Wakin Goldfish

<body bgcolor="#CCCCFF" background="../../back4.jpg" text="#0000FF" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" leftmargin="0" rightmargin="0" topmargin="0" bottommargin="0" class="main"> <a name="top"></a><p align="center" class="headlink"><br>| <a href="../../index.htm" target="_top">Home</a> | <a href="../goldfish.htm" target="_top">Back to Goldfish</a> |<br> </p> <h2 align="center">WAKIN</h2> <p>The wakin is a common goldfish with a divided, fantail-like tail and is the common goldfish of the Far East, particularly in Japan; in fact, our Western common goldfish with wild-type, single caudal and anal fins is uncommon in the Far East. These fish can grow large; those in the three pictures of Hong Kong fish in 2000 were over 10 inches (25 cm) in length when photographed.</p> <p>The body and finnage are as for the common goldfish except that the body is shorter and the anal fin and the tail are divided; the tail is carried flatter than in the fantail goldfish. The colour is metallic or calico, although calico fish are less common.</p> <p>There is a variety called the watonai which is intermediate between the wakin and the ryukin.</p> <h3> <a name="std">THE STANDARD</a></h3> <p>The wakin standard (published in 2016) is as follows:</p> <ul> <li>Depth of body to be approximately 40% of body length.</li> <li>Caudal fin to be divided and forked with slightly rounded, well-spread lobes held above the horizontal.</li> <li>Dorsal fin to be single, all other fins to be paired and their extremities slightly rounded.</li> <li>Minimum body length to be 7.5 cm (3 inches).</li> </ul> <p>The fish should be bright and alert. The body should be strong and sturdy with a smooth outline. The caudal fin should be well divided, forked, and held slightly above the horizontal.</p> <p>Metallic fish may be self-coloured (red, orange, yellow, blue, brown or black) or variegated (any combination of red, orange, yellow, blue, brown, black and white) in a pleasing pattern similar on each side. Quality fish will have high colour intensity and metallic shine extending into the fins.</p> <p>Calico fish should have a blue background with patches of violet, red, orange, yellow, brown and white, spotted with black. Quality fish should have a high intensity of colour evenly distributed over the body, with colour, especially black, extending into the fins.</p> <p>Ideal profiles are illustrated below:</p> <table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0"> <tr> <td align="center" valign="middle"><img src="../aa_standards/wakin-standard-1.gif" width="350" height="200" border="0" alt="wakin standard, side view"></td> <td align="center" valign="middle"><img src="../aa_standards/wakin-standard-2.gif" width="350" height="200" border="0" alt="wakin standard, top view"></td> </tr> </table> <h3><a name="pho">RED WAKINS</a></h3> <h4>Young wakins</h4> <table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0"> <tr> <td><img src="young_wakins_2009-1.jpg" alt="young wakins 2009" width="275" height="181" border="0"></td> <td><img src="young_wakins_2009-2.jpg" alt="young wakins 2009" width="275" height="180" border="0"></td> </tr> </table> <p>Young red-white variegated wakins. Photographed at GSGB 2009.</p> <table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0"> <tr> <td><img src="wakin6.jpg" alt="young wakin, right" width="250" height="165" border="0"></td> <td><img src="wakin5.jpg" alt="young wakin, left" width="250" height="165" border="0"></td> </tr> </table> <p>Self-coloured young red metallic wakin with very fine colour. Photographed at BAS 2004.</p> <h4>Young adults</h4> <table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0"> <tr> <td><img src="wakin7.jpg" alt="young adult wakins" width="275" height="180" border="0"></td> <td><img src="wakin8.jpg" alt="young adult wakins" width="275" height="180" border="0"></td> </tr> </table> <p>Young adult wakins, well illustrating the fantail-like double tail and the double anal fin. Photographed at BAS 2004. This pair and the young fish above were the first wakins seen for a number of years at our show.</p> <h4>Adult wakins</h4> <table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0"> <tr> <td><img src="wakin_2011-2a.jpg" alt="red wakin goldfish" width="275" height="180" border="0"></td> <td><img src="wakin_2011-2b.jpg" alt="red wakin goldfish" width="275" height="180" border="0"></td> </tr> </table> <p>Adult red wakins shown at BAS 2011.</p> <p align="center"><img src="red-wakins-2018.jpg" width="350" height="235" alt="adult red wakins 2018"></p> <p>Adult red wakins (left) shown at BAS 2018 (photograph by Mário Barros).</p> <h4><a name="tail"></a>The wakin tail</h4> <table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0"> <tr> <td><img src="wakin_2011-1d.jpg" alt="rear view of wakin goldfish" width="180" height="180" border="0"></td> <td><img src="wakin_2011-1e.jpg" alt="front view of wakin goldfish" width="180" height="180" border="0"></td> <td><img src="wakin_2011-1f.jpg" alt="rear view of wakin goldfish" width="180" height="180" border="0"></td> </tr> </table> <p>Front and rear photographs illustrating the fantail-style tail of the wakin. Photographed at BAS 2011.</p> <p align="center">[<a href="../goldfish.htm" target="_top">Back</a>]    [<a href="#top">Top</a>]<br> © Bristol Aquarists' Society<br>  </p> </body>