16 Types Of Goldfish You Can Keep As Pets

When you think of a goldfish, you probably imagine a tiny orange fish swimming around in a bowl.

And while one goldfish variety definitely fits that description, there are actually a bunch of different types of goldfish out there, and we’re breaking them down for you.

Like the name suggests, singled-tailed goldfish have a single tail fin (aka a caudal fin). These goldfish are usually pretty social and love having lots of room to swim around.

The most common type of goldfish are literally named “common goldfish.” They can be a bunch of different colors, including red, yellow or gold.

A comet goldfish is a lot like a common goldfish, except they have a forked tail that almost looks like a comet (hence the name).

Shubunkin goldfish have what’s called calico coloring — this is basically a multicolored or spotted coloring, like you see in calico cats. This calico pattern can include many colors, like red, yellow, orange, white, black and even blue.

Fancy types of goldfish are ones with two caudal fins as opposed to one. These fish are deemed “fancy” because they’re visually interesting. Double-tailed goldfish are generally less active swimmers than their single-tailed counterparts, and tend to be more picky about their aquatic environment.

All the other fancy types of goldfish come from the Wakin goldfish. They’re often compared to common goldfish, with the main distinction being that they’re double-tailed.

Fantail goldfish are a pretty hardy type of fancy goldfish, so they’re a great choice for beginner fish parents.

The Ryukin goldfish has an egg-shaped body and a dorsal hump — aka a high back.

Veiltail goldfish get their name because their tails and fins are so thin that they’re translucent, just like a veil.

Pearlscale goldfish have round bodies and thick, raised scales that resemble pearls, hence the name. Some pearlscale goldfish also have a bubble-like growth on their head (aka a wen).

The telescope goldfish has a distinct look thanks to his big, bulging eyes.

Oranda goldfish all have a wen — that bubble-like growth — on their heads and have sphere-shaped bodies.

While Tosakin goldfish are double-tailed, their tail fins aren’t actually split. If you’re looking at them from above, you can see that their tails fan out to the sides and curl really gracefully.

Eggfish goldfish don’t have a dorsal fin (aka that fin on a fish’s back), which is what gives them that signature egg shape. There are a few different types of eggfish goldfish, including:

A pompom goldfish has an egg-shaped body and no dorsal fin, but the most distinctive part of a pompom goldfish’s appearance is the growth on their face, which is usually on the front by their nostrils.

Lionhead goldfish don’t have dorsal fins, but they do have a raspberry-like wen on the tops of their heads. Because these growths can cover pretty much the entire tops of their heads, it gives them a sort of lion-like appearance, hence the name.

Celestial eye goldfish are very similar to telescope goldfish, except for a couple things: They don’t have dorsal fins, and their bulging eyes face upwards.

Bubble-eyed goldfish get their name because they have fluid-filled sacs under their eyes that look like bubbles.

There are so many different types of goldfish, and whichever one you want to join your family should make your day a little brighter.