Regular Member Katie Posted December 4, 2010 Regular Member Share Posted December 4, 2010 I was wondering about different types of scales. Two of my Ranchus/Lionchus (Stewie & Brian) have very shiny scales right up to their heads then it turns into the velvety looking part where the wen grows, the other two are completely matte looking and Mort looks almost see through and very pinkish. Are there names for different types of scales or a reason? Or is it just differences that appear in fish? Just curious 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member number20121 Posted December 4, 2010 Regular Member Share Posted December 4, 2010 The matte scales are referred to as nacreous (a mix of metallic and transparent scales that are pearly in appearance). The shiny ones are just called metallic, I believe. Got this from Wikipedia as I can never remember what it is called 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Katie Posted December 4, 2010 Author Regular Member Share Posted December 4, 2010 Cool thank you I like that we have two of each type. Mort is very cute as he is pinkish in appearance reminds me of a bull terrior when they look pink under their white fur 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member number20121 Posted December 4, 2010 Regular Member Share Posted December 4, 2010 I like the "pink" goldfish! I had one like that when I was little, all white (pink) fantail or veiltail. She was my favorite, then I accidentally killed her... No candy for goldfish!! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member bodoba Posted December 4, 2010 Regular Member Share Posted December 4, 2010 There are 3 types of scales that a goldfish can have barring the leather goldfish which has none. Mettalic Matte (Non-Reflective) Nacreous (Mettalic/Matte mix) 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Wendy Posted December 4, 2010 Regular Member Share Posted December 4, 2010 My calico is a mix so I named him Rhinestone Cowboy:D 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member number20121 Posted December 4, 2010 Regular Member Share Posted December 4, 2010 There are 3 types of scales that a goldfish can have barring the leather goldfish which has none. Mettalic Matte (Non-Reflective) Nacreous (Mettalic/Matte mix) Ah, that's how it goes! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member blackteles Posted December 4, 2010 Regular Member Share Posted December 4, 2010 Yep, Fang and bodoba nailed it. I've always had a liking for white matte telescopes with big black eyes. I'd take one in a second! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member number20121 Posted December 4, 2010 Regular Member Share Posted December 4, 2010 Yep, Fang and bodoba nailed it. I've always had a liking for white matte telescopes with big black eyes. I'd take one in a second! I'm sure you wouldn't kick the one I saw at Pet$mart the other day out of your tank though. Remember, the white telescope with black eyes, and part matte, part metallic scales If I just had some room. This little cutie would look great with my fish LOL 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Sakura Posted December 4, 2010 Regular Member Share Posted December 4, 2010 Mort's coloring is called Sakura. When a fish has a mix of nacreous and metallic scales, and their coloring is red and white, they are called Sakura. Sakura means "cherry blossom" in Japanese, and cherry blossoms are pink, just like the goldfish coloring looks. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Katie Posted December 4, 2010 Author Regular Member Share Posted December 4, 2010 Oh thats cool! He has a few metallic scales scattered around I didn't notice until now. If he turns out to be a girl I will have to re-name him Sakura KLauss is a calico yes? He doesn't have any metallic scales as far as I can see. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Sakura Posted December 4, 2010 Regular Member Share Posted December 4, 2010 Yep, Klaus is a calico. Most of the time calicos have a mix of nacreous and metallic scales, but they can be all one or the other type too. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Katie Posted December 5, 2010 Author Regular Member Share Posted December 5, 2010 I am going to look up what a calico Ranchu looks like as an adult. Both scales look really nice, and I love how the head where the wen grows looks like velvet. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Katie Posted December 5, 2010 Author Regular Member Share Posted December 5, 2010 In my new avatar you can see the "pink" in Morts body 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member seheap Posted December 6, 2010 Regular Member Share Posted December 6, 2010 Yep, Klaus is a calico. Most of the time calicos have a mix of nacreous and metallic scales, but they can be all one or the other type too. Almost right....I am pretty sure that calico's can't be metallic. Only matte or nacreous. If you have a calico that has metallic scales that means that he will lose his black. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member bodoba Posted December 7, 2010 Regular Member Share Posted December 7, 2010 Techncially calicos should have all 5 colors (Blue, black, red, yellow/orange, white) There is also a tri-colored calico label for those that don't quite meet the 5 color requirement but are still considered calico. It is hard to determine a calico from a tri-color because there are quite a lot of genes connected to the de-melanizing of color for goldfish. That's why some fish' colors fade fast and others take longer or they even further melanize instead of de-melanize. For non show standards you can label a calico with any of the scale definitions I stated earlier and many will understand. At a show however, they may call it something different or be using a more defined parameter. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Sakura Posted December 7, 2010 Regular Member Share Posted December 7, 2010 Yep, Klaus is a calico. Most of the time calicos have a mix of nacreous and metallic scales, but they can be all one or the other type too. Almost right....I am pretty sure that calico's can't be metallic. Only matte or nacreous. If you have a calico that has metallic scales that means that he will lose his black. But I've seen some "metallic calicos" on Tommy's auction. You know which ones I'm talking about? What would you call them then if they're not calicos? He doesn't have any up on the current auction, otherwise I'd link to one. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member bodoba Posted December 7, 2010 Regular Member Share Posted December 7, 2010 Just to firm things up here, the 5 colors that make a calico have nothing to do with the scalation of the fish. Calicos can have all 3 types of scaling. So far any goldfish is capable of having any scalation type and any color. (scalation type referring to the 3 scales previously mentioned not discussing the pearlescales bump in their scales) 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member seheap Posted December 7, 2010 Regular Member Share Posted December 7, 2010 Hmm...I may be wrong. I could have sworn that the true calico coloration (all five colors) could not be kept on a metallic fish because melanin (I think that's the black pigment) is not stable in metallic scales. But, like I said, I could be wrong (and it wouldn't be the first time)! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Sakura Posted December 7, 2010 Regular Member Share Posted December 7, 2010 Huh, maybe the standards are changing or something? There are so many different classifications for colors and fish types depending on who you talk to too! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member seheap Posted December 7, 2010 Regular Member Share Posted December 7, 2010 Acutally...now that you mention it, I am almost sure that's the confusion. All the books that I have picked up are super old. And all the people that I have contact with are "old school" breeders, so they may be working with older lines that have the past color standards. Weird. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Sakura Posted December 7, 2010 Regular Member Share Posted December 7, 2010 Oh well that could explain it then! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Sakura Posted December 10, 2010 Regular Member Share Posted December 10, 2010 Sarah I just want to say that now I think you're right about the calico thing. Tommy's new auction is up and I realized the fish I was thinking of actually don't have all metallic scales. Like this: http://goldfishnet.com/ItemDetails.asp?i=5290 So they still have a mix of shiny and matte scales, but he calls them "new color" calicos. I wonder what that means. Just because they have gray/blue tones instead of black maybe? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member seheap Posted December 10, 2010 Regular Member Share Posted December 10, 2010 Interesting.... I think you're right about the "lack of black" being what Tommy classifies as "New Calico" (though we know that technically they aren't calicoes but tri-color) they also lack red. But what a looker anyways! Plus, speaking from experience, if a fish doesn't have all five colors, but another lesser quality true calico does, the color won't even be considered. The tri-color would win. Color only comes in to consideration when the fish are of equal quality and comportment. Speaking in terms of a show...in terms of breeding and keeping fish, we all know that colors don't make a fish special! And breeding for color in goldfish is almost as fruitless as breeding for....well...actually it's the only really fruitless thing to breed for in goldfish! Calicoes can definitely have "spangled" (as Daryl calls them) scales. Matte with a few metallic scattered. I wonder now if a real calico with metallic scales exsists......? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Sakura Posted December 10, 2010 Regular Member Share Posted December 10, 2010 (edited) Interesting.... I think you're right about the "lack of black" being what Tommy classifies as "New Calico" (though we know that technically they aren't calicoes but tri-color) they also lack red. But what a looker anyways! Plus, speaking from experience, if a fish doesn't have all five colors, but another lesser quality true calico does, the color won't even be considered. The tri-color would win. Color only comes in to consideration when the fish are of equal quality and comportment. Speaking in terms of a show...in terms of breeding and keeping fish, we all know that colors don't make a fish special! And breeding for color in goldfish is almost as fruitless as breeding for....well...actually it's the only really fruitless thing to breed for in goldfish! Calicoes can definitely have "spangled" (as Daryl calls them) scales. Matte with a few metallic scattered. I wonder now if a real calico with metallic scales exsists......? Well those "new color" ones actually are calico (I think), because they do have both matte and metallic scales. But see I was mistakenly thinking that they had all metallic scales, when actually they don't. Too bad Daryl doesn't post on here anymore, because she could probably tell us about the all metallic scales calico! Edited December 10, 2010 by Sakura 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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