Animal-World > Freshwater Fish > Goldfish > Bubble Eye Goldfish

Water-Bubble Eye Goldfish

Family: Cyprinidae

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Carassius auratus auratus Photo © Animal-World: Courtesy David Brough

The Water-Bubble Eye Goldfish is a truly bizarre looking fish!

   The Bubble Eye Goldfish, or Water-Bubble Eye Goldfish, is one of the most unique looking of the goldfish varieties. Rather than having the long slender body of the Common Goldfish or the Shubunkins, the Bubble Eye Goldfish is one of the more rounded or egg-shaped fancy gold fish. It is double-tailed and its body shape and size are very similar to the Celestial Eye Goldfish, being a bit slimmer body than other egg-shaped goldfish. Also like the Celestial its eyes are upturned, though not as extreme as the Celestial.

   Along with the Lionhead Goldfish , the Bubble Eye Goldfish is one of the dorsal less goldfish. These goldfish are available in a variety of colors that include solids of red, blue, chocolate, and black; bi-colors of red/white and red/black; and also calicos. There is also a variety bred in China that has a dorsal fin, however this variety does not qualify for show by the the Goldfish Society of America (GFSA).

  The most intriguing feature of the Water-Bubble Eye Goldfish of course, are its bubbles! The bubbles on the Water-Bubble Eye Goldfish begin to develop at an age of 6-9 months and by the time they are 2 years old, the bubbles are very large. These water-filled bubbles get so big in fact, that the fish has trouble seeing and can even have a hard time swimming because of them. The bubble sacs themselves are easily broken, heal slowly, and sometimes may not grow back at all. Though most the time they will grow back, when they do they are a different shape and size and won't match their other bubble. They are also subject to infection.

   Though the Bubble Eye Goldfish are widely available, they are considered delicate and not recommended as a beginner fish, or for community aquariums. Its swimming ability is cumbersome because of its rounded body which is further diminished by the lack of a stabilizing dorsal fin, a trait that is also seen in the Lionhead Goldfish. Many of the elongated goldfish varieties like the the Common Goldfish, Comet Goldfish, the Shubunkin, are not good companions for the Bubble Eye Goldfish because they are fast swimmers and too competitive during feeding time. Better tank mates would be the similarly handicapped but less hardy Lionhead Goldfish, Telescope Goldfish, and Celestial Eye Goldfish. It won't win any races, but if kept with other slow-moving varieties the Water-Bubble Eye Goldfish should get plenty to eat.

For more Information on keeping this fish see:
Guide to a Happy, Healthy Freshwater Aquarium

Dream Aquarium Build your own aquarium The Coolest and Funnest Screensaver in the World.

Distribution:
   The Goldfish, a wild carp originally known by such names as the Crucian Carp, Gibel Carp, or Golden Carp, was described by Linnaeus in 1758. They originated in Asia; Central Asia and China. Today domesticated goldfish are distributed world-wide. These fish inhabit the slow moving and stagnant waters of rivers, lakes, ponds, and ditches feeding on plants, detritus, small crustaceans, and insects.
   In the early 1600's these fish were exported first to Japan and then to Europe and were developed into the wonderful colors and forms of gold fish we see today. The Water-Bubble Eye Goldfish was developed in China, today there are more than 125 captive bred fancy varieties.

Status:
   This species is not listed on the IUCN Red List, and presumably there are no wild populations of this captive bred variety.

Description:
   The Water-Bubble Eye Goldfish, also called the Bubble Eye Goldfish, is an egg-shaped variety of goldfish. It is double-tailed and its body shape and size are very similar to the Celestial Goldfish, being a bit slimmer body than other egg-shaped goldfish. Also like the Celestial its eyes are upturned, though not as extremely. Fluid-filled sacks begin to develop as bubbles under its eyes at an age of 6-9 months and by the time they are 2 years old, the bubbles are very large. It is one of the dorsal less goldfish, though there is also a variety bred in China that has a dorsal fin. These goldfish are available in a variety of colors that include solids of red, blue, chocolate, and black; bi-colors of red/white and red/black; and also calicos.

Size - Weight:
   Water-Bubble Eye Goldfish will generally reach about 5 inches (13 cm), though some hobbyist report their Bubble Eye's growing much larger.

Care and feeding:
   Since they are omnivorous, the Bubble Eye Goldfish will generally eat all kinds of fresh, frozen, and flake foods. To keep a good balance give them a high quality flake food everyday. To care for your Bubble Eye Goldfish, feed brine shrimp (either live or frozen), blood worms, Daphnia, or tubifex worms as a treat. It is usually better to feed freeze-dried foods as opposed to live foods to avoid parasites and bacterial infections that could be present in live foods. Due to the fluid filled sacs under their eyes they can have poor vision and a harder time seeing their food, so need extra time to feed. When it comes to feeding, they will not thrive well with fast competitive tank mates.
   Bubble Eye Goldfish are some of the more delicate species of goldfish. Unlike the flat-bodied types of goldfish, they have a lower tolerance for pollution. They will need good care and plenty of space. Many people will keep goldfish in small one or two gallon bowls with no heater or filtration. But for the best success in keeping the Bubble Eye Goldfish, provide them the same filtration, especially biological filtration, that other aquarium residents enjoy.
   The shape and size of the aquarium is important and depends upon the number of fish you are going to keep. Goldfish need a lot of oxygen and produce a lot of waste.

• A large surface area of water will help minimize goldfish suffering from an oxygen shortage. Surface area is determined by the shape of the tank. For the same volume of water, an elongated tank offers more surface area (and oxygen) than a tall tank. In a fish bowl, filling the bowl to the middle offers more surface area (and oxygen) than filling the bowl to the top. Always provide the maximum amount of surface area.
• Providing a large amount of water per fish will help dilute the amount of waste and reduce the number of water changes needed.
• A general rule of thumb for young fish only is: 1 inch of fish (2.54 cm) per 1 gallon of water. This rule applies only to young fish and is not adequate as they grow. Larger gold fish consume much more oxygen than young fish so maintaining this formula for growing fish will stunt them, and can contribute to disease and even death.
• Keep the tank size and shape in mind when you are buying your fish. To allow for growth, either buy fewer fish than the maximum number of fish (based on the above formula) or be prepared to get a larger tank.

   Because goldfish produce a lot of waste, good filtration is very helpful in maintaining the water quality of the aquarium. Be careful of filter intakes, if there is a strong water flow the bubble sacs of these fish can get sucked into it and burst. Adding some soft sponge filter media over the intake valve can help. Regular weekly water changes of 1/4 to 1/3 is strongly recommended to keep these fish healthy.
   Use a smooth gravel substrate. You could add some decor but keep in mind that its fluid filled eye sacs can be a problem, both easily damaged and giving these fish poor vision. Make sure that all ornamentation is smooth with no protruding points or sharp edges. Live plants would be the best decor choice. Artificial plants make a good substitute if they are soft with no sharp edges, with silk plants being the safest. Other decor, such as smooth rocks, should be used sparingly if at all. A cover for the tank is desirable as it reduces evaporation and though they are not prone to jumping, on occasion some gold fish will jump out. Most aquariums come with a cover that includes lighting. It is not essential for goldfish, but will help if you have live plants.
   Goldfish are subject to the same diseases as tropical fish. A couple of the more common problems are Ich, Swim Bladder disease, and external parasites including flukes, lice and anchor worms. To learn about these and other diseases and how to treat them see: Aquarim Fish Diseases & Treatments.

Acceptable Water Conditions:
Unlike the flat-bodied types of goldfish, they have a lower tolerance for pollution and cannot tolerate temperatures much below 60° F (16° C).
   Temp: Goldfish are a cold water fish and will do best at temperatures between 65 - 72° F (18°- 22° C)
   Hardness: 5 - 19° dGH
   Ph: 6.0 to 8.0

Social Behaviors:
   Goldfish are very social animals and thrive in a community. Not only are they a great community fish but they are great scavengers as well. When choosing tank mates, keep in mind the physical traits of the Bubble Eye Goldfish. Like the Telescope Goldfish and Celestial Goldfish, the Bubble Eye can be visually handicapped. Further its swimming ability is cumbersome because of its rounded body and the lack of a stabilizing dorsal fin, a trait that is also seen in the Lionhead Goldfish. While the Bubble Eye cannot readily compete for food with fast swimming types of goldfish, these similarly handicapped varieties can make good companions. It is really not necessary to add other scavengers or other bottom feeders to the aquarium when you have goldfish.

Sexual Differences:
   Although is it impossible to sex Goldfish when they are young and not in breeding season, the male is usually smaller and more slender that the female. In the breeding season the male has white prickles, called breeding tubercles, on its gill covers and head. Seen from above the female will have a fatter appearance as she is carrying eggs.

Breeding/Reproduction:
   Goldfish are egg layers that spawn readily in the right conditions. See Breeding Freshwater Fish - Goldfish for more information on breeding Goldfish.

Availability:
   The Water-Bubble Eye Goldfish is readily available and is inexpensive.

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Latest Comments
I had two bubble-eyes called Frankie and Benny, Benny died on Saturday the 27th of September 2008 and Frankie died on the 2nd October. They were two weeks old :( Liam Cook 2008-10-04
My bubble-eye just got his cheek caught in the filter and now it has deflated. I see from other comments that their bubble-eyes have healed from this. Is it likely my little guy will heal and be okay, I hope so - I love this fish. Mary 2008-08-08
My Water Bubble eyed Fish ( Mista Bubblehead)) was getting picked on but we weren't sure by which fish! His bubble popped so we isolated him to heal in an unstressful envoronment and a week later, it was fully inflated again. so we put him back in with the others and low and behold, it had popped again! so, back into isolation tank and it had almost inflated within 24 hours, only to have him get his cheek caught ( i don't know what the heck he was doing) in the filter! i pulled it apart and he swam out, all popped and red again1! next day, half inflated again! he heals soo much quicker than the first time. we thought it was our small sucker fish that did it the first time, but now that our silver goldfish has a fat tummy and we're missing 2 neon tetra's .... we're thinking it's him! Mysteriously, some tiny snails have appeared from nowhere! can anyone explain this? we have a sea snail in the tank but dunno where the littlies came from!! jen 2008-07-02
Me and my BestMate got a fish from the fair and they lasted ages until I added another fish and they then bothed died=[. I still miss them :(. ly Lu-Lu and Cassie xx Faye 2008-03-21
I brought a goldfish home from the fair. It lasted for ages but one day it was swimming really slow, and would noy eat at all. Then, like a couple of day later, I came home from school and my mum said I have something to tell you. She said you better look in the kichen, and there he was floating on the water. I still miss him! Mollie 2008-02-14
Some of the coolest comments:
I have a bubble eye and her name is little bub! shes so funny. I have had her for almost a year now. Shes a tough cookie and has survived longer than some of her past tank mates. Right now she is living with my Telescope eye Rick. Goldfish types like bubble eye and telsescope eye are the best types to be kept together because they both have poor vision due to their obstructions around there eyes. so they both will have an equal chance at finding their food and not be beaten to it by fish with "better" vision. So if you are thinking of getting a telescope or bubble eye fish, i would suggest keeping their list of potential tank mates selective. Your fish will be happier and healthier. Little bub and rick are the best of friends and do very well together, i am soon getting another bubble eye to add to the tank and hopefully they will all be good friends! Megan 2007-05-31
I've loved bubble-eyed for such a long time, finally have the technique for these delicate little fishies down. Amazingly, i've found bubble-eyed fish to be highly social little beings and need other BUBBLE-EYED fish to interact with or they get depressed. The more you have in one tank, the happier they all are. I have a tank with 4 and they are the silliest and happiest looking ive ever had. Also, bigger fish just trouble them more because it's already hard enough for them to get food without bullies stealing it from them. They should be the biggest or same size as the biggest fish in the tank. Finally...the biggest problem, the doom of many bubble-eyed: the filter-intake! First of all, bubble-eyed are shy and like to hide in plants alot; hence, do not place hidden in some plants. Also, most importantly, cover it with a piece of NYLON (do not use tape, it may poison the water) nylon will not obstruct water flow and in case the bubble-eyed gets a cheek in the filter, it is soft enough and thick enough to relatively leave him unharmed, maybe a little bloodshot cheek. I am not an expert and this is only based on my experience, but i have had 6 bubble-eyed in my life and some lasted days, some months, some years and i just wanted to share my expierences and know how hard it is to take care of these delicate clowns! Jeremy B. 2006-06-20

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Author: David Brough. CFS.

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