Lionhead

Description
The tremendous hood or headgrowth and fat cheeks of lionheads give them a facial appearance similar to canine puppies. The "wen" (Chinese term for headgrowth) fully covers the head, cheeks and gill plates of the fish.Furthermore, lionheads have short but deep bodies, and relatively straight or evenly arched backs without dorsal fins. The finnage, in general, is short. Breeding standards require that the lionhead’s anal fins are paired, the double tail fin should not droop, and its upper edges should be held away from the body. The tail of a traditional lionhead can be fully separated, partially separated, or webbed. The tail should also meet the caudal peduncle (the area where the body joins the tail) in a fashion that is almost perpendicular to the body. The caudal peduncle is ideally broad, allowing the tail to open when the fish swims. The back of the proper lionhead is quite broad to support the placement of the raspberry-like hood. Hood development may vary but is more pronounced in males. The hood normally takes a year to develop in young fry. Mature male lionheads periodically shed patches of their headgrowths.Lionheads may have metallic, nacreous or matte scales. They come in a variety of coloration.

Size - Weight:
Lionhead Goldfish will generally reach about 5 inches (13 cm), though some hobbyist report their Lionhead's reaching more than a whopping 10" (25 cm)!

Origins
Lionheads were bred in China to depict the image of the mythical Chinese lion-dog (the shishi, in Japanese legend). They were introduced to Japan from China during the 17th and 18th centuries. The Japanese produced lionheads with more rounded back profiles, modified tails and diminished size of the headgrowth

Acceptable Water Conditions:
Unlike the flat-bodied types of goldfish, they have a lower tolerance for pollution and cannot tolerate temperatures much below 60° F (16° C).
Temp: Goldfish are a cold water fish and will do best at temperatures between 65 - 72° F (18°- 22° C)
Hardness: 5 - 19° dGH
Ph: 6.0 to 8.0

Social Behaviors:
Goldfish are very social animals and thrive in a community. Not only are they a great community fish but they are great scavengers as well. When choosing tank mates, keep in mind the physical traits of the Lionhead Goldfish. Like the Telescope Goldfish and the Celestial Goldfish, the Lionhead can be visually handicapped. Further its swimming ability is cumbersome because of its rounded body and the lack of a stabilizing dorsal fin, a trait that is also seen in the Water-Bubble Eye Goldfish. While the Lionhead cannot readily compete for food with fast swimming types of goldfish, these similarly handicapped varieties can make good companions. It is really not necessary to add other scavengers or other bottom feeders to the aquarium when you have goldfish.

Sexual Differences:
Although is it impossible to sex Goldfish when they are young and not in breeding season, the male is usually smaller and more slender that the female. In the breeding season the male has white prickles, called breeding tubercles, on its gill covers and head. Seen from above the female will have a fatter appearance as she is carrying eggs.

Breeding/Reproduction:
Lionhead Goldfish are egg layers that spawn readily in the right conditions. See Breeding Freshwater Fish - Goldfish for more information on breeding Goldfish.