Tamasaba

Looks how to spot one

Scaled, round-bodied goldfish with a single long tail

Pairs the deep, rounded body of a ryukin with a single tail and single anal fin. The tail is usually long and streaming like a comet's, though shorter and in-between tails also turn up. The overall look is sturdy and graceful.132

Personality what they are like

A peaceful, robust goldfish that mixes well with other single-tailed pond goldfish.12

Daily activity how busy a day looks

Quite an agile swimmer for a round-bodied goldfish, so it enjoys plenty of open water to cruise.2

Grooming and care the hands-on bits

Suits both ponds and large aquariums. Indoors, aim for about 10 to 21 C, good filtration and weekly partial water changes with dechlorinated water. Goldfish are comfortable in a pH of roughly 6 to 8.145

Home where they are happiest

Bred to cope with cold winters, it does well in an outdoor garden pond and is also fine in a roomy filtered tank. Allow at least 60 litres per fish indoors.124

Food basics what goes in the bowl

An omnivore. Feed a quality goldfish or pond food with some plant matter and small invertebrates.5

Company who they like around

Sociable and best kept in a group with other goldfish.5

The story where it all began

The Tamasaba grew out of efforts to give the ryukin's round body the winter toughness of local northern Japanese goldfish, with the sabao as its forerunner. Japanese Wikipedia says it nearly vanished after the Second World War and was rebuilt from surviving fish.21

Recognised by the official bits

Taxonomy

Uncommon Japanese fancy goldfish with a ryukin-like body and a single, long flowing tail3

Japanese breeders

No formal standard-variety status; sometimes sold at auction under other names2