Nymph GF.....

[Mmathis]

Has anyone ever heard of this? It's not a breed of GF, but is apparently a genetic mutation [type thing] that is usually culled out by breeders.

It's supposedly a cross between a fantail [or Ryukin?] and a comet. Has the deeper body of the double-tailed fish, but only a single caudal fin.

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I ran across this last night and had never heard of it. What got my curiosity going was that of the fry that I am raising right now, it's about 50-50 "Shubunkin-type" and comet-type, based on the color of the fish. But I have noticed that of the Shubunkin-type, they have a different body shape [well, some of them do] than the comet-type. There are a few babies that do have a deeper body shape and actually do seem to have that ridge or hump that Ryukins have -- but they are single-tailed! All of the comets and some of the Shubies are just regular GF shape.

Not saying I have run across any "nymphs," but now I'm wondering...... I do have a lovely Ryukin [except her tail is not a good specimen tail] -- gorgeous scales [black & various shades of gold]. She's the one that suffers from "swim bladder" problems, so I call it a HER because she always looks pregnant -- at one time it HAD occurred to me that maybe she was actually full of eggs instead of "swim bladder" -ish.

I'm definitely going to be watching these babies to see how they develop. I'll try for pictures at some point [not my forte].

 

[shakaho]

I think there are various definitions of nymphs. Historically, they were a breed, but basically a nymph is a fancy goldfish with a single tail. These occur regularly among fancy fry. They are routinely culled very early, since single/double tail is one of the earliest differences one can see among fry. This is too bad, since most people find nymphs very appealing and there would be a market for them as pets.

This past summer I had four nymphs among my found babies. They are very cute, and swim as fast as comets. They make good pond fish. Here's one with fantail buddies.



Here's a side view of another.



These are not crossbreds. Both parents had double tails.

 

[Mmathis]

I think there are various definitions of nymphs. Historically, they were a breed, but basically a nymph is a fancy goldfish with a single tail. These occur regularly among fancy fry. They are routinely culled very early, since single/double tail is one of the earliest differences one can see among fry. This is too bad, since most people find nymphs very appealing and there would be a market for them as pets.

This past summer I had four nymphs among my found babies. They are very cute, and swim as fast as comets. They make good pond fish. Here's one with fantail buddies.



Here's a side view of another.



These are not crossbreds. Both parents had double tails.

It is too bad they are culled -- but guessing breeders of fancies don't want to mess with them. I like that fuller, deeper body [though not necessarily the overall roundness -- I wonder if they are susceptible to swim bladder problems?]. Your babies are pretty!

 

[shakaho]

One of the things I have heard breeders say about avoiding swim bladder problems is to put fancy goldfish in a spacious pond so they swim a lot. The exercise supposedly keeps the swim bladder healthy. The fact that my nymphs swim as well as comets suggests that they might be less suscepiable to swim bladder problems than their twin-tailed sibs.

No breeder likes culling, but goldfish produce broods of several hundred to a few thousand, so it has to be done. They know they don't want single-tailed fish for showing or breeding and may not be able to sell them, so they are the first to go. Any breeder would be happy to give you these culls if you want to raise them. Too bad you don't live closer. You could have mine. I have about 3 times the goldfish I have pond space for, and I have not bred them on purpose.

 

[Mmathis]

One of the things I have heard breeders say about avoiding swim bladder problems is to put fancy goldfish in a spacious pond so they swim a lot. The exercise supposedly keeps the swim bladder healthy. The fact that my nymphs swim as well as comets suggests that they might be less suscepiable to swim bladder problems than their twin-tailed sibs.

No breeder likes culling, but goldfish produce broods of several hundred to a few thousand, so it has to be done. They know they don't want single-tailed fish for showing or breeding and may not be able to sell them, so they are the first to go. Any breeder would be happy to give you these culls if you want to raise them. Too bad you don't live closer. You could have mine. I have about 3 times the goldfish I have pond space for, and I have not bred them on purpose.

I understand about culling...... It's just a shame when the fish are otherwise healthy.....

Interesting about the physical space issue and swim bladder problems. I have only had to bring my Ryukin in a couple of times in the 2 1/2 years I've had her, and this most recent time was AFTER I moved all of the fish (adults, not babies) to a holding tank -- a much more confined environment.....interesting! The first time was when she was smaller, and repeatedly ended up in my floating skimmer! Silly fish would swim too close, get caught in the current, and was too uncoordinated (Her name is Spaz) to be able to flip herself back out like the other fish could do. She became an indoor fish for a few months afterward.

 

[Joe Hornsby]

Couldn't really get a good pic but here he is. My pride and joy<3
His name is stannis because he won't let his tankmates eat. His pond is acclimating at the moment but i always wondered what he was. I can't wait to breed him!

 

[ZmanArt007]

Couldn't really get a good pic but here he is. My pride and joy<3
His name is stannis because he won't let his tankmates eat. His pond is acclimating at the moment but i always wondered what he was. I can't wait to breed him!

Oh wow, a single-tailed moor! That's really cool. I am planning on buying some fancy goldfish for my pond in a few days, and if they breed next year, maybe I can expect some Nymph Goldfish I'm the type of person who really desires variety, so I would love to have some single-tailed fancies in addition to the normal fancies I am planning on getting.