New to forum and question about Shubunkin Comets

[Kathryn Chambliss]

I am a hobby gardener in Alabama with a small Hummingbird, Butterfly garden and my pond consist of bog plants in pots and comets on a 150 gallon stock tank. I am always interested in new ideas and information from other hobby gardeners.

I bought two medium size, 3 in, "Shubunkin" comets last year fro my pond. This year they are only mostly white with a few orange spots. Can anyone tell me how old a Shubunkin should be to be able to tell if it will truly have the calico, blue, orange, black coloration?

 

[Mmathis]

Hello and welcome to another Southerer!

Sorry to sound picky, but Shubunkins are a "breed" of goldfish, and as you know, are known for their calico or multi-colored patterning (and there are even varieties within the breed....). Comets are another, so it's either a Shubie, or a comet, not both. But I see your point regarding just WHAT you have. In my 5 years (and still a newb!), I've seen many different colors in Shubies and not all will conform to any strict guidelines. There are some that have blue undertones. I have some that are more speckled with color. All are lovely. Most of the Shubies I have have kept their original color/pattern, but some haven't. Some have traded one dominant color for another.

So it's hard to answer your question. If they were comets [and not really Shubunkins] and had some black, that black will go away and not come back. I have a few comets [they are just plain old GF but have the long, flowing tails] that are now almost solid white [or colorless, I guess]. There might be a spot of orange on a fin.

Do you have any pictures of them?

 

[addy1]

My shubunkins have kept their colors. A lot of them have blue undertones. Others have some orange undertones with blues and blacks.

 

[Mmathis]

My shubunkins have kept their colors. A lot of them have blue undertones. Others have some orange undertones with blues and blacks.

I love the "blues!"

 

[cas]

This year they are only mostly white with a few orange spots. Can anyone tell me how old a Shubunkin should be to be able to tell if it will truly have the calico, blue, orange, black coloration?

As my shubunkin got older it lost it's blue tint and is more white. He also lost his black coloring. Here is a current picture - he is over 11 years old.

 

[Faebinder]

As my shubunkin got older it lost it's blue tint and is more white. He also lost his black coloring. Here is a current picture - he is over 11 years old.

View attachment 94809

Hate to say it but that one looks like a comet not a shubunkin, tail is too long.

 

[sissy]

looks like it is mixed with a fancy tail with that longer tail

 

[cas]

Nope. Pure shubunkin. As he aged his color changed. Here is a picture of him on the left with a sarasa and a comet.

 

[peter hillman]

I had a beautiful calico fish that began loosing it's colors after a few years, and one all white but for a bright orange head that turned into a small orange spot on top of it's head. It's interesting to see their colors develop as juveniles but disappointing to see them go.

 

[Usman]

Hi , welcome , can u post a pic? from my experience , i had few mixed breed fry to observe , the fishes that were calico or blue tint or real black patches ... they were from start promenent and different.

if there are young fishes with balanced medium dark grey or blackish with metalic scales , you have chance it may get light and develope bluish reflection . some times if fry is blue it turns grey . but all main colours should come within year , most likely some will fade and become pink , white , the true orange patches will become richer .

I have not seen orange white shubunken developing true black or calico lateron unlike koi , if any one else have they can share . fry can have some percentage of other types too . sarasa shub comet

 

[CometKeith]

Hmmm... hate to tell someone what his goldfish is but this picture still looks like a comet. Shubunkins have calico scales that give a certain type of iridescence or pearly look. It has nothing to do with the color or spotting in this case. I have a bunch of comets with all sorts of spots. They are definitely not shubunkins. I am attaching a pic of a few of my comets and shubunkins.

 

[Usman]

Hmmm... hate to tell someone what his goldfish is but this picture still looks like a comet. Shubunkins have calico scales that give a certain type of iridescence or pearly look. It has nothing to do with the color or spotting in this case. I have a bunch of comets with all sorts of spots. They are definitely not shubunkins. I am attaching a pic of a few of my comets and shubunkins.

i was going to say his is sarasa comet lol but i saw similar fish under shub heading on wiki , its confusing , same way sarasa and some red white comet are very similer , comet just have slinderical body and pointed head and fins .
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shubunkin#/media/File:Jaws.jpg
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shubunkin

 

[CometKeith]

Hi Usman. Did you notice in the wiki picture you posted the fish had pearly scales? That fish is a shubunkin. From what I understand it's not the coloration but the type of scales that makes it a shubunkin. For a long time Shubunkins were required to have some red but I think that was dropped at some point. Also Wiki is useful but not the absolute authority on all subjects at any one time as it keep changing and evolving.

 

[CometKeith]

Never noticed it but my avatar looks more like a shubunkin than a comet. I may have to change my name to
ShubunkinKeith lol

 

[Mmathis]

This is an older article, so the classification may have changed from what is printed here:

The Shubunkin is only being allowed in one color pattern - calico, which contains black, white, red, orange, and brown, on a silvery-blue, almost lavendar colored back ground, and the black should continue into the finnage.
The distinctive feature of the Shubunkin is its possession of transparent scales and an underlying opalescent sheen from which character it is termend "nacreous". Full development of the best Shubunkin coloration depends on the absence of the genes of the metallic common goldfish. The highly prized blue coloration depends on the actual presence of melanin in the sub-epidermal layers.

Body features
The Shubunkin is somewhat similar to a Comet, without having the same length of caudal fin, of course. Its a single tailed fin, reaching a length of 12 inch is not unheard of. His body should have a slender appearance, with the body depth appr. 3/8 the length of the body. The dorsal fin should be from 3/8 to greater than the depth of the body. The pectoral and pelvic fins are paired, the anal fin is single as well.