Philadelphia Standards
These standards were first developed by the Philadelphia Aquarium Society and were used in the first half of the twentieth century. They appeared in several goldfish texts written by Wiliam T. Innes.GFSA Breed Guidelines
The GFSA Breed Guidelines were established in the nineteen-eighties by a group led by Robert Mertlich. They represent the first attempt to establish a nationwide standard for goldfish in the U.S. Please click on a button to see the description for the variety.GFSA Standards
The GFSA Standards were an outgrowth of the GFSA Breed Guidelines, and attempted to add further clarification to the standards used in the United States. This update was led by Peter Ponzio, chairman of the GFSA. The standards contained line drawings provided by Merlin Cunliff of Australia and greatly enhanced the characteristics of each goldfish variety.
Goldfish Standards
Goldfish Pages
AGA Standards
The AGA, successor organization to the GFSA, recognized that the national standards needed to be revised and developed a new set of standards which included photographs to aid in fish identification. Once again, Peter Ponzio, chairman of the AGA headed up a team that developed the revised standards.
The AGA has revised their standards to include optional point tables for each variety, as well as new line
art and additional pictures to provide images of fish that conform to the standard. In addition,
pictures have been provided to illustrate non-conforming fish as well as explanations of deficiencies
and defects of fish.
