Difference between Shubunkin and Comet?

[j.w]

I bought 6 of those Shubbies a few years ago and I love them. I love my regular comets also but boy if I had it to do over my pond would be full of the Shubbies and just a minimum of the comets.

 

[sissy]

I would love all fat fantails .They are just too cute

 

[j.w]

I've never had fantails in my pond. I think they are really neat looking tho!

 

[Gemma]

@Mmathis Thank you!
I tried googling myself, and of course I got different answers on every site, average being 10yrs, which seemed a bit low to me.

I'm glad my boys have a long way to go still, I love'em!

 

[j.w]

Here's a nice story about some old goldfish:


After 35 years a golden oldie turns up his fins: Britain's oldest goldfish, Splash, loses lifelong tank buddy, Splish (Or will he have forgotten about it in three seconds?)

• Pair were won at a funfair in Brockworth, Gloucestershire, in 1977
• Splish passed away last weekend leaving Splash alone for first time
  
• Owner Richard Wright: 'He looks as if he's coping fine'

By [URL='http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/search.html?s=&authornamef=Steve+Robson']Steve Robson

Published: 13:27 EDT, 18 April 2013 | Updated: 18:39 EDT, 18 April 2013

When his children brought two goldfish home from the fair in a water-filled plastic bag, Richard Wright thought they might survive for a few months.

But for 35 years, Splish and Splash proved him wrong … until this week, when Splish sadly departed this world for that great big fishbowl in the sky.

It means Splash, believed to be Britain’s oldest living goldfish, is alone for the first time since 1977.

End of an era: Splish (left) died on Sunday leaving Splash (right) alone for the first time in 35 years

Happier times: Splish and Splash had been companions for more than 35 years after being brought home from a funfair

Flying solo: Splash is now living alone for the first time in more than three decades

Mr Wright, 68, said: ‘I found Splish floating dead in the bowl. Splash looks as if he is coping fine and he’s just swimming around as normal.’

‘It was actually quite sad to see him go, because we’d known him for so long... more than half my lifetime.’

He and his wife Ann had looked after the two fish ever since their children Hayley and Matthew, then aged six and nine, won them at the fair.

Mr Wright, a retired human resources consultant from Brockworth, Gloucestershire, said: ‘We certainly didn’t expect them to live this long – it’s incredible. The children eventually grew up and left home but Splish and Splash stayed put with us. The kids are in their forties now.’

Gold oldies: Splish and Splash had lost some of their gold colouring over the years but were otherwise healthy

Mr Wright said there was no particular secret to their longevity: ‘We just fed them normal goldfish food, but they have thrived on it.’

In the last three or four years they had finally begun to show their age, however, losing their gold colour and turning silver.

Splish and Splash shared the same bowl for more than two decades. Around ten years ago they moved house – into a new tank equipped with a filter, which Mr Wright nicknamed the ‘Old Fish Home’.

Shocked: Richard Wright had expected the fish to live for no more than a few years after winning them at a funfair with his children in 1977

Common goldfish normally live for between five and 15 years. Those kept in small tanks, like Splish and Splash, are not generally expected to live for more than ten.

But Splash still has a long way to go to beat the world record holder – Tish, a goldfish which died at the grand old age of 43 in 2005.[/URL]

 

[sissy]

I wonder because a pond is so different so which will live longer .Pampered fish in a controlled atmosphere or fish that learn to live no matter the conditions .Look at colleens fish they are older .Mine are now 12 years old and that is just in my pond ,not sure the age when I got them .I saw one comment from a pond builder that fish in a pond can live to be 50+ years old .That was koi also

 

[Faebinder]

My oldest fish is a 4 year old red/black male shubukin (12"). My biggest goldfish is a 2 year old female red/white comet (14"). I don't take credit for either cause I bought the shubunkin when it was 3 years old and the female is from dandy orandas half a year ago.

 

[Nyboy]

What is truly amazing is they lived the 1st part of life in a bowl. I believe the fishtank with filter came years later. Super tough fish

 

[Faebinder]

The consensus out there is that fish in a pond will grow bigger and live longer than fish in an aquarium.

Of course I expect fish in a ok aquarium will live longer than out there in the wild. So an aquarium is still better health wise the. Being out there.

 

[IPA]

Strictly in regards to long single tailed variety of goldfish, I believe a comet can be all gold, yellow, or have any amount of white including all white. If it has blue or black it becomes a shubunkin. Until there is a similar organization to fish as there is a.k.c. to dog breeds I believe there is no single easy answer to the question.

Taken from:
http://www.fishpondinfo.com/fish/gfbreed.htm

*Common - single tail; no adornments; usually natural bronze or reddish orange with white on the fin tips but may be other colors; picture
*Comet - single long tail; no adornments; essentially long finned common goldfish; usually orange with or without white or black on fins; often change colors as age
Shubunkin (original) - single short tail; no adornments; mix of white, red/orange, and blue/black
*Bristol Shubunkin - single long tail; no adornments; mix of white, red/orange, and blue/black
**London Shubunkin - single short tail; no adornments; mix of white, red/orange, and blue/black; known for its intense blue
*Fantail - double tail; fat bodied; red, white, calico, or any combination
***Veiltail - double long tail; fat bodied; red, white, calico, or any combination
***Lionhead or Ranchu - short double tail; no dorsal fin; fat bodied; hood or growth on head; red, white, calico, or any combination
**Oranda - long double tail; lionhead with dorsal fin; less fat bodied; hood or growth on head; red, white, orange-yellow, red cap (red just on hood), calico, black, blue (gray), chocolate (bronze), brown, or any combination; picture blue oranda; picturecalico oranda with torn fins; picture red cap oranda
***Telescope eyed - double long tail; with or without dorsal fin; fat bodied; large eyes; developed from veiltail; red, white, calico, or any combination
**Black Moor - double tail; deep black color; large eyes; essentially a black telescope-eyed goldfish
***Bubble-eye - double tail; fat bodied; no dorsal fin; large fragile sacks around eyes filled with fluid; developed from celestial; red, white, calico, or any combination
***Pearl scale - double short tail; fat bodied; protruding scales as if fish has dropsy; red, white, yellow, calico, black, chocolate, or any combination
**Pompoms - double tail; fat bodied; no dorsal fin to be "prized" fish; may have other adornments; pompom like growths near nostrils; red, white, calico, or any combination
***Celestial - double tail; no dorsal fin; upturned fragile large eyes as adult; red, silver, orange-yellow, white, or any combination (usually metallic)
***Wakin - double short tail; bright colored; yellow, orange, white, or red-orange and white
***Peacocktail - tail like a butterfly; developed from Wakin; red, white, calico, or any combination
***Fringe tail - double large tail; fat bodied; hump on back; red, white, or any combination
***Albino doll - double tail; fat bodied; large eyes; albino telescope eyed-like fish

 

[moby]

Here in the UK long finned slim fish that are red/white or yellow/white comets are referred to as Sarasas. As far as I'm aware, our Bristol shubunkins have slightly longer fuller fins than the stockily built London and very rounded single tails that are in the shape of a 'B'.

A less common shubunkin over here is the Cambridge Blue which is as it's name implies, is mainly blue in colour, however, it isn't a recognised breed by the fish officianados.
Nacreous scales and their multi coloured calico colour pattern are the most distinctive features of shubunkins.