Goldfish

We stock a wide range of goldfish to suit all setups, from classic pond varieties to show-quality fancy fish. Our single-tailed types include Comets, Sarasas, and Shubunkins, all hardy, fast-moving fish that thrive in ponds and large aquariums. We also carry Fantails here, alongside fancy Orandas, Red Cap Orandas, Panda Orandas, and Lionhead Ranchus, from 3cm right up to 10cm.

If you are after something truly eye-catching, take a look at our dedicated fancy goldfish selection alongside the full range of cold-water fish we carry.

Ready to get started? Browse all goldfish and choose your favourites

Our goldfish start from around £3.95 for smaller Comet varieties (3 to 4cm) and rise to £175 for packs of large premium Fantails (8 to 10cm). Fancy varieties including Orandas and Lionhead Ranchus typically range from £19.95 to £125 depending on the number of fish and the grade. We list live prices on every product page so you always know exactly what you are paying.

Single-tailed goldfish (Comets, Sarasas, Shubunkins) are streamlined, fast-swimming and well-suited to garden ponds as well as large aquariums, handling cooler winters well.

Fancy goldfish such as Orandas and Ryukins are selectively bred for twin tails, rounder bodies and features like hooded growths or bubble sacs. They are slower swimmers and should be kept in a heated, stable indoor aquarium rather than a pond, where faster fish can out-compete them for food.

Not sure which type suits your setup? See the full goldfish types above, or our fancy goldfish range for Orandas and Ranchus in more detail.

Goldfish are omnivores. Their staple diet should be a quality goldfish-specific flake or pellet, formulated at the correct protein and carbohydrate balance for cold-water fish. Supplement this a couple of times a week with treats such as blanched peas (great for digestion), daphnia, or bloodworm.

Feed your goldfish once or twice a day, offering only as much food as they can clear in two to three minutes. Remove any uneaten food immediately. Goldfish are opportunistic feeders and will beg convincingly, but overfeeding is one of the most common causes of poor water quality and digestive problems.

We stock a range of fresh water foods in our accessories section to keep your goldfish in great condition.

With proper care, goldfish commonly live 10 to 15 years. Well-kept individuals in suitable pond or tank environments regularly reach 20 years. Comet goldfish kept in outdoor ponds often outlive indoor fish, partly because seasonal temperature changes mirror their natural environment.

The key factors are water quality, tank or pond size, diet, and avoiding overcrowding. A fish kept in a correctly filtered, regularly maintained aquarium with the right tankmates will almost always outlive one kept in an undersized or overstocked setup.

This is one of the most important questions to get right before you buy. Goldfish are larger, longer-lived fish than most people expect, and they are heavy waste producers.

For single-tailed goldfish (Comets, Sarasas, Shubunkins) kept in a tank, allow at least 75 to 110 litres for the first fish and a further 40 to 55 litres for each additional fish. These varieties are best suited to a pond long-term, where they have space to grow.

For fancy goldfish, a minimum of 75 litres for a pair is a reasonable starting point, with bigger always being better. Fancy types are slower and do not need the length that single-tailed fish require, but they still produce significant waste.

Whatever setup you choose, invest in quality filtration. We carry a range of internal and external filters suitable for goldfish tanks.

Ready to get started? Find the right filtration for your goldfish tank.

Single-tailed varieties such as Comets, Sarasas, and Shubunkins can share a tank or pond with other cold-water species of a similar size. Good companions include White Cloud Mountain Minnows, weather loaches, and hillstream loaches. Avoid adding tropical fish, as goldfish prefer cooler temperatures (15 to 22 degrees Celsius) that tropical species cannot thrive in.

Fancy goldfish should be kept with other fancy varieties only. Their slower swimming speed and reduced manoeuvrability mean they are easily out-competed for food by faster single-tailed fish or tropical species.

We have a good range of compatible cold-water and temperate fish if you want to build a community setup.

Yes. Our Comets, Sarasas, and Shubunkins are all excellent pond fish. They are hardy, fast-growing, and built to thrive in the variable temperatures of a UK garden pond throughout the year. As a rule of thumb, allow at least 1,000 litres of water per fish in a pond, and ensure you have adequate filtration and oxygenation in place before stocking.

Fancy goldfish (Fantails, Orandas, Ranchus) are best kept indoors, as they are more vulnerable to the cold and to predators such as herons.

If you are setting up or expanding a pond, our Koi range is also worth a look alongside our goldfish.

Ready to get started? Explore our pond-suitable goldfish varieties

Colour changes in goldfish are common and have several possible causes. Blackening is often linked to ammonia burns from poor water quality. If a goldfish develops black patches that were not there before, test your water immediately and carry out a water change. It can also indicate a healing process after a minor injury.

Whitening or fading sometimes occurs as a result of insufficient light (goldfish need some exposure to natural or spectrum lighting to maintain pigmentation), a genetic shift as the fish matures, or a nutritional deficiency.

In both cases, water quality should be your first check. We offer free water testing if you would like to bring a sample in, and we stock a range of fresh water treatments to help correct any issues.

This is worth thinking about before you buy, since it’s easy to underestimate. Single-tailed types such as Comets, Sarasas and Shubunkins are the ones that grow the most: kept long-term in a spacious, well-maintained pond, they commonly reach 20 to 30cm. Fancy varieties like Orandas and Lionhead Ranchus stay considerably more compact, typically 15 to 20cm fully grown.

We deliver live goldfish directly to your door across the UK. Our livestock is transported by our own team, so we control the conditions from the moment the fish leave us to the moment they arrive with you. Every order is packed to keep the fish safe and comfortable during transit.

All live fish are covered by our arrival guarantee for peace of mind, with full terms on our delivery and returns page. We offer free delivery on orders over £150, with a small surcharge on orders under £20.

Before adding new goldfish to your tank, make sure to acclimatise them properly. Our acclimation guide walks you through the process step by step.