Bristol Shubunkin

Shubunkins are omnivorous and should be fed high-quality goldfish pellets as a staple, supplemented 2-3 times weekly with blanched vegetables like peas and spinach. Offer live or frozen foods such as brine shrimp and daphnia 2-3 times per week. Feed once daily, only what they can consume in 2-3 minutes, as overfeeding causes water quality issues.

Shubunkins are active, fast swimmers that spend most of their time in mid-water zones searching for food. They are peaceful and social, thriving best in groups or with other single-tailed goldfish varieties. They may uproot plants and stir substrate while foraging, so secure vegetation and use larger gravel.

Breeding Shubunkins in captivity is possible but requires large tanks (75+ gallons) and cooler winter conditioning followed by gradual temperature increases to trigger spawning. Females scatter thousands of adhesive eggs on plants; remove adults after spawning as they will eat eggs and fry. Fry are difficult to raise and require infusoria and microscopic foods initially.