Great idea :TU: Right now I don't use this mode because IMO the fish look as if they are floating in space, gravel would make it look like a real pond.

Nice idea, some watermovement would make it more realistic also.

With gravel looks quite realistic, and if it could cast some shadows... ;)

Ditto

Believe it or not, I've got this very thing on my mental list of things to improve. My vision of the pond is slightly different, but it's basically the same idea; to make it feel more real and less "floating-in-space." I can't promise it'll be the next thing I work on, but you never know...!

The whole pond-view idea, by the way, started as a lark; one day I was experimenting with different camera placements so I could more accurately assign the proper depths to various objects... and I suddenly wondered what it all looked like from directly overhead. Something about it really appealed to me... probably because I own koi. But the program really wasn't written with that view in mind, so you'll have to be patient with this version of it for a while until we can add what's needed to really make it look right. Until then, if you don't like it, just uncheck it! I won't be offended.

Thanks, as always, for all the feedback, the positive as well as the negative!

--Eric Daniels

Well my hope has always been that there would be ripples on the surface and dark places that suggest rocks and terrain under the fish.

Must...have...specular maps. My life won't be complete until I have goldfish with real shiny scales. :)

How about the Chinese Veiltails
 

Of all the goldfish varieties, I love to watch the Veil or Broadtail versions of Goldfish, especially the rare gold, red eyes. It would be great to find some Veiltails in the Goldfish Screen saver.

Veiltails (continued)
 

Here is a picture of a broadtail, veiltail. Watching these swim in the tank is almost hypnotic.

ohhhh.... sevetset. thank you. nice to see something so naturally beautiful. love the broadtail.. :heart:

Yes, they can be very hypnotic. The one above almost looks like the one I used to have in my tank six years ago before I left Panama. Very nice :) That one would be lovely in the Goldfish Aquarium.

Sevetset, did you take those pictures yourself? Or are they from a book?

And can you explain (or diagram) the difference between the veiltails and the non-veiltails?

Veiltails and Broadtails
 

Until recently, I use to collect rare goldfish, but I never got to have pictures taken of them. I was lucky enough to have a pair of red eye broadtails, Blue Telescopic eye Veiltails, and various Orandas. Veiltails have very long finage with little or no fork in the tail. The more uniform the tail, the rarer and more expensive they are. Below is a drawing from the Goldfish association standards for the Veiltail variety. Broadtails are veiltails with a very wide tail, like that of the Broadtail/Deltatail Guppy. Keep in mind that the older the fish gets in both varieties, the longer the fins get. It would seem the fins never stop growing. The picture of the red eye veiltail I posted before is a young variety (about 6 months to a year). Most experts can tell if a young fish will have veil tails. The fork in the tail starts to disappear as the fish gets older.

Veiltail/Broadtails Continued
 

Here is a picture form the same site of a broadtail calico oranda. Note...no fork in the tail, even at a young age.

Veiltails/Broadtails Continued
 

Here is a regular Veiltail Calico. Anyway, it would be very nice if we could have a couple of varities of Veils or Broads will beautifull finnage in the goldfish screen saver, along with all the other varieties available now and in the future.

BTW. Here is more info on veils/broads, along with many other varieties recognized in the professional Goldfish breeders association:
http://www.bristol-aquarists.org.uk/index.htm

Thanks for hearing me out! Have a great new year.

This is a nice picture of a beautiful goldfish that reminds me of the one in my old tank. My old Goldfish was constantly trying to eat anything it could fit into its mouth. It would always pick up and spit out all the pebbles at the bottom of the tank all day long. I don't know if I told this story before, but I had bought two baby blowfish and put them in the tank with this larger redcap goldfish. After a few days, as I'm watching the tank, the goldfish swallows one of the tiny blowfish except it is stuck in its mouth. The blowfish does what it does best and inflated like a balloon. I was in shock at witnessing this. I know my goldfish was hungry; however it couldn't get anything to eat as long as the blowfish didn't deflate. After about three hours of swimming around aimlessly, the blowfish deflated and quickly spit out its new tank mate. I wish I had filmed this because it really was very funny in a weird sort of way. And I was very proud of my little blowfish after that. Believe it or not, they both remained together for years after that incident and it never happened again.

plants
 

Hi,

I'm happy with the fish, but I'd love to have a big Amazon sword plant to go in front of that rock.

Goldfish like to EAT amazon swords. I know this from experience. However, I agree that some more plants (even if they'd be short lived within a real goldfish tank), with independently moving leaves, would be good.

LOL
Goldfish will eat almost any plant. I have never been able to keep live plants in my goldfish tank

Goldfish and plant eating
 

Goldfish don't seem to eat valisneria and elodea. At least they didn't in a pond I had with dozens and dozens of goldfish and Koi.

But...that might make an interesting subplot. SEE the goldfish. SEE them eat the Amazon Sword plant down to a nub. WATCH it miraculously regenerate.

Oh...and in the interest of authenticity, Jim oughtta add some frogs and a swimming copperhead or two for the pond view.

:-)

Java Ferns do pretty well.