Blue Egg Phoenix

Origin

The Egg Fish is the most ancient of Chinese dorsal-less goldfish varieties. It is the ancestral root of virtually all other dorsal-less breeds. Due to its antiquity, it has served as a palette for skilled goldfish breeders, who have produced many unique fish and strains that combine features familiar from other breeds. In this spirit, the true measure of the excellence of an Egg Fish is the aesthetic balance and impact achieved by a given fish, with few combinations of features considered improper from a traditional Chinese perspective.

The Egg Fish with Phoenix-style Fins, or more commonly the “Egg Phoenix”, is the most popular specialization of the Egg Fish. Among the Egg Phoenix varieties is the Blue Egg Phoenix, which has more than a 250-year history in China. In the West, its history only dates back to 1996 when they were obtained through an exchange of rare goldfish varieties between the USA and the Goldfish Pagoda in Hong Kong. This exchange was arranged by Steve Frowine. The intent of this judging guideline is to provide direction to judges, exhibitors and breeders on the standard type of the Blue Egg Phoenix.

Side View Line Drawing, © Russ Taylor 2016

Top View Illustration, © Russ Taylor 2016

Breed Development

The Blue Egg Phoenix has long, flowing fins as its primary feature. It should be a large, solid, alert and active fish. The body, befitting the name, should be egg-shaped; this means stout and smoothly contoured, but not as globoid as the Veiltail or Ryukin. Blue Egg Phoenix should be strong swimmers, with no sign of the clumsiness, weakness or imbalance often present in long-finned heavy-bodied ornamental goldfish. The Blue Egg Phoenix should be balanced and visually appealing from above as well as from the side, with spread fins and attractive metallic blue grey coloring.

The back contour should be smooth, with a convex shape as the most preferred. The peduncle should be of moderate length and quite strong. An excessive back-peduncle arch should be considered a fault. The head should be small and pointed, with no head growth. Scale type should be metallic and only the blue grey color is allowed. Brown/bronze patches should be minimal to absent.

The Blue Egg Phoenix should be dorsal-less with all fins paired (paired anal fins are mandatory). They should have a caudal at least 3/4ths of the length of the body, with other fins proportionally elongated. The phoenix tail is a ribbontail that is at least 50% divided. In motion, a phoenix tail should spread fully and in all situations the fish should be strong enough to attractively manage the elongated finnage. The dorsal lobes of the phoenix caudal should be held horizontal; excessively upright or drooping tails should not be favored. The ventral lobes of the caudal should spread laterally, particularly when the fish is at rest.

Point Schedule

Body Style and Head	20
Coloration	30
Finnage	20
Condition	10
Deportment	20
	100

Body Style and Head

Body should be curved on the back and stomach, but not too fat. Head should have no wen and nose must be pointed.	20
Body flat on back and stomach is smooth, . Head should have no wen and nose must be pointed like a bird.	15
Body Flat on top and the stomach is too deep	13-15
Body is curved on top and bottom of the fish, but fish is too thin, Shubunkin –like	13-15

Coloration

Body and fins steel blue, end 1/3 of fins may be clear	30
Body and fins steel blue, end 1/3 of fins may be clear. Body have one or Bronze/brown patches	25
Fish is blue and white	20

Finnage

Finnage is paired and ribbon-like, tail is at least 50% split and has two anals	20
Finnage is paired and ribbon-like, tail is not split or only has one anal fin split and has two anal fins	12-15
No anal fins	5- Disqualified

Condition

Fish is an active swimmer, with no torn fins	10
Fish is a head standard or bottom sitting	5
Torn fins	5
Blue coloration is faded to grayish	3-5

Deportment

Fish must look robust and have excellent swimming motion	20
Fish is thin and stomach and chest not pronounced	12-15
Fish is sluggish and is not balanced when stationary	12-15

This standard is written for the Blue Egg Phoenix, in the event a egg fish of another color is exhibited, these standards can be modified to fit other colors by removing specific criteria for the blue color.