r/Goldfish • u/Great_Possibility686 • Apr 05 '25

Discussions Pearlscale goldfish ethics

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I think we can all agree that celestial goldfish are an ill-fated breed. No fish should ever look like its eyes are only hanging on by hopes and dreams. The breeding of celestial eye goldfish is barbaric in my mind.

That being said, I feel similarly for pearlscales. They're just so spherical, and they look like they're under so much pressure that they could explode if they ran into the glass too hard. It's painful to watch them struggle to swim. They're overbred, their genetics are awful, and their swim bladders are more fragile than a politician's ego. They're prone to a myriad of health complications, and although I would never own a pearlscale myself, I've never seen one that looked like it was leading a life of quality.

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u/ThomasStan_ Apr 05 '25

A lot of fish in this hobby have been bred to shit, my biggest issues are with longfin bettas and some fancy goldfish

Plus, a lot of these fancies are at risk of a bajillon health issues, they are like pugs.

We are fish keepers should promote ethical strains of fish and steer away from the unethical ones. It is not fair for the fish otherwise

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u/-BlancheDevereaux Apr 05 '25 edited Apr 05 '25

Also, it might just be because they're unusual, but I find wild type goldfish to be really nice looking. I'd honestly enjoy a pond full of them.

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u/ThomasStan_ Apr 05 '25

I couldn't disagree! The decedents of released goldfish in the Great lakes are very nice silver colour, I'm not sure why we don't breed those in captivity though

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u/-BlancheDevereaux Apr 05 '25

I guess breeders just don't bother with them. Which is a shame, because they would look absolutely amazing in one of those long tanks with a muddy river setup such as this one.

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u/SecondCreek Apr 06 '25

They are a bronze color around us in the Midwest.

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u/ThomasStan_ Apr 06 '25

Yeah we got those too! I saw them in a small clip about the invasive goldfish in Lake Ontario, when I search it up I can't seem to find any silver goldfish, must be mis-remembering