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Technical Bulletin No. 16
BnEEDtllG 0l G0lll ]lsil
K.N. Mohanta
S. Subramanian
N. Komarpant
A.V. Nirmale
, Fishery Sclences Section
ICAR RESEARCH COMPLEX FOR GOA
Ela, old Goa ;ff;D2,Goa India
qrrqlq
IcAR.
copyright @ 2008, lndian council of Agricultural Research (lcAR)
All Rights Reserved
Forreproductionofthisdocumentoranypartthereof'
permission of lndian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR),
New Delhi must be obtained'
Published bY:
Dr. V S Korikanthimath
Director
ICAR Research ComPlex for Goa
Ela, Old Goa - 403 402, Goa, lndia
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CorrectCitation
Technicalasslsfance: KChodnekar
Sidharth K. Marathe
Mohanta K N, Subramanian S, Komarpant N and
Nirmale AV (2008). Breeding of Gold fish' Technical
BulletinNo:l6,|CARResearchComplexforGoa
(lndian Council of Agricultural Research)' Ela' Old
Goa- 403402,Goa,lndia
Printedaf; Sahyadri Offset System, Corlim' llhas' Goa -403 110
1. lntroduction
The gold fish varieties
Biology of gold fish
Breeding of gold fish
Water quality requirements for breeding
Broodstock development
Spawning
Hatching
Larval rearing
Conclusion
Page No.
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5.
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1. INTRODUCTION
ln the recent years, the art of
rearing and fish keeping in aquarium
has become a passion and major
hobby among millions of people
around the globe. To many
enthusiasts, watching these beautiful
creatures swimming gracefully in the
aquarium is a pure sense of joy and
mental pleasure. lt also adds to the
aesthetic beauty of a house. The
global trade of ornamental fish is
about $ 9 billion dollar of which 85%
are freshwater species and the rest
are marine species. The ornamental
fish is one of the fastest growing
sectors in fisheries with an annual
growth of over 10% in the world. The
domestic growth of ornamental fish
trade is also about 20o/o per annum.
There are about 300 freshwater
ornamental fish varieties that are
available in the market and being
traded with different trade names.
Among ornamental fish, gold fish
(Carassru.rs auratus) is considered to
be the most popularand attractive pet
fish due its many variations such as
colour, finnages, tail, shape, size and
body structure. Though similar in
appearance to carp (Cyprinus
carpio), gold fish lack barbels and a
dark spot at the base of each scale. lt
is reported to giow_up tq.20-30 cm. lt
is the most common aquarium fish
and one of the oldest and best known
fish. Many aquarium fish keepers
considered that a community
aqarium fish tank is not a complete
one unless it is having fewvarieties of
gold fish. lt was developed in China
more than 1000 years ago as a
mutant arising from crucian carp. lt
can tolerate wide water temperature
variations ranging from warm waters
in tropics to cold waters where
surface water freezes to ice during
winter. They feed on aquatic plants
and small aquatic animals and easily
interbreed with carps under normal
conditions.
ln recent years, due to advances
in selective breeding and
hybridization, numerous varieties
with different colours, varied fin
patterns and unbelievable shape and
forms such as Coments, Calico,
Fantail, Orando, Pyukin, Lion head,
Pearl scale, Bubble eye, Telescope,
etc., are available in the markets and
has great demand both in domestic
as well as international markets.
2.THE GOLD FISH VARIETIES
There are more than 100
varieties of gold fish that appeal to a
wide range of aquarium fish lovers.
Allthese varieties are originated from
same species Carassrus auratus.
Some of the cornmon gold fish are
listed as follows:
-1-
Gommon gold fish
This is tyPicallY a carp shaPed
fish with pair,ed pectoral and pelvic
fins and single dorsal and caudalfins.
The body colours of the fish include
metallic, red, orange, Yellow, white
and black.
London Shubunkin (Nacreous
group)
It has exactlY the same bodY,
head and finnage as the common
gold fish. But it lacks the reflective
tissue and metallic shine. The
transparent scales allow a multiplicity
of colours to be seen. The
background colour of the fish is bright
blue, intersPersed with Patches of
red, yellow, brown, violet and black,
over which there is a black speckling.
The colours are even spread into the
fins. lt is suitable for keeping both in
pond and aquarium.
Wakin (Metallic grouP)
This is the common gold fish of
Japan with a similar bodY shaPe to
the common gold fish, but having
shortfins. lt has a double caudalfins.
Tikin (The Peacock tail metallic
group)
Avery old varietY develoPed from
wakin. Apart from the caudal fin, the
fins and bodY are the same as the
wakin, although slightly compressed
vertically and some are thicker in the
belly r-egion. The best ones have a
silver body with red lips and fins but
perfect placement of the red colour is
very rare.
Ryukin (Metallic grouP)
The RYukin is PoPular with
professional fish breeders because
of its hardiness, ease of
management and the high
percentage of good progeny which it
produces. lt is Japan's second most
popular variety of gold fish. The body
is short, deep bodied and moderately
compressed, often with a
pronounced humP at the junction
with the head. The fins are longer
than those of the wakin, the caudal
region is forked and divided in to fins,
and the analfins are also paired. This
fish is suitable for rearing both in
pond and aquarium.
Fan tail
This fish varietY is the western
version of the RYukin and found in
both normal and telescoPe-eYed
form. The fan tail can best be
described as an egg-shaped fish. lt is
not so deeP bodied as the RYukin and
has notrace of hump on its back' This
breed is found in a range of colours,
including metallic self, variegated
and calico.
Demekin
'Kuro Demekin is a velvetY black
fish due to its excessive melanic
pigment. Somg terrd to turn red'with-
age.'Aka Demekin' is the red metallic
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type.'Sansho Demekin' is the
necarious form. The eye protrudes
greatly from the head. The body
shape and finnage is very similar to
the Ryukin.
Tosakin
Tosakin resembles as that of
Ryukin. But the main differences
between these two varieties are that
the Tosakin has slightly shallower
body and shorter fins along with a
peculiar caudalfin. The lower lobes of
the caudal fin are greatly extended
with up-turned outer edges, the fin
has the appearance of being
reversed and spread out in the
direction of the head. This fish variety
is suitable for aquarium only.
Comet
The comet is one variety of gold
fish which is produced in large
numbers. lt is readily available in the
market, very hardy and fares well
both in aquarium and pond. Yellow is
the most usual colour of this fish,
howevel a deep reddish orange is
more preferred. ln pond environment,
it exercises its occasional turn of
speed.
Veiltail
This variety is available both in
normal and telescope-eyed forms. lt
is one of the most exquisite and
gracefulfish among the different gold
fish breeds.- lts,pointed -head has no
hood growth. The double tail fins of
the veil tail have no indentation
between the lobes. This square cut
tail and the very high erect dorsal fin
are the most characteristic features
of this breed. Veils are often very rare
as only a small percentage of their
progeny develop in to true veil tails.
Moor
It is a telescope-eyed variety.
The colour of the fish is velvety black
extending to the tips of the fins. The
body and finnage of this fish variety is
identicalto the veiltail in all respects.
It is mainly reared by British
aquarists.
Oranda
Oranda is a short bodied high-
backed fish with long paired fins, a
high dorsal fin and a hood growth
covering the head. The hood should
ideally grow equally in all sections,
leaving only the eyes and the mouth
exposed. However, the hood
development is generally occurred in
the cranial region.
Redcap Oranda and Redcap Lion
head
The body of the fish is silver in
colour and the hood is restricted to
the top of the head. The head colour
is red and hence, the name. lt is
suitable for pond or aquarium
rearing.
Ranchu
This fish was developed in Japan. lt
-3-
is a short, round-bodied fish having a
broad head covered with a generous
head growth. All the fins are shortwith
the double tail fin being attached to
the caudal peduncle at a sharp angle'
The tail fin is held erect and can be
fully divided or partially webbed' The
curvature along the back is a smooth
arch with a sharP angle downward as
it nears the caudal Peduncle'
Lion head
It is considered to be the "King of
Gold fish". This breed has the largest
head growth among all gold fish
varieties. A double tait propels the
short boxy body. The tail looks like
butterfly wings, which is verY
attractive. The back outline is
straighter than found in the Ranchu,
but still has a gentle, even curve,
which is carried right to the caudal
peduncle.
Phoenix
The bodY of Phoenix is midwaY
between the common gold fish and
the Ranchu. lt also lacks a dorsalfin'
The fins are very long with anal fins
being paired. The double caudalfin is
very deeply forked to give a'Ribbon-
tail' appearance. lt is suitable for the
communitY aquarium.
Pearlscale
The pearl scale is another rare
variety of gold fish. ln this variety, the-
scale is silver with large red patches'
The body is very fat, almost dropsical
in appearance with a deeP bellY and
flattish back. The fins are very similar
to those of Fan tail. The main
features of this variety are the scales,
which are domed. This raised area is
usually white in colour and looks like
a half pearl Pasted to each scale,
thus the name Pearl scale' The
double tail fin is square cut like the
vail tail. ln the last few years, pearl
scale has been seen with oranda
head growth, long fins and larger
bodies. Pearl scale variety is also
found either in red orcalico colour'
Pompon
It is a dorsalfin-less breed' lt has
a short, round boxY bodY like lion
head with short double tail fins' The
nasal septum dividing each nostril
develops in to a fleshY lobe that
resembles like a Pompon. BodY
shape is similar to bubble eye' There
are several breeds of gold fish that
are called as Pompons- PomPon
orandas, Lion heads PomPon and
Hanafusa (dorsal PomPon) are the
few examples which are available in
the market.
TelescoPe
The TelescoPe varietY has
number of forms and colours. ln fact,
all fish with Protruding eyes are
belonging to this particular variety' lt
is also commerciallY named as
Calieo, Ptain scale less; Moon'and so
on.
-4-
Celestial
This is a remarkable fish, with a
body shape similar to the Chinese
Telescope. The body colour of this
fish variety is of uniform black or pale
orange or a combination of these two
in mottled pattern. Most striking
feature of this fish is its eye formation,
the pupils being situated on top of the
eyeballs, so that the fish seems to be
gazing heaven-wards, hence, the
name celestial. Because of its
restricted vision, more care is needed
forfeeding this fish
Toad head
It is very similar to the celestial
gold fish variety. The eyes are normal
but below them is a small bladder like
groMh that gives the face somewhat
toad-like appearance, hence called
toad head.
Bubble eye
It has fluid-filled sacs beneath the
eyes and a growth contoured body
without a dorsal fin. The fish with
large bubble (fluid-filed sac) is more
demanding and fetches more price in
the market.
Meteor
This is a strange egg-shaped fish
with no caudal fin. The over-
development of the other fins-
especially the pectoral and anal fins
compensate the lack of caudal fin.
Golden orfe
It is a fish of European origin
which is becoming more or more
popular with fanciers. The Golden
orfe is a slender fish, orange-gold on
its top side and a paler yellow gold
colour on its underbelly. lt is
extremely graceful as it darts about
and is said to be one of the fastest
living fish. When reared in outdoor
pool, it leaps from the water very
often in pursuitof feeding the insect.
3. BIOLOGY OF GOLD FISH
The fish belongs to the family
Cyprinidae and the order
Cypriniformes. Generally there are
two types of gold fishes i.e. fancy and
common or normal. The maximum
length of fancy type gold fish is about
6 to 8 inches in length where as
normal gold fish size may extend up
to 14 inches. The oldest gold fish
recorded by a hobbyist is stated to be
43 years of age. The general life
span of gold fish is 10-12 years. lt is
an omnivorous fish, which feeds on
wide variety of live and prepared
feeds. They swim at all levels of the
water in the aquarium tank and feeds
on both floating and sinking type of
feeds. This is very good fish for the
community tank due to its
compatibility and non-
aggressiveness.
-5-
=-
I
4. BREEDING OF GOLD FISH
Water Quality Requirement
ForThe Breeding
Maintenance of waterqualitY is of
paramount importance for successful
breeding of ornamental fish. The
most important water qualitY
parameters to be maintained in
hatcheries are: PH, dissolved
oxygen, temperature, ammonia,
hardness and alkalinity. Some of the
important water quality parameters
are given below:
Temperature
Temperature sets the Pace of
metabolism by controlling molecular
dynamics (diffusibility, solubility,
fluidity) and biochemical reaction
rates. The preferable water
temperature for growth and culture is
15.5 to 23.6 oC. For breeding
purpose, the ideal water temperature
ranges between 20 to23oC.
Dissolved oxygen
This is an important factor not
only for the respiration of ornamental
fishes but also for maintenance of
water quality. lt controls many of the
redox reactions and maintains an
aerobic condition of water. Generally
it is advisable to maintain the
dissolved oxygen level at saturation
level by providing aeration. Aeration
also helps in expelling certain amount
of ammonia from the water and in
even distribution of temperature. The
preferable dissolved oxygen level for
breeding is over 5 to 6 PPm.
pH
pH is a measure of hYdrogen ion
concentration in water and indicates
whether the water is acidic or basic'
Water pH affects metabolism and
physiological process of fish. pH also
exerts considerable influence on
toxicity caused bY ammonia and
hydrogen sulphide. For breeding
purposes, the water PH should be
between 7.5to 8.0.
Hardness
Hardness in water is caused bY
soluble salts of Ca and Mg i.e.
bicarbonates, chlorides, sulphates
etc. Their concentration is linked with
alkalinity and pH. Total hardness in
the aquarium should be greater than
40 ppm as CaCo.. This concentration
of hardness helps to Protect fish
against harmful effects of PH
fluctuation and metal ions.
Ammonia
Total ammonia is an imPortant
parameter to be cautiouslY
monitored. Gold fish are very much
sensitive to unionized ammonia and
the optimum range is 0.02-0.05 PPm
in the aquarium.
Nitrite
ln normal condition, the- nitrite
concentration of aquarium is
negligible, as the aquarium is kePt
-6-
well oxygenated. Even though it is
found, its concentration should be
less than 0.01 ppm.
Nitrate
Nitrate is certainly less toxic to
fish than either ammonia or nitrite.
Nitrate concentration preferably
should be less than 20 ppm in
aquaria.
B ro o dsto ck dev elopme nt
Fishes of B to 15 months of age
ranging in size from 40 to 100 g can
be used as broodstock. ln general,
the feeding of broodstock is being
done thrice daily. ln the morning and
evening feedings, live feeds such as
tubifex, earthworm, bloodworm, etc.
are recommended. But during the
noon time, the feeding of formulated
diets is advisable. Feeding is to be
done @ 10o/o of the body weight per
day. Of the total ration, 30% is to be
provided in the morning and evening
each and the rest40% in afternoon.
Tablel. Distinguishing characters of male and female gotd fish during breeding season
Characters Male Female
Tubercles Appear on head,
operculum, pectoral fi ns
and other fins
Do not show breeding tubercles
Abdomen Smaller, slender and firm
and may have ridge
Large, fatty, no abdominal ridge
and circular in outline.
Genitalopening Long, concave and smaller
opening
Convex, large and protruding
out side
1"' ray of pectoral fin Thicker edge and more
pointed Thinner edge and round
pectoralfin
Lead (main) ray of anal fin Thinner Thicker
General body shape Thinner, longer and
symmetrical from the top
Fattel shorter and asymmetrical
from the top
Behaviour Ghase the female c h ase. d, and[qr49g,*qd, by m a I e
-7-
:;:;. ,,:, j=+E=+€E
hTroodstock develoPment
A healthy gold fish brooder
Outdoor go sh breeding tank (cement) with egg collector (plastic stiiF
Gold fish brooders set for breeding
lndoot egg hatching tank with aeration
Outdoor larval rearing of gold fish
Hatchery produced gold fish fry
Hatchery produced gold fish seed
-11-
\L
AOult gold fish
l{ii.t
CotO fish readY for sale
-12-
lndoor gold fish rearing
_1 3_
Spawning
The distinguishing characters
between male and female gold fish
are given in Table 1.
During the on set of breeding
season, male and female move in a
pair, male taking a position below the
posterior region of female with its
snout nearer to the vent of the female
and trunk below the caudal fin.
Sometimes the courtship continues
for several hours or even days. Then
the female releases the egg that is
fertilized by the milt released
simultaneously by the male. Most of
the eggs being stickY in nature,
substratum may be Provided in the
form of soft aquatic weeds, tiles,
corals, etc., for settlement and
collection of eggs for incubation and
hatching. As the parent fish has the
habit of eating its own eggs, it is
advisable to separate the egg
collectors containing eggs into a
different incubation and hatching
container. Each healthy and matured
female releases about 2500-3000
eggs.The gold fish breeds 5-6 times
in a year. Fertilized eggs are
transparent in colour and unfertilized
eggs are cloudy. Fungus grows very
quickly on the surface of unfertilized
eggs and very often the infection
spreads to healthy fertilized eggs too.
Therefore, it is advisable to remove
the unfertilized eggs as soon as
possible once the egg laying is over.
Hatching
Fertilized eggs hatch in 2-4
days depending on water
temperature. The incubation and
hatching is generally being done in a
separate container with the provision
of sufficient oxygen. After hatching,
the egg collectors are removed
carefully so as to avoid mortality of
newly hatched larvae.
I^arval Rearing
The newly hatched larvae
depend upon their Yolk sac as food
source for a couple of daYs and theY
do not require any external food
during the time. The larvae start
feeding afterthe yolksac is absorbed.
From the third day onwards uP to
seventh day of hatching, the mixed
green algae are to be fed followed by
infusoria for next seven days. ln third
week, the fry are to be suPPlemented
with boiled egg Yolk and micro-
worms. From 4* week onwards,
Daphnia, Moina and Tubifex are
provided till it attains 10-15 mm
length. Sometimes cannibalism
occurs among the young fish if there
is much difference in their growth
rates and they are not provided with
sufficient food materials. Therefore,
only the fish of similar size should be
kept together in a nursery tank. Care
must be taken to avoid the
overcrowding of fish in larval rearing
-14-
tank. After one month, the fry can be
transferred to grow out outdoor tanks
and fed with the prepared pelleted
feed containing about 30Yo crude
protein and 4.0 kcal/g gross energy till
it attains the marketable size.
5. CONGLUSION
Since time immemorial, gold fish has
been one of the most sought after
ornamental fish by aquarium fish
keepers throughout the world,
particularly in tropical countries.
Several varieties of gold fish that are
available in the market today
originated from the parental stocks
developed by the Chinese, Korean
and Japanese breeders and have
been given different commercial
names. ln lndia, the breeding
technology of the numerous varieties
of gold fish is still remained in its infant
stage. Considering the huge demand
of gold fish both in domestic as well as
international markets, the breeding of
several varieties of gold fish needs
greater attention. The breeding
technology of all the varieties of gold
fish is very simple and more or less
similar.
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