Goldfish Care : Pearlscale

Pearlscale goldfish has a round body like a golf ball with thick & domed scales similar to emerging pearls, finnage similar to the fantail and also has bright colorations. Its head has a triangular shape, some varieties have headgrowth.

Pearlscales come in many color varieties. It can be metallic (plain or mottled), calico (blue background with patches of violet, red, orange, yellow and brown, spotted with black), sakura (red-white-black) and many more.

Classification of pearlscales is usually based on:

• Finnage. It can be long or short.
• Headgrowth. Pearlscales are found without headgrowth, with Oranda-like headgrowth or with two large bubble domes (also known as Crown pearlscale or high-head pearlscale or Hamanishiki).

Selective & cross breeding creates many beautiful new varieties and colors such as mouse pearlscale (very wide rounded pearlscale), telescope pearlscale, ranchu pearlscale, panda pearlscale with headgrowth and many more.

Pearlscales are also popular as top-view goldfishes, their wide body shapes make them beautiful for top viewing especially for mouse pearlscales. Pearlscales can reach up to 8 inches long and grow up as large as oranges.

Choosing tips for Pearlscale :

• The pearlscale should be active and has horizontally-balance swim style.

• The body should be short and rounded (not elongated). Depth of the body should be greater than 2/3rds of body length.

• The length of the body should be 2¼ inches at the minimum.

• It shoud have well developed dome-shaped pearl scale all over the body, the coloration should be bright extending into the fins.

• The caudal fin should be forked, held high above the horizontal without signs of drooping and well divided. Dorsal fin to be single, all other fins to be paired. The edge of fins should have a slightly rounded appearance.

Goldfish care tips for Pearlscale :

• Choosing tank mates for pearlscale is very important. Other goldfishes love to bit the scales, maybe they think the scales are delicious food. That's why many hobbyists keep their pearlscale goldfishes seperated from other strains, but several strains of goldfish are safe tank mates for them. Bubble eyes and butterfly-tailed goldfishes are the best tank mates for pearlscale. Avoid more aggressive goldfishes such as Ranchu, Lionhead, Ryukin or Tosa as their tank mates.

• Pearlscale goldfish are prone to swimbladder disorders which affect the ability to maintain normal position in the water. Selective breeding of the pearlscale gradually resulted to the alteration of the appearance of the swimbladder and internal organs crowding. Therefore overfeeding should be strictly avoided. 

• Pearlscales are very sensitive to cold water and should not be exposed to temperature below 55°F (13°C).

• Pearlscale goldfishes are very sensitive to pH changes, you should keep them at a stable pH (around 7).

Now you know how to choose & take good care of Pearlscale goldfish. You should also read our freshwater fish supplies article as a guide to create healthy environment for your aquatic friends in your tank.

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