Comet (goldfish)

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Revision as of 12:19, 11 September 2009 by imported>Drew R. Smith
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Comet
Comet
Juvenile Comet
Carassius auratus
Family Cyprinidae
Size Variable
Tank Level All
Temperament Peaceful, Schooling
Tail Type Single-tailed
Country of Origin USA

The comet or comet-tailed goldfish is the most common variety of fancy goldfish in the United States. It is similar to the common goldfish, except slightly smaller and slimmer, and is mainly distinguished by its long deeply forked tail.

Physical Description

GoldComet.png

The body shape of all Comets is elongate, with equally curved dorsal and ventral contours. It is not as deep as the Common Goldfish. The colors of these fish depend on the strain, the most popilar of which show red-orange and lemon-yellow colorations. The varieties shown here include an uncolored juvenile Comet, a Gold (or Metallic) Comet, and an extremely popular strain, the Sarasa (or Red Cap) Comet. A distinctive, cultivated feature of these varieties is the deeply forked caudal fin, which can be almost as long as the body.