a sharp angle downward asit nears the caudal peduncle.

Lion head

It is considered to be the "King ofGold fish". This breed has the largesthead growth among all gold fishvarieties. A double tail propels theshort boxy body. The tail looks likebutterfly wings, which is veryattractive. The back outline isstraighter than found in the Ranchu,but still has a gentle, even curve,which is carried right to the caudalpeduncle.

Phoenix

The body of phoenix is midwaybetween the common gold fish andthe Ranchu. It also lacks a dorsal fin.The fins are very long with anal finsbeing paired. The double caudal fin isvery deeply forked to give a 'Ribbon-tail' appearance. It is suitable for thecommunity aquarium.

Pearl scale

The pearl scale is another rarevariety of gold fish. In this variety, thescale is silver with large red patches.The body is very fat, almost dropsical

in appearance with a deep belly andflattish back. The fins are very similarto those of Fan tail. The mainfeatures of this variety are the scales,which are domed. This raised area isusually white in colour and looks likea half pearl pasted to each scale,thus the name pearl scale. Thedouble tail fin is square cut like thevail tail. In the last few years, pearlscale has been seen with orandahead growth, long fins and largerbodies. pearl scale variety is alsofound either in red or calico colour.

Pompon

It is a dorsal fin-less breed. It hasa short, round boxy body like lionhead with short double tail fins. Thenasal septum dividing each nostrildevelops in to a fleshy lobe thatresembles like a pompon. Bodyshape is similar to bubble eye. Thereare several breeds of gold fish thatare called as pompons. Pomponorandas, Lion heads Pompon andHanafusa (dorsal pompon) are thefew examples which are available inthe market.

Telescope

The Telescope variety hasnumber of forms and colours. In fact,all fish with protruding eyes arebelonging to this particular variety. Itis also commercially named asCa~jco;Plain·scale less, Moor and soon.

Celestial

This is a remarkable fish, with abody shape similar to the ChineseTelescope. The body colour of thisfish variety is of uniform black or paleorange or a combination of these twoin mottled pattern. Most strikingfeature of this fish is its eye formation,the pupils being situated on top of theeyeballs, so that the fish seems to begazing heaven-wards, hence, thename celestial. Because of itsrestricted vision, more care is neededfor feeding this fish

Toad head

It is very similar to the celestialgold fish variety. The eyes are normalbut below them is a small bladder likegrowth that gives the face somewhattoad-like appearance, hence calledtoad head.

Bubble eye

It has fluid-filled sacs beneath theeyes and a growth contoured bodywithout a dorsal fin. The fish withlarge bubble (fluid-filed sac) is moredemanding and fetches more price inthe market.

Meteor

This is a strange egg-shaped fishwith no caudal fin. The over-development of the other fins-especially the pectoral and anal finscompensate the lack of caudal fin.

Golden orfe

It is a fish of European originwhich is becoming more or morepopular with fanciers. The Goldenorfe is a slender fish, orange-gold onits top side and a paler yellow goldcolour on its underbelly. It isextremely graceful as it darts aboutand is said to be one of the fastestliving fish. When reared in outdoorpool, it leaps from the water veryoften in pursuit offeeding the insect.

3. BIOLOGY OF GOLD FISH

The fish belongs to the familyCyprinidae and the orderCypriniformes. Generally there aretwo types of gold fishes i.e. fancy andcommon or normal. The maximumlength of fancy type gold fish is about6 to 8 inches in length where asnormal gold fish size may extend upto 14 inches. The oldest gold fishrecorded by a hobbyist is stated to be43 years of age. The general lifespan of gold fish is 10-12 years. It isan omnivorous fish, which feeds onwide variety of live and preparedfeeds. They swim at all levels of thewater in the aquarium tank and feedson both floating and sinking type offeeds. This is very good fish for thecommunity tank due to itscompatibility and non-aggressiveness.

4. BREEDING OF GOLD FISH

Water Quality RequirementFor The Breeding

Maintenance of water quality is ofparamount importance for successfulbreeding of ornamental fish. Themost important water qualityparameters to be maintained inhatcheries are: pH, dissolvedoxygen, temperature, ammonia,hardness and alkalinity. Some of theimportant water quality parametersare given below:

Temperature

Temperature sets the pace ofmetabolism by controlling moleculardynamics (diffusibility, solubility,fluidity) and biochemical reactionrates. The preferable watertemperature for growth and culture is15.5 to 23.6 DC. For breedingpurpose, the ideal water temperatureranges between 20 to 23 DC.

Dissolved oxygen

This is an important factor notonly for the respiration of ornamentalfishes but also for maintenance ofwater quality. It controls many of theredox reactions and maintains anaerobic condition of water. Generallyit is advisable to maintain thedissolved oxygen level at saturationlevel by providing aeration. Aerationalso helps in expelling certain amountof ammonia from the water and ineven distribution of temperature. The

preferable dissolved oxygen level forbreeding is over 5 to 6 ppm.

pH

pH is a measure of hydrogen ionconcentration in water and indicateswhether the water is acidic or basic.Water pH affects metabolism andphysiological process offish. pH alsoexerts considerable influence ontoxicity caused by ammonia andhydrogen· sulphide. For breedingpurposes, the water pH should bebetween 7.5 to 8.0.

Hardness

Hardness in water is caused bysoluble salts of Ca and Mg i.e.bicarbonates, chlorides, sulphatesetc. Their concentration is linked withalkalinity and pH. Total hardness inthe aquarium should be greater than40 ppm as CaC03• This concentrationof hardness helps to protect fishagainst harmful effects of pHfluctuation and metal ions.

Ammonia

Total ammonia is an importantparameter to be cautiouslymonitored. Gold fish are very muchsensitive to unionized ammonia andthe optimum range is 0.02-0.05 ppmin the aquarium.

Nitrite

In normal condition, the nitriteconcentration of aquarium isnegligible, as the aquarium is kept

well oxygenated. Even though it isfound, its concentration should beless than 0.01 ppm.

Nitrate

Nitrate is certainly less toxic tofish than either ammonia or nitrite.Nitrate concentration preferablyshould be less than 20 ppm inaquaria.

Broodstock developmentFishes of 8 to 15 months of age

ranging in size from 40 to 100 g canbe used as broodstock. In general,the feeding of broodstock is beingdone thrice daily. In the morning andevening feedings, live feeds such astubifex, earthworm, bloodworm, etc.are recommended. But during thenoon time, the feeding of formulateddiets is advisable. Feeding is to bedone @ 10% of the body weight per

_day. Of the total ration, 30% is to beprovided in the morning and eveningeach and the rest40% in afternoon.

Characters Male Female

Tubercles Appear on head, Do not show breeding tubercles

operculum, pectoral fins

and other fins

Abdomen Smaller, slender and firm Large, fatty, no abdominal ridge

and may have ridge and circular in outline.

Genital opening Long, concave and smaller Convex, large and protruding

opening out side

151 ray of pectoral fin Thicker edge and more Thinner edge and round

pointed pectoral fin

Lead (main) ray of anal fin Thinner Thicker

General body shape Thinner, longer and Fatter, shorter and asymmetrical

symmetrical from the top from the top

Behaviour Chase the female Chased and harassed by male-

A healthy gold fish brooder

-8-

Gold fish brooders set for breeding

-9.-

Indoor gold fish rearing

-13-

Spawning

The distinguishing charactersbetween male and female gold fishare given in Table 1.

During the on set of breedingseason, male and female move in apair, male taking a position below theposterior region of female with itssnout nearer to the vent of the femaleand trunk below the caudal fin.Sometimes the courtship continuesfor several hours or even days. Thenthe female releases the egg that isfertilized by the milt releasedsimultaneously by the male. Most ofthe eggs being sticky in nature,substratum may be provided in theform of soft aquatic weeds, tiles,corals, etc., for settlement andcollection of eggs for incubation andhatching. As the parent fish has thehabit of eating its own eggs, it isadvisable· to separate the eggcollectors containing eggs into adifferent incubation and hatchingcontainer. Each healthy and maturedfemale releases about 2500-3000eggs. The gold fish breeds 5-6 timesin a year. Fertilized eggs aretransparent in colour and unfertilizedeggs are cloudy. Fungus grows veryquickly on the surface of unfertilizedeggs and very often the infectionspreads to healthy fertilized eggs too.Therefore, iUs advisable to removethe unfertilized eggs as soon aspossible once the egg laying is over.

HatchingFertilized eggs hatch in 2-4

days depending on watertemperature. The incubation andhatching is generally being done in aseparate container with the provisionof sufficient oxygen. After hatching,the egg collectors are removedcarefully so as to avoid mortality ofnewly hatched larvae.Larval.Rearing

The newly hatched larvaedepend upon their yolk sac as foodsource for a couple of days and theydo not require any external foodduring the time. The larvae startfeeding after the yolk sac is absorbed.From the third day onwards up toseventh day of hatching, the mixedgreen algae are to be fed followed byinfusoria for next seven days. In thirdweek, the fry are to be supplementedwith boiled egg yolk and micro-worms. From 4th week onwards,Daphnia, Moina and Tubifex areprovided till it attains 10-15 mmlength. Sometimes cannibalismoccurs among the young fish if thereis much difference in their growthrates and they are not provided withsufficient food materials. Therefore,only the fish of similar size should bekept together in a nursery tank. Caremust be taken to avoid theovercrowding of fish in larval rearing

tank. After one month, the fry can betransferred to grow out outdoor tanksand fed with the prepared pelletedfeed containing about 30% crudeprotein and 4.0 kcal/g gross energy tillit attains the marketable size.

5. CONCLUSION

Since time immemorial, gold fish hasbeen one of the most sought afterornamental fish by aquarium fishkeepers throughout the world,particularly in tropical countries.Several varieties of gold fish that areavailable in the market today

originated from the parental stocksdeveloped by the Chinese, Koreanand Japanese breeders and havebeen given different commercialnames. In India, the breedingtechnology of the numerous varietiesof gold fish is still remained in its infantstage. Considering the huge demandof gold fish both in domestic as well asinternational markets, the breeding ofseveral varieties of gold fish needsgreater attention. The breedingtechnology of all the varieties of goldfish is very simple and more or lesssimilar.