# Sarasa Comets or Shubunkins



## Inca's Mum (Apr 9, 2009)

At the family garden centre they've stocked up with fish again, and there are just the normal goldfish (I have 4 which I've had for 2-3 years now), Shubunkins and Sarasa Comets as well. I love the look of the Shubunkins, and Sarasa Comets are great too (they have in stock either adult/juvenile or miniature ones) and I was wondering what you all thought and whether you would advise either of these with normal goldfish or should I just get 1 or 2 normal goldfish?


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## Guest (Apr 17, 2010)

A little info would be most helpful... 

Tank or pond?
Size (volume or dimensions)?
Filtration type? 
Water quality?
Has the filter been cycled?
Any other fish?

Be warned, that all varieties of goldfish belong to the same species, _Carassius __auratus_, and therefore all can grow very large. Shubunkins and Sarasa comets can easily top 30cm/12", the same as Common goldfish. I've seen a few specimens approaching 40cm/16".


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## Fishyfins (Feb 28, 2009)

yeah, it really depends on the size of whatever your keeping them in, and the other information requested by Pleccy.

generally speaking though, there are 2 main types of goldfish. you have your normal goldfish (common gold ones, as well as comets, and shubunkins) which are all the same fish technically, just different colour forms. then you have your fancies (such as oranda, lionhead and moors), again, the same fish, just different colours. in the different groups, they will all live very happily together, as long as you provide adequate space, but the two different groups will not live together. so, you could mis common goldfish with shubunkins fine, same with orandas and moors. but you could not mix a shubunkin and a moor together.
at the end of the day, goldfish can mix pretty well in their groups, and as they are a social fish, the more the better. you just need to make sure you give them adequate space!


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## Inca's Mum (Apr 9, 2009)

The tank is...approx 24 inches x 12 inches. I don't know how to work out volume from that, it's 60litres plus I think. Filtration, it is a Tetratec Aquarium filter. Water quality? I don't test for pH or whatever, never have. Please don't shoot me, all have survived for 2-3 years even with new tanks and I haven't cycled before...would willingly cycle as tank is due a clean and will cycle for a while just where to put my four goldfish in the mean time! I just have the four common goldfish in there at the minute, so no other fish. Would it be okay to get 1 Shubunkin then or two?


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## Fishyfins (Feb 28, 2009)

the short answer is, no, you wouldnt be able to get any more fish in there. and to be honest, youd be much better off removing the fish that are in there.

basically, the tank you have is far to small for even a single goldfish! common goldfish (as well as all the fish in the group) require at least 90L per fish! with the fancier varieties needing a minimum of 40L per fish.
may i ask what size the fish are at the moment? if you have had them several years, then they should be fully grown at around 12", which i hardly think would be able to turn around in that size tank. if they are any smaller, then that means their growth has been stunted, and this causes the fish a huge problem. basically, when fish (especially goldfish) are kept in small aquaria such as this, they often experience stunted growth (the whole fish growing to the size of the tank rumor). however, the fish often suffer huge health problems as a result, leading to an long drawn out death over several years as their immune systems are repressed. goldfish should live an average of about 20-25 years, and fish in smaller tanks are lucky to get half this. the fish you have may look healthy, but in truth, they are probably far from it, and adding any more fish will just add to the problem. 
for your 4 fish, they will need an absolute minimum of about 350-400L, which... is a rather large tank to say the least. the best thing you can do is remove them to a pond, and get a heater and some tropicals in there!


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## Guest (Apr 17, 2010)

Please no! :eek6:

The tank is already full to the brim with fish as it is, and in fact, it's overflowing. Fish don't always have to show external signs that something is wrong. I had a group of Apistogramma cichlids swimming in water with 3ppm of Ammonia for two weeks until I re-tested the water, yet the fish looked fine from the outside. Toxic nitrogenous waste substances, including Ammonia (NH3) and Nitrite (NO2) can do a hell of a lot of internal damage to otherwise healthy fish. 

So, to put it as succinctly as possible, don't buy anymore fish and do look for a bigger tank.


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