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  Fax: 419.715.8697

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Shubunkin Goldfish are a favorite of hobbyists because they come in so many beautiful colors and patterns. Shubunkin's come in;

• Powder Blue
• Red Pattern over Blue
• Orange with Black Colors and many, many more.

<(Early painting circa 1909 painting by Hugh M. Smith).

The name ‘Shubunkin’ is Japanese and roughly translates to “Calico Goldfish”.

Shubunkin are similar to

Common Goldfish and Comets, but with the characteristic Calico color pattern. Like all calico-colored Goldfish, the Shubunkin has clear nacreous scales. Metallic-scale Goldfish have their color pigments embedded in the scale itself. Nacreous-scale Goldfish have pigment in the skin below and the color is seen through the clear scales. Black pigment lying deep within the skin appears blue to our eye. Ideally, a Shubunkin has a bluish background topped with markings of red, orange, yellow, or brown plus black spots.

 

Shubunkin’s are often selected for side-view (aquariums), but many are also kept in ponds. The Shubunkin was first developed in Japan and was improved upon in America during the early 1900’s. Later, English breeders bought this variety to its pinnacle. Today, three types of Shubunkin are recognized based by the shape of

the tail fin;

1. The Japanese/American Shubunkin has long fins, forked tail and the tips of the tail are pointed like a comet.
2. The Bristol Shubunkin also has a forked tail, but the ends of the tail fin are rounded and the tail resembles the letter ‘B’ in profile..
3. The London Shubunkin has a short round tail fin reminiscent of the common goldfish.

Our Shubunkin are a popular way to get introduced to pond keeping. They co-habitat with Koi and Butterfly Koi well.

A variant of our Shubunkin, with a fan tail, was sent into space aboard the last ever Space Shuttle Atlantis, at a cost of $30,000 for less than a gram of water! Read more about the

Goldfish in space experiment that Blackwater Creek was proud to part of.