Black Shubunkins

[Sisha]

I have a dedicated Shubunkin pond, they had babies and I ended up with 2 coloured and 18 black. They started disappearing including the adults and realised it was rats so ended up with 3 black ones left after getting rid of the rats. They are now 2 1/2 years old and still black. The fins are all black except for the inner edge which is white. I can't find anything about black Shubunkins anywhere. My other large pond has many black fish, some only change after 10 years but most change within 3 -4 years. I love having black fish as they add mystery but don't know anything about black Shubunkin. Will they change?

 

[IPA]

Wikipedia states there are 3 types of Shubunkin. Mine are long fin. The more that I have read, to be a shubunkin it has to have blue in it, I always thought black, white and orange. Interesting read regarding the 3 scale types and the variations possible from breeding and so based on the article you probably have black comets if they have long tails.

http://www.about-goldfish.com/goldfish-scale-types.html

 

[Sisha]

Wikipedia states there are 3 types of Shubunkin. Mine are long fin. The more that I have read, to be a shubunkin it has to have blue in it, I always thought black, white and orange. Interesting read regarding the 3 scale types and the variations possible from breeding and so based on the article you probably have black comets if they have long tails.

http://www.about-goldfish.com/goldfish-scale-types.html

My pond is a dedicated Shubunkin pond, no comets and the Shubunkins are mostly blue so why are the babies all black?

 

[CeeJayH]

Welcome to the forum Sisha

I'm not an expert, but I think they are born black and then change. That's also what I've experienced in my pond (mix of common goldies and shubs). However, I would expect them to develop colours within 2 1/2 years! Some of mine changed colour less than 6 months after birth, others seem to take as long as 18 months.

 

[Sisha]

Welcome to the forum Sisha

I'm not an expert, but I think they are born black and then change. That's also what I've experienced in my pond (mix of common goldies and shubs). However, I would expect them to develop colours within 2 1/2 years! Some of mine changed colour less than 6 months after birth, others seem to take as long as 18 months.

 

[Sisha]

I've had comets stay black their whole lives. Blacky was 325mm when he died a few days after a Heron attack, he was over 12 years old but everything Iv'e read is that Shubunkin are always born coloured. I'll have to keep researching.

 

[IPA]

I've had comets stay black their whole lives. Blacky was 325mm when he died a few days after a Heron attack, he was over 12 years old but everything Iv'e read is that Shubunkin are always born coloured. I'll have to keep researching.

According to the article above shubunkin are nacreous scale and mated together have 25% to produce matt and 25% to produce metallic scale offspring. Whether that is accurate I have not a clue.

 

[Faebinder]

Do you have koi in the pond?