Giant Red Pearlscale Goldfish Grade AA

Overview

Everything you need to know about Giant Red Pearlscale Goldfish, at a glance:

• Common Names: Ping Pong Goldfish, Chinese Pearlscale
• Scientific Name: Carassius auratus
• Max Size: ~30cm
• Temperature Range: 18-25°C
• pH Range: 6.0-8.0, though 7.5 is ideal
• Compatibility: Peaceful, though best suited to species-only aquariums
• Area Of Origin: China
• Suitable Foods: Variety of flakes, sticks and pellets
• Special Requirements: Need a lot of fibre in their diets to combat common digestive problems

What is a Giant Red Pearlscale Goldfish?

There are more than 100 types of Fancy Goldfish, and Pearscales are up there with some of the most popular. These fish are technically goldfish, Carassius auratus, though they’ve been specially bred to look very different than their more common cousins.

Pearlscales are characterised by their rounded bellies, bead-like scales, and long, trailing fins. They come in many different sizes and colours, from small to giant and calico to chocolate. This red colour morph is characterised by the pinky red tones that cover its entire body, including its fins.

Pearlscales are thought to have originated in China during the Ming Dynasty over 600 years ago! They’ve been selectively bred ever since, with breeders choosing the fattest and roundest Pearlscales to pass down their prized genes to the next generations.

There are several other popular types of Fancy Goldfish, all available to purchase from Swell UK. These include Ryukins, Ranchus, Telescopes, and Orandas.

How do I care for Giant Red Pearlscale Goldfish?

Pearlscales, just like other types of Fancy Goldfish, require a moderate level of care. They’re not quite as hardy as their Common Goldfish cousins and do best in large, heated aquariums, rather than outdoor garden ponds. Some Fancy Goldfish keepers do choose to keep their goldfish outside in large, raised tubs/ponds during the summer months, however.

A single Giant Pearlscale needs at least 100 litres of space, though more is always better. They also benefit from a heater, despite being known as ‘coldwater’ fish. They don’t require a lot of heat, but stable temperatures of ~20°C will keep them in tip-top health and help their bodies go through all of their natural biological processes. On hotter days where room temperatures exceed 20°C, heaters can be switched off to cut down on energy spend.

Like other types of Fancy Goldfish, Pearlscales eat a lot of food and produce a lot of waste. For this reason, they need to be kept in an aquarium equipped with a powerful filtration system. The best kind of filters for Fancy Goldfish aquariums are external canister filters. These are capable of filtering large aquariums upwards of 150 litres and can process large amounts of waste thanks to the huge amount of mechanical, biological, and chemical media that you can pack into them.

Moreso than Common Goldfish, Pearlscales and other types of Fancy Goldfish suffer from digestive problems, like constipation. To ease this common problem and help your fish pass a blockage, offer them some high-fibre foods like blanched green peas. The most common cause of constipation in Fancy Goldfish is poor diet and overfeeding, but a lack of exercise (from being kept in a small aquarium) and water that’s too cold can also contribute.

To avoid common digestive problems like constipation, it’s important that you feed your Pearlscales some high-quality, specialist flakes/pellets. You can offer them some live foods now and again as a treat but be careful not to overfeed.

Pearlscales are best kept in small groups or with other types of Fancy Goldfish. Avoid keeping them with faster swimmers, like Common Goldfish, who can easily outcompete them for food. Also avoid keeping them with fish known to nip fins. Fancy Goldfish have long, trailing fins and as slow, clumsy swimmers they can quickly become easy targets for fin nippers.

How is this Giant Red Pearlscale Goldfish delivered?

All of our aquatic animals are dispatched from our livestock distributor and delivered directly to your doorstep. Our distributor dispatches and delivers livestock packages Tuesday through Friday to avoid animals being in transit over the weekend. To further minimise time spent travelling, all livestock deliveries are made before 1pm on the day of delivery.

After placing your livestock order, you’ll receive all the information needed to track your livestock order via email. If you have any problems regarding delivery, or concerns about the health/wellbeing of your animal(s) upon arrival, please contact us, Swell UK Ltd, immediately, or at least within 48 hours of receiving your livestock order.

Any other, non-livestock items that you purchase alongside livestock will be sent via standard or express delivery and arrive at your delivery address in a different package. This means that, depending on when you place your order, you may receive your non-livestock items before or after your livestock package.

For a detailed breakdown of when you can expect to receive your livestock package depending on the day you placed your order, be sure to check the delivery details in the specifications below.

How do you acclimate a Giant Red Pearlscale Goldfish to an aquarium?

It’s very important that you acclimatise new fish to your aquarium. This is the process of gradually adjusting an animal to its new environment and it’s especially important in an aquatic setting where sudden changes in water temperature, pH, and nitrates can cause stress, illness and, in some cases, even death.

To acclimate your new fish, place the bag into an empty bucket and open it. Then, add a small amount of aquarium water to your bucket every few minutes until the water temperature in the bucket matches the water temperature in your aquarium. Do this for at least 20 minutes.

If you don’t have a bucket to hand, then you can simply float the bag containing your new fish in your aquarium. If you’re adding your fish to an aquarium, always turn off your lights to reduce stress. Also, avoid adding dirty water from the bag into your aquarium by netting your fish.

You should always set up your aquarium and make sure it’s ready for fish prior to purchasing any. It’s also a good idea to let your filter mature for a week or two before adding fish. A single Oranda can produce a lot of mess; your filter needs to be able to handle this if it’s to maintain a healthy environment. For more information about how to set up an aquarium for Fancy Goldfish, check out our help guide here.

Above photos are for illustration purposes only; livestock received may not exactly match those photographed.