New to forum and question about Shubunkin Comets

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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.
Hi shubunkenKeith , yes that makes sense , i see pearly scales , i think they have more reflective type too , i read different definitions too , so it doesnot have smooth regular look right? and whats the difference between sarasa and red white comet ? is it body type and tail length only .
 
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Shubunkins are known as the poor mans koi thre are three different varieties of shubunkin the London the Bristol and the American shubunkin each are slightly different than the others .
London shubunkin:-

http://www.bristol-aquarists.org.uk/goldfish/common/common.htm

Bristol shubunkin :-

http://www.bristol-aquarists.org.uk/goldfish/bshub/bshub.htm

American/Japanese shubunkin :-

http://www.exoticgoldfish.net/breeds-shubunkin.html

I hope this all goes to help

Dave
Thank you,I have read most of this information but was hoping to find someone who had experience with these fish and can give me advise. I really don't have room to keep many fish and finding healthy ones that are what they are sold as is not easy. So I am trying to get the knowledge to make the best choice I can.
 

addy1

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Here are some of mine, they have kept these colors for four years or so now. Some have long flowing fins, the hatchery has bred them to be that way, some have shorter fins. The shubunkin fry have colors from the time you can start seeing them, comets tend to be dark and color up as they age. None of mine have gone white after being brightly colored. The whitish ones were bought that way, they are translucent, colors below the skin
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Here are some of mine, they have kept these colors for four years or so now. Some have long flowing fins, the hatchery has bred them to be that way, some have shorter fins. The shubunkin fry have colors from the time you can start seeing them, comets tend to be dark and color up as they age. None of mine have gone white after being brightly colored. The whitish ones were bought that way, they are translucent, colors below the skin View attachment 94825 View attachment 94826 View attachment 94827 View attachment 94828 View attachment 94829
These are beautiful! Some look to have the downward placed mouth of Koi, are they also Shubunkin? Which hatchery did these come from I would like to check them out.
 

addy1

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These are beautiful! Some look to have the downward placed mouth of Koi, are they also Shubunkin? Which hatchery did these come from I would like to check them out.
I have zero koi, they are all shubunkins. No desire to have koi.

The hatchery is here in Maryland, near Thurmont. I don't think they ship fish. We were just doing a drive and saw fish hatchery road, which led us to the fish hatchery lol I hand picked each fish I got from them.

http://eatonsgoldfish.com/fish.php
 

Mmathis

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Thank you,I have read most of this information but was hoping to find someone who had experience with these fish and can give me advise. I really don't have room to keep many fish and finding healthy ones that are what they are sold as is not easy. So I am trying to get the knowledge to make the best choice I can.
When the weather gets cooler I am making another stock tank pond so I can divide the adults and babies to prevent over crowding. I will get pictures then and post.

I don't think I understand, "hoping to find someone who has experience ...and can give me advice." Then you mention separating adults from babies to prevent overcrowding. It sounds like we haven't told you what you want to know, but your original question was how old would fish be to tell their color.... Are you wanting to cull babies for color? That wasn't what I read from the original post because you didn't say anything about babies. At 3," a Shubunkin should pretty much be the color it will stay -- this was for your new additions. If you have small fry, are they sort of clear and pinkish with obvious black eyes? Those will be Shube babies. Olive fry with normal looking eyes will not be Shube babies.

So, to try again for you: usually by 6 months to a year, but goldfish are known to change color throughout their lifetimes. Shubunkin are more likely to keep their colors than are comets, but that's not carved in stone. In regular GF, with young fish, black is the first color to disappear, and it normally won't come back. Again, not carved in stone.
 
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I have zero koi, they are all shubunkins. No desire to have koi.

The hatchery is here in Maryland, near Thurmont. I don't think they ship fish. We were just doing a drive and saw fish hatchery road, which led us to the fish hatchery lol I hand picked each fish I got from them.

http://eatonsgoldfish.com/fish.php
i spend hours to buy one fish ,if there are few shops around i will go to each and stare at aquariums for long time lol hard to decide some times , few times shop keepers wud comment like ... u look very passionate
 

addy1

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I love my shubbies, great colors, easy to care for, and my plants survive!

Never had the desire to have koi, even when I was build this large pond.
 

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