Four Pompon

1 Breed Introduction

The Four Pompon is a variety of goldfish with the classic Wen-style body shape. Its most distinctive feature is four enlarged, fluffy nasal pompons that set it apart from other goldfish. It shares the same general habits as common goldfish and is relatively easy to keep.

English name: Four pompon fish

Type: Goldfish, temperate freshwater fish

Origin: China

Breeding: Egg-laying (oviparous)

Water quality: pH 7.2 to 7.5

Care difficulty: Easy

Suitable water temperature: 10 to 30 C

2 Physical Characteristics

The Four Pompon has a very distinctive appearance. As a variety of goldfish, its habits are similar to those of common goldfish, but it can be told apart by its looks. True to its name, it is famous for its four nasal pompons.

The Four Pompon grows to 10 to 20 cm in length. It has a pointed head, small eyes, red fleshy outgrowths on the nasal membrane, normal gills, a present dorsal fin, and a large four-lobed caudal fin; its body is short and stout and colored red. Its dorsal fin stands erect and its tail flows gracefully, giving it the classic Wen goldfish body shape. Most striking is its highly developed nasal membrane, which forms four enlarged pompons, each single pompon larger than those of the common double-pompon, with the four pompons tightly clustered together. Pompons currently come in red, white, and calico varieties, while body colors include red, red-and-white, spotted, and calico (five-color).

3 Housing and Environment

The Four Pompon is a variety of goldfish, so its care can follow the general guidelines for keeping goldfish. As a poikilothermic animal, it is not demanding about water quality and stays healthy as long as the water conditions are kept stable.

The Four Pompon tolerates a wide temperature range and can survive between 0 and 38 C, making it a eurythermal species. It begins feeding at 6 C, enters hibernation between minus 3 and 0 C, and slows its feeding above 28 C. Its optimal growth temperature is 18 to 22 C. However, it cannot tolerate sudden temperature changes; if the water temperature rises or drops by more than 5 C at once, the fish may immediately show convulsions or frantic swimming, fall ill, or even die on the spot.

Dissolved oxygen levels affect not only the Four Pompon’s respiration directly, but also its appetite, digestion, and absorption, ultimately impacting its growth. In clean, oxygen-rich water, the fish shows a strong appetite, good digestion, fast growth, bright coloration, and lively behavior. Conversely, in degraded water with low oxygen, it frequently rises to the surface to gulp air for the little oxygen needed to survive, typically showing poor appetite, dull coloration, a thin body, and sluggish movement, which reduces its ornamental value. Special care against oxygen depletion is needed in hot summer months.

The Four Pompon adapts to a broad pH range and survives normally in water from pH 6.0 to 9.5; values too high or too low easily cause disease or death, with the optimal range being 7.5 to 8.5. It also cannot tolerate abrupt pH swings.

4 Feeding

As a variety of goldfish, the Four Pompon stays healthy and beautiful only with proper feeding. Because its pompons are enlarged and very delicate, they are easily injured during keeping, so extra care is required.

For home keeping, live daphnia (water fleas) is the ideal food as it keeps the water clean, though dried daphnia or artificial pellet feed also work. Live daphnia is sold in markets, but buying it daily is inconvenient. When choosing dried daphnia, pick fresh, loosely granulated product and avoid stale or moldy stock. Complete-formula artificial pellets with balanced nutrition are also good and available commercially.

To keep the water clear, feed strictly on a fixed schedule and amount, usually once or twice daily, with each portion finished within 30 minutes; avoid overfeeding. Overfeeding has two harms: first, a full fish raises its metabolism and oxygen demand, easily causing hypoxia and suffocation; second, leftover food decays and ferments, spoiling the water and also causing oxygen depletion. Goldfish are actually quite famine-tolerant and can go one to two weeks without feeding without issue.