Bubble Eye Goldfish is a colorful, fanciful, and dorsal-less Fancy Goldfish variety with an unusual characteristic; the bubble eyes. It’s a cartoon-like species that may look quirky from every view but uniquely beautiful in its way.
Every aquarist chooses this species because of the large, protruding, fluid-filled sacs just below each eye.
But whether they truly understand the Bubble Eye’s complete care guidelines is a completely different story altogether.
This guide will simplify everything for you if you intend to keep the Bubble Eye Goldfish at home. It will cover the fish’s care guidelines, including the average size in a home aquarium, lifespan, typical behavior, tank size, tank mates, breeding, and more.
Species Overview
Bubble Eye Goldfish is a uniquely built Goldfish variety first developed in China. Like many Fancy Goldfish varieties, the Bubble Fish are descendants of the Prussian carp and are no longer found in their natural habitats in Asia.
As far as their quirky appearance goes, Bubble Eye Goldfish leave no room for indecisiveness. You can either choose to love or hate them for the two large bubbles on their face.
But even if you love them for their distinct characteristics, Bubble Eye Goldfish is not necessarily an excellent choice for beginner-level hobbyists, as you will find out shortly.
Still, you can give it a try if you understand all the basics about their care guidelines at home.
| Category | Rating |
| Family | Cyprinidae |
| Color | Red, calico, combinations of gold and white and red and white |
| Lifespan | 10-15 Years |
| Care Level | Moderate |
| Behavior & Temperament | Peaceful |
| Compatibility | Other goldfish |
| Food and Diet | Omnivores |
| Size | 5 Inches |
| Tank Setup | Freshwater, no rough surfaces |
| Tank Size (Minimum) | 10 Gallons |
Lifespan
A typical Bubble Eye Goldfish enjoys a long lifespan of 10-15 years. However, this is never guaranteed unless you maintain the best possible environmental conditions.
Like most Goldfish varieties, high-quality water and pristine environmental conditions will be fundamental to keeping your fish a little longer in captivity.
Bubble Eye Goldfish can easily supersede your expectations by living up to 20 years with the best possible conditions in a confined setting.
Appearance
How about a cartoon-like Goldfish with giant bubbles on its head? The most distinctive feature of the Bubble Eye Goldfish is their bubbly eyes.
Usually, they have large protruding sacs just below their eyes that give them a distinct look when kept with other species in the same tank. The fragility of the fluid-filled sacs makes caring for these fish even more pulsating if you’ve never owned a delicate species before.
But it’s not just their bubble eyes that will capture your attention in a home aquarium. The Bubble Eye Goldfish is a dorsal-less species with smooth backs. While this may give it a silky appearance in captivity, the dorsal-less configuration is not entirely positive for swimming.
Bubble Eye Goldfish have reduced swimming efficiency and may struggle to match more active and fast-moving species if they occupy the same space.
To compensate for the dorsal-less characteristic, Bubble Eye Goldfish have a paired tail fin, splitting up to create four points that effectively balance the fish’s body in the water.
Like most Goldfish varieties, Bubble Eye Goldfish’s captivating look will be completed by an egg-shaped body that’s perfectly rounded to give the unique appearance we’ve become quite fond of in the aquarium community.
Their anal and pectoral fins are almost useless because of the unique anatomy that limits the fins’ movement in the water.
You won’t get enough of the bubble eye fish varieties as far as color variations are involved. We’ve seen beautiful Bubble Eye Goldfish covered in red, white, brown, gold, and orange shades.
Other species will exhibit beautiful color combinations like a mix of red and white, beautiful calico patterns, or red and black.
To determine the gender, focus on the fish’s appearance even though this is only possible in the adult fish. Juvenile Bubble Eyes won’t show any major differences between the male and female species, so you should give them time to develop into adults.
Usually, the female Bubble Eyes are plump compared to the slender males with small tubercules on the heads.
Size
A full-grown Bubble Eye Goldfish will measure about 5 inches in a confined setting. Their small size gives them straightforward care requirements because they can thrive in small tanks either as individual species or with the right tank mates.
It’s worth reminding that several factors will influence the fish’s size, including food choices, water quality, and the general tank conditions.
If you manage to provide the right water quality and diet, you might have already done enough to keep the bothersome diseases away, which are the most common causes of reduced lifespan.
Bubble Eye Goldfish Care
Bubble Eye Goldfish care doesn’t suit beginner-level aquarists. Why? Because these fish have delicate care needs that you may struggle to satisfy as a beginner-level hobbyist.
The most challenging aspect of keeping healthy Bubble Goldfish at home is their bubbles, which expose them to physical injuries at any moment.
Besides, they need the best possible water conditions with strict adherence to water parameters to thrive. If you are willing to learn everything about Bubble Eye Goldfish ultimate care before you get started, let’s go;
Tank Size
Bubble Eye Goldfish will never grow beyond 5 inches in captivity. So, they do well in small tanks with a minimum size of 10 gallons.
Still, a 20-gallon minimum capacity is the most suitable option to give them the much-needed extra space for safety and comfort. If it’s multiple Bubble Eye Goldfish in the same aquarium, keep in mind an additional 10 gallons for every new tank mate.
Ignore the misinformation. You shouldn’t even consider keeping these fish in small bowls because it never ends well.
Water Parameters
Bubble Eye Goldfish love cold waters with neutral pH and well-controlled hardness. They are sensitive to changes in tank water conditions, so you will have to test the water status regularly and change at least 25% every week to maintain a healthy habitat.
Here’s what to know about the standard tank water parameters;
- Water Temperature: 65-80
- Water Hardness: 5-19 dKH
- pH Levels: 6.0-8.0
What to Put in Their Tank?
Setting up the ideal habitat for your Bubble Eye Goldfish requires careful planning. Remember, if you don’t get it right from the word go, you won’t keep up with the consequences.
In the worst-case scenario, your Bubble Goldfish will never thrive, if you constantly expose them to unhealthy living conditions.
Firstly, these fish’s fragile bubbly eyes make them a delicate species to deal with, and the earlier you understand that, the easier it will be to meet their care needs.
Because of the increased risk of physical injury, you will want to avoid sharp objects and rough items within the Bubble Eye Goldfish’s habitat.
Also, you should only consider fine, moderately-sized gravel as the ideal substrate for the bottom of the tank. Then, other decorative elements such as plastic decorations and smooth rocks can complete the remaining parts of the tank.
Live plants can be part of a Bubble Eye Goldfish’s habitat, provided they are soft enough and effective in promoting oxygenation and the fish’s comfort inside the aquarium.
Here, you can include the java fern or Anacharis. Occasionally, you will see your Bubble Eye friends nibbling the plant leaves or even digging them up and you should be wary of potential injuries from that alone.
Artificial plants would be the best alternatives to the natural ones, provided you stick to the right types, such as the silk faux instead of the rough, pointed plastic varieties.
At this stage, it’s time to think about a proper filtration system, too. If you keep Bubble Eye Goldfish at home, you don’t want to introduce an extremely powerful filter that will suck up your fish and endanger their lives in captivity.
This will damage the fish’s large, protruding eyes and predispose them to bacterial infections in the worst-case scenario. Instead, you should stick to the under-gravel filtration system that’s the widely accepted standard for Bubble Eye Goldfish.
This system effectively eliminates waste and other harmful materials without exposing your fish to serious physical harm.
Common Diseases
Like any other freshwater fish, Bubble Eye Goldfish are vulnerable to most of the diseases you might have heard of in the fishkeeping community.
By this, we mean dropsy, Ich, skin flukes, and swim bladder. Ich will often cause multiple spots on the fish’s body, and the entire school may be affected by the increasing levels of stress inside the aquarium.
As such, it’s important to isolate the infected fish as soon as possible to limit the chances of the disease spreading to the entire school.
On the other hand, the swim bladder disease will have your fish struggling to swim or maintain their balance inside the aquarium. Its classic symptom is buoyancy, and you can manage it with the right medications after getting a specialist’s advice.
Now, you should understand this from the word go. Most of the diseases affecting Bubble Cheek Fish are easily manageable with simple medications, and that’s perfectly normal.
But why would you want to take that path when you can prevent the troublesome infections altogether? All it takes is a sheer determination to maintain the tank water conditions at the required levels all the time.
Of course, some conditions won’t be entirely an aquarist’s fault. For instance, Bubble Eye Goldfish are known for their susceptibility to bacterial infections when the fluid-filled sacs are ruptured or deflated.
Still, you can do enough by avoiding or removing sharp objects and rough surfaces from the fish’s habitat.
What Do Bubble Eye Goldfish Eat?
Bubble Eye Goldfish are omnivorous species. So, they will eat whatever they can find in captivity.
Even though pellets are just a great option for their standard meal, Bubble-Eye Goldfish will crave high-quality flakes. In addition, you can feed them on bloodworms, daphnia, brine shrimps, and tubifex worms as essential sources of protein.
In captivity, Bubble Eye Goldfish will be busy scavengings for whatever small foods they can find, such as insect larvae or small pieces of vegetation.
Even when monitoring your Bubble Eye Goldfish for any signs of overfeeding, be sure to dedicate enough time to the actual feeding because they require a lot of time to finish just a single meal.
Ideally, you should stick to a 2 or 4 times a day feeding routine to ensure your cute Bubble Eyes get all the nutrients they need from a standard meal.
Behavior & Temperament
Bubble Eye Goldfish is just another gentle Goldfish variety that will never look for needless trouble with their tank mates. They live peacefully with other gentle fish and common invertebrates.
During the first days, Bubble Eye Goldfish will be exploring their new habitat for acclimatization.
And once they feel comfortable, they will be carefree inside the tank, casually swimming from one end to another or simply scavenging for food anywhere they can find it.
Oh! And they lack a dorsal fin, so everything they do will be slower than in many species.
Bubble Eye Goldfish Tank Mates
Choosing a suitable tank mate for Bubble Eye Goldfish is not as easy as many think. In many cases, they enjoy their own company and thrive as the only fish inside the tank.
You see, with their delicate sacs, you don’t want to keep your Bubble Eye Goldfish together with more aggressive or insanely playful fish that will easily damage their eyes.
Also, Bubble Eye Goldfish is not one of the best swimmers in captivity, and so they can’t compete for food and other resources with the more agile, fast-moving fish in the same tank.
If you want to create an ideal community tank with Bubble Eyed Goldfish as the center of attention, here are some of the best options for you;
- Lionhead Goldfish
- Black Moors
- Celestial Goldfish
- Telescope Goldfish
You will realize that all the species on our list have similar characteristics to Bubble Eye Goldfish, including poor vision and less activity inside the tank.
That aside, Bubble Eye Goldfish’s relationship with your snails will depend on how often you feed your fish in captivity. If they have enough food, they won’t have trouble living with your snails in the same tank.
Breeding
Bubble Eye Goldfish enjoy the company of similar species, so they will be easy to breed if they have the right conditions. In many cases, you don’t even have to worry about sexing when you keep them in small groups.
Like an expert aquarist, you should have a designated tank for the adult fish with a fast-approaching breeding season. Such a tank should have enough breeding elements like spawning mops and soft plants to encourage breeding.
Then, start with a standard temperature of 60°F before increasing it slowly again to about 68°F-74°F. At this point, spawning will begin, and the female will lay many eggs that the male then fertilizes.
After spawning, remove the adult fish from the tank to prevent them from feeding on the fry. Hatching will take 4-7 days, depending on the conditions inside the tank.
The juvenile Bubble Eye Goldfish will assume a dark brown coloration, which slowly changes in maturity. Also, the little fish will happily feed on powdered foods and infusoria within the first few days before switching to flakes and other fish food in maturity.
Interestingly, the famous eye sacs will be absent in the baby Goldfish, only appearing at 6 months.
Final Thoughts
You might have read them in books, watched them on videos, or even seen them in local pet stores, but one thing is certain. The Bubble Eye Goldfish is a unique freshwater species with a lot more than what meets the eye.
Of course, caring for them in captivity won’t be a piece of cake, but it’s never impossible for one who’s determined to own a beautiful Bubble Eye Goldfish. If you are willing to commit to the end, you will doubtless have an amazing experience with Bubble Eyed Goldfish.
The good thing is, this guide has already covered everything you should know to keep a healthy Goldfish community at home. Literally, the ball is in your court, now!
