Not furry, but we like them anyway.
Broadtail Moor
Carassius auratus
Also called Black dragon eye, Black peony, Broadtail black telescope, Moor
From Black telescope goldfish come from China; the broadtail form is a British show variety, with Far Eastern imports supplying the eye and colour.12
At a glance the quick version
Looks how to spot one
Scaled, deep-bodied telescope goldfish with a broad veil tail
A short, rounded black goldfish with large globe eyes set on raised sockets and a broad, flowing tail that hangs below the horizontal without a fork. The best fish have a deep, velvety black that carries right into the fins, with no brown or silver showing.23
Personality what they are like
A gentle, unhurried goldfish that is happiest with other slow, fancy varieties rather than fast single-tailed fish.1
Daily activity how busy a day looks
A leisurely swimmer because of its rounded body and long tail. Give it calm water and open space rather than strong currents.21
Grooming and care the hands-on bits
Telescope goldfish are hardy and cope with a range of temperatures. Keep in a filtered tank at around 10 to 21 C, change about 30% of the water weekly with dechlorinated water, and keep pH near 6 to 8.145
Home where they are happiest
An aquarium fish. Allow at least 60 litres per goldfish with a good filter, and choose smooth decorations that will not catch the eyes or tail.4
Food basics what goes in the bowl
An omnivore. A quality sinking or slow-sinking goldfish food, plus vegetable matter and small frozen or live foods, suits it.5
Company who they like around
Sociable and best in a group of fancy goldfish with similar swimming ability.51
The story where it all began
Telescope-eyed goldfish were developed in China, and black moors are thought to date back centuries there before reaching Japan and later the West. In Britain, keepers worked the black telescope into a broad-tailed, veiltail-shaped show fish now listed as a GSGB standard variety, which is most often seen at northern British societies.123
Fun facts for the dinner table
- 1
In the Far East this fish goes by the poetic names black dragon eye and black peony.2
- 2
Young black telescopes start out looking like bronze fantails and only darken as they mature.1
- 3
The telescope-eye trait was known in China as dragon eyes.1
- 4
The broadtail standard asks for a tail at least three quarters as long as the body.2
Recognised by the official bits
- Goldfish Society of Great Britain (GSGB)
- Standard variety: globe-eyed goldfish with velvety black colour reaching the fin tips; body and fins can follow the veiltail type3
- goldfish-types.info (UK show standard)
- Jet black veiltail with spherical eyes in raised sockets, body depth about 65% of length, undivided-looking broad tail without fork, at least 75% of body length, minimum body length 5.5 cm2
The care rhythm Furry Diary remembers it for you
A typical home-care rhythm for a Broadtail Moor. It is our own starting plan, not a vet's advice, and you can change every line in the app.
- Feedingevery day
- Water changeAbout 25 to 30% of the waterevery week
- Water testevery week
- Glass cleanevery week
- Filter rinseevery month
You might also like
Black Moor
Telescope Goldfish
Veiltail Goldfish
Panda Moor
Celestial Eye GoldfishLike what we are building? Buy us a coffee.
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Where this comes from
Every breed page shows where each fact comes from. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are pet people, not a science magazine. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
- Wikipedia: Telescope eye (goldfish) en.wikipedia.orgused for origin, history, size, lifespan, hardiness, juvenile colour
- goldfish-types.info: Broadtail Moor goldfish-types.infoused for show standard, names, colour, body and tail, UK distribution
- Goldfish Society of Great Britain: Goldfish varieties goldfishsociety.co.ukused for recognition and description
- RSPCA: Fish environment rspca.org.ukused for tank size, temperature, water care
- FishBase: Carassius auratus fishbase.seused for pH, diet, social needs
Checked 2026-09-30. Text is written in our own words from these sources.