Pearlscale Goldfish
The Pearlscale goldfish is a type of fancy goldfish that is sometimes referred to as the “chinshurin” in Japanese. The Pearlscale goldfish is slightly similar to the Fantail goldfish, in the placement and appearance of the fins. Pearlscale goldfish are best known for the unique scales on their body that have a rounded, pearl-like appearance. Though the body of the Pearlscale goldfish is usually orange, the inner spherical portion of the scales is usually white. The most notable feature of the Pearlscale goldfish is its body, which is almost perfectly round in shape. This is one of the traits that the Pearlscale goldfish was selectively bred for, since a perfectly round body is not common in goldfish. Most other goldfish have a torpedo shaped body, or an egg shaped body.
Though the circular body of the Pearscale goldfish is its most desired characteristic, it has caused some problems in the breed. The reason for this is because the shape of the Pearscale goldfish’s body has increased their susceptibility to develop swimbladder disorders. The swimbladder is a small gas-filled organ that allows certain types of fish to maintain their positoin while swimming in the water. Due to the circular shape of the Pearlscale’s body, the shape of its swimbladder has also been altered.
Some of the other appearance characteristics of the Pearlscale goldfish include a single dorsal fin, a rounded appearance of all fin edges, a minimum length of 2.25 inches, as well as a domed appearance of the scales.