Mirror-scale goldfish

[bwleung]

Hi Everyone,

I have created a blog regarding goldfish scale types in Australia.

The link to my blog is at:
http://mirrorscalegoldfish.blogspot.com/

Hope you find it interesting!

Best,

Bill

[Fishdork]

Thank you. Very interesting. I've wondered about them for years after reading some of Merlin Cunliffe's articles. I was able to re-create blue comets like he wrote about, and even had one like he saw that looked metallic except for calico spots down the dorsal line. I was stumped by the mirror scales because I assumed they came from hybrids (I think Merlin indicated they get large). Pure goldfish mutation makes more sense, but doesn't make them any easier for me to make.
It looks like and interesting mutation that could keep me busy outcrossing for years without ever having to raise any valuable fish. Interesting about the fins on leather skin fish. Maybe their bodies have trouble making cartillage or chitin or whatever scales and fins are made of. I have some ranchu with nubbs for ventral fins, but I think it was from parasites at about 3 weeks.

Norm

[bwleung]

Dear Norm,

My pleasure, no need to thank me.

I just want to document (and to validate Mr Merline Cunliffe's comments in Dr Smartt's book) what we commonly take for granted in Australia of such goldfish scale mutants and for the rest of the world to see that such scale variants do exist. After all, what is commonly referred to as mirror-scales in Australia (techically should be called Linear scales), do also exist in the UK (see below Dr Smartt's book, p 177, Figure 7.1 of his comments that Mr Gordon King, a member of Goldfish Society of Great Britain owning such a specimend in the UK also).

When I have the time, I will do another blog of my experiences with the leather (scale-less) goldfish and my views (genetically) why they are deformed, ie, lack of fins other than the caudal (tail) fin.

PS: Please let me know where I can find Mr Cunliffe's reports, as I am real keen to learn his understanding. I only learnt of him from Dr Joseph Smartt's book "Goldfish Varieties and Genetics", published in 2000.

As to 'making' them, you need to get yourself such a mutant to start and breed a line. Breeding normal scale will mean you have to chance upon a 'sport' specimen.

Here is a link on the internet where they are sold:
http://www.bayfish.com.au/category14_1.htm

Best,

Bill

[bwleung]

Dear Norm,

I've done a blog explaining my experiences with the Leather (scaleless goldfish) and my postulation as to why they are finless (except) the caudal fin.

Hope you find it interesting,

Link:
http://mirrorscalegoldfish.blogspot.com/

PS: I won't be posting for a while, as got other commitments. But I really hopse soemone may be able to recreate this line again based on my limited experiences.

Best,

Bill