# Baby Pearlscale goldfish just came in!



## ShadowRancher

I mentioned on the aquarium thread that I planned on getting Pearlscale goldfish this summer. Well I found some! They are in a ~17 gallon quarantine tub so I can make sure they are healthy (treat for flukes/Ich) then they are going to go live in my 100 gal patio pond with my Japanese Trapdoor Snails.

Sorry about the bad pictures I didn't think to turn of the airstone for a photo op. They came in the mail earlier today during lunch so I only had an hour to acclimate and observe them but they seem healthy, active and breed normal chubby.


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## ShadowRancher

@Prairie Mom, here you go!


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## Prairie Mom

Well those are some adorable goldfish/golf balls you got there, Shadowrancher!  The photos you took are fun because they really show the roundness of pearlscales. What funny creations... You'd never know if they had dropsy! They look surprisingly healthy for having gone through the mail and I love their coloring. They have great color patches. They'll look awesome in that nifty patio pond you have. Thanks for the tag!!!


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## ShadowRancher

Prairie Mom said:


> Well those are some adorable goldfish/golf balls you got there, Shadowrancher!  The photos you took are fun because they really show the roundness of pearlscales. What funny creations... You'd never know if they had dropsy! They look surprisingly healthy for having gone through the mail and I love their coloring. They have great color patches. They'll look awesome in that nifty patio pond you have. Thanks for the tag!!!



Oh my gosh now I'm trying to imagine what a full grown pearlscale with dropsy would look like...Its kind of scary  They seemed to do great in the mail, they were packaged in a foam cooler inside a box and all seemed active as soon as I opened the box (honestly I was bracing myself for DOAs).

Oh and I made a video of them swimming as well.


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## Prairie Mom

They're very cute. The way they have to wiggle as they swim reminds me of puppy dog tails -I love it! I'm a big fan of lionheads for the same reason. I love wiggly "puppy" goldfish 

Do you have any concerns over the less active ones? It looked like there were a few bottom-sitters (was I seeing that right or was it the film pausing?). -I think I'm too paranoid when it comes to fish and always on the look out for issues when there probably aren't any. Please forgive me if I'm mistaken.

If by some freak chance my paranoia is accurate and there are bottom sitters...some extra oxygen (even though you already have some in your excellent quarantine setup) would be good and extra darkness helps too. I've also found that sometimes goldfish can become constipated and sit more too. --I've found that feeding defrosted peas with the skin pinched off works great at helping them clear out. 

Apologies if the info was unnecessary. They really are adorable little fish! Be sure to post more videos, especially after you move them! I'd love to see!!


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## Prairie Mom

I'd be interested to know where you got these guys from as well


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## ZEROPILOT

Some of those really "pop" in the sunlight. I only have big comets and some b or c grade koi, but even those give off nice coloration outdoors.
Congratulations on your very special fish!


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## ShadowRancher

Prairie Mom said:


> They're very cute. The way they have to wiggle as they swim reminds me of puppy dog tails -I love it! I'm a big fan of lionheads for the same reason. I love wiggly "puppy" goldfish
> 
> Do you have any concerns over the less active ones? It looked like there were a few bottom-sitters (was I seeing that right or was it the film pausing?). -I think I'm too paranoid when it comes to fish and always on the look out for issues when there probably aren't any. Please forgive me if I'm mistaken.
> 
> If by some freak chance my paranoia is accurate and there are bottom sitters...some extra oxygen (even though you already have some in your excellent quarantine setup) would be good and extra darkness helps too. I've also found that sometimes goldfish can become constipated and sit more too. --I've found that feeding defrosted peas with the skin pinched off works great at helping them clear out.
> 
> Apologies if the info was unnecessary. They really are adorable little fish! Be sure to post more videos, especially after you move them! I'd love to see!!



Thanks! I love them too. They were literally straight out of the shipping bag in this video so I think they were just scared and stressed. In the couple of days since this video they've become much more active. I bought them from a distributor not a breeder and I think they are more skittish because of it so every time I walk up too quickly they all run and hide in a bottom corner. I'm trying to sit and read next to them so they'll get used to me. I dont want to put them out in the pond until they are less skittish or I'm afraid I'll never see them! 

I got them from livekoiforsalecom on Ebay. I'm honestly not sure how I feel about them. There are a lot of bad reviews about ich in their cichlid stock and they lie about 1 day shipping which pisses me off. Priority 2 day is fine for well packaged fish (which they were) they just lied about it so I wasn't sure when they were coming which was super stressful. They also do not communicate at all but seemed to have honored my color requests even though they didnt answer any of my questions. All I can go by is the fish at the end of the day and I am very happy with the ones I received. I'm doing preventative treatment in quarantine but there is no sign of ich and they didn't start flashing last night when I added prazi (so they probably don't have a big fluke problem). So if you cant find them elsewhere and dont want to pay $200 for a show quality fish at raingarden or Dandy Orandas they are a good option as long as you are prepared.


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## ShadowRancher

ZEROPILOT said:


> Some of those really "pop" in the sunlight. I only have big comets and some b or c grade koi, but even those give off nice coloration outdoors.
> Congratulations on your very special fish!



Thanks!


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## ShadowRancher

@Prairie Mom heres a video from last night, I was sneaky so as not to scare them so its a bit dark and blurry but you can see them come up off the bottom. One even gets caught in the bubbles around 2 minutes, then you see my cat jump up and ruin everything


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## Prairie Mom

ShadowRancher said:


> Thanks! I love them too. They were literally straight out of the shipping bag in this video so I think they were just scared and stressed. In the couple of days since this video they've become much more active. I bought them from a distributor not a breeder and I think they are more skittish because of it so every time I walk up too quickly they all run and hide in a bottom corner. I'm trying to sit and read next to them so they'll get used to me. I dont want to put them out in the pond until they are less skittish or I'm afraid I'll never see them!
> 
> I got them from livekoiforsalecom on Ebay. I'm honestly not sure how I feel about them. There are a lot of bad reviews about ich in their cichlid stock and they lie about 1 day shipping which pisses me off. Priority 2 day is fine for well packaged fish (which they were) they just lied about it so I wasn't sure when they were coming which was super stressful. They also do not communicate at all but seemed to have honored my color requests even though they didnt answer any of my questions. All I can go by is the fish at the end of the day and I am very happy with the ones I received. I'm doing preventative treatment in quarantine but there is no sign of ich and they didn't start flashing last night when I added prazi (so they probably don't have a big fluke problem). So if you cant find them elsewhere and dont want to pay $200 for a show quality fish at raingarden or Dandy Orandas they are a good option as long as you are prepared.


Of course! That makes total sense! --Sheesh, considering they were straight from the box in the video...I think they're doing surprisingly well! Feel free to send me an internet kick in the shins for being paranoid! 

I think you're being really smart to get them used to your presence. I also think regular feedings will solve your problem in time too.

Thanks for the heads up about the distributer...hmmm... that sounds a bit stressful.

Zeropilot's comment makes me look forward to seeing them happy in the sunlight


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## Prairie Mom

ShadowRancher said:


> @Prairie Mom heres a video from last night, I was sneaky so as not to scare them so its a bit dark and blurry but you can see them come up off the bottom. One even gets caught in the bubbles around 2 minutes, then you see my cat jump up and ruin everything


They look very content. Nice! 

The reaction to the cat was awesome..."FLEE!!!!!" "WADDLE FOR YOUR LIVES!!!"


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## phebe121

Omg i want one how adorable


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## ShadowRancher

phebe121 said:


> Omg i want one how adorable



Thanks!


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## russian/sulcata/tortoise

why are they so fat? where do i get some?


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## phebe121

Yes where do u get them


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## ShadowRancher

russian/sulcata/tortoise said:


> why are they so fat? where do i get some?


They are called pearl scale goldfish and were bred to have pearled scales (calcium deposit under the scale that makes it look round) and a fat deposit on either side of the rib cage to add roundness. I found mine from a rather questionable ebay seller as explained above. They are less common than other types of fancy goldfish in the petstore arena probably because they are even more delicate than regular fancy's. If you'd like to know more I have all sorts of references and information... I did a lot of research to make sure these guys will be happy.


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## Prairie Mom

ShadowRancher said:


> They are called pearl scale goldfish and were bred to have pearled scales (calcium deposit under the scale that makes it look round) and a fat deposit on either side of the rib cage to add roundness. I found mine from a rather questionable ebay seller as explained above. They are less common than other types of fancy goldfish in the petstore arena probably because they are even more delicate than regular fancy's. If you'd like to know more I have all sorts of references and information... I did a lot of research to make sure these guys will be happy.


That's so cool. Thanks for sharing what you know. I heard they were really delicate as well. I'm not sure my husbandry is up to snuff...


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## Momof4

Those are the cutest little things!!!


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## ShadowRancher

Momof4 said:


> Those are the cutest little things!!!


Thanks!


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