The goldfish is the eldest ornamental fish species in the world. For hundreds of years it has been bred on highest levels. Although the western aquarium hobby is unthinkable without the goldfish and its varieties the main breeding centres are still located in the east of Asia. It is very important to know where a goldfish has been bred, as their temperature tolerance varies immensely with the origin. In general goldfish (Carassius auratus) are among the most tolerant fish species of the world. They are adapted in the most extreme habitats in nature. So they can accept principally temperatures between 5 and 32°C. However, the different breeding strains have very different needs and a goldfish originating from Thailand or Singapore will never tolerate as low temperatures as a specimen from China.
The Pearlscales are very short goldfish. Each scale is formed like a little mussel. The must be handled quite carefully, as lost scales will be replaced by regularly formed ones. Since a few decades ago the Pearlscale goldfish were bred only in the Chinese province Kwangtung. Nowadays they are more common. The specimens available now from Aquarium Glaser originate from China.
Pearlscales are among the goldfish that are very suitable for keeping in aquaria, as they belong to the smallest varieties of the goldfish. Maximum body length is around 8 cm (fins go extra). Moreover, most Pearlscale goldfish are bred as “matt” ones. That means that the pigment that is responsible for the silver coloration in fishes – guanine – is mostly missing. So the Pearlscale goldfish have deep black eyes which look very attractive when the fish is looked at from the side instead of from the top.
Text & Photos: Frank Schäfer
| Angaben zum Tier | |
|---|---|
| Herkunft | China |
| Verfügbare Größe in cm | 6 |
