Shubunkin
Carassius auratus
A hardy calico goldfish variety with a single tail and blue-based mottled colour, bred for garden ponds rather than a separate species.
Ideal Conditions
- Temperature
- 4 – 24 °C
- pH range
- 6.5 – 8.5
- Hardness
- 5 – 20 dGH
- Adult size
- 20 – 30 cm
- Min. pond size
- 1,000 litres+
- Min. depth
- 75 cm
- Lifespan
- 10 – 20 years
- Diet
- Omnivore — pond pellets, vegetable matter and invertebrates
- Water flow
- Low to moderate
- Preferred setup
- Garden pond with depth for overwintering, filtration and marginal planting
About the Shubunkin
The Shubunkin is a variety of goldfish, Carassius auratus, not a species in its own right. OneShoal records it as a variety under the goldfish taxon so that listings and searches resolve correctly without implying a false biological identity. It is fast, streamlined and much better suited to ponds than to indoor tanks.
Find Shubunkin
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Is it right for your tank?
Check Shubunkin against a habitat you already keep. We compare water type, temperature, pH, adult size, group needs and everything living there.
Where Shubunkin comes from
Native range
Domesticated variety — no wild range
Countries / regions
Japan, United Kingdom
Habitat
A domesticated goldfish variety kept in garden ponds; wild Carassius auratus occurs in East Asian slow waters.
Illustrative native range only, not an occurrence dataset.
Similar species
Koi
Cyprinus carpio
Common Goldfish
Carassius auratus
We’re adding more full species guides as the catalogue grows.
Compatible tank mates
Reviewed guidance based on this species' recorded traits.
- Compatible with caution
Koi
Cyprinus carpio
Frequently kept together, but koi grow far larger and out-compete shubunkins for food.
- Great
Goldfish
Carassius auratus
The same species in a different variety, with identical requirements.
- Not recommended
Cardinal Tetra
Paracheirodon axelrodi
A tropical aquarium fish cannot live in an unheated pond.
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