Shubunkin goldfish are hardy creatures capable of adapting to many conditions. For optimal performance, they prefer an aquarium with plenty of swimming space and gravel substrate to explore.
Provide them with high-quality flakes and pellets, along with occasional frozen foods like bloodworms and daphnia or vegetables such as zucchini slices.
Contents
Diet
Shubunkin goldfish are easy-to-care-for fish that will add vibrant colors to any tank or pond, while their colorful fins bring life and energy. Active creatures that enjoy exploring new habitats, these fish pair well with most aquarium and pond fish species as long as food sources don’t compete directly against each other – fast swimmers such as these will quickly steal any leftover food left by slower-swimmers.
Goldfish pellets designed specifically for their needs make an excellent staple food source, and may also enjoy occasional treats like brine shrimp, bloodworms, daphnia and tubifex worms as enriching treats.
Shubunkin goldfish can be voracious eaters and may overindulge, leading to digestive issues. Therefore, only feed them as much food as they can consume within several minutes, and take care to remove any uneaten food to prevent bacteria growth in their environment.
Habitat
Shubunkin goldfish are lively and vibrant fish that thrive in tanks and ponds, known for their striking calico coloring which looks gorgeous as they swim. Their long flowing fins add to their graceful movement as they move. Not picky eaters either – they enjoy devouring anything from fish flakes and pellets, live worms, cooked vegetables, etc.
Hardy fish that can adjust to various water conditions, these goldfish thrive best with cooler water temperatures. Community fish, they make good neighbors but can become bullies if left alone too long and may steal food from slower-moving ones in larger tanks with fantails, comets or similar species such as koi or fancy goldfish.
They can also be kept with other freshwater fish such as danios and tetras provided that they are of equal size and species. Like their freshwater counterparts, catfish are vulnerable to contracting various diseases – most notably Ich, which causes white spots on its scales before eventually leading to bacterial infections that could kill it off altogether.
Health
Shubunkin goldfish have the potential to live for 30 years when kept in an aquarium or pond in good condition, providing they remain active. These active creatures love exploring their environment while foraging for food scavengers such as guppies, tetras, or killifish can keep up. In an aquarium or pond environment they should also be kept with non-aggressive species like cichlids or tiger barbs for best results.
These fish are omnivorous, eating both plant-based foods as well as proteins like fish flakes, freeze-dried foods and brine shrimp or daphnia (usually as treats). Being large eaters themselves, these fish will tend to dominate feeding times in your tank unless limited amounts of food are given to prevent overfeeding.
Fish are generally easy to care for and relatively hardy creatures, though they can succumb to several common illnesses like white spot disease, ich and flukes infestation, or swim bladder disease, which causes them to swim sideways or in an abnormal pattern.
Care
Shubunkin goldfish can be very messy fish that require regular tank cleanings and full water changes to stay alive. Their voracious appetite makes feeding them pellets or flakes an ongoing task, so housing multiple shubunkins in one tank should not be done without supervision from an adult. They should only be mixed with hardy Fancy breeds such as common or Comet goldfish; tropical species cannot keep up.
Shubunkin goldfish are omnivorous fish that should be fed a diet consisting of fresh, frozen and dried foods – such as flake diet. As enriching treats they may also receive blood worms, brine shrimp or Daphnia and tubifex worms for further enrichment.
Shubunkin goldfish are known for being strong swimmers that may become aggressive toward slower breeds, yet thrive in community tanks with fantails – provided they don’t steal food! Like all fish species, Shubunkin goldfish may experience various health issues that are relatively easy to care for: external parasites, bacterial infections, skin flukes, fin rot and swim bladder disease are just a few potential ailments they could face.
