Goldfish

Goldfish Status Secure
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Actinopterygii Order: Cypriniformes Family: Cyprinidae Genus: Carassius Species: auratus
Binomial name
Carassius auratus (Linnaeus, 1758)

The goldfish (Carassius auratus) is one of the earliest fish to be domesticated and is still one of the most commonly-kept aquarium fish. A smallish member of the carp family, the goldfish is a domisticated version of a dark-gray carp native to East Asia and was introduced to Europe in the late 17th century.

Part of its popularity is due to the goldfish's hardiness. It is a cold-water fish, and can live in an unheated aquarium or in an outdoor fishpond. In a pond, it will even survive brief periods of being iced over.

Selective breeding has produced several colour variations, some of them far removed from the "golden" colour of the original. There are also different body shapes, fin and eye configurations. Such extreme versions of the goldfish do need to be kept in an aquarium—they are much less hardy than varieties closer to the "wild" original.

Goldfish and other carp fishes are frequently added to stagnant ponds in order to reduce the mosquito populations—however introduction of these new species often has unfortunate consequences for the local ecosystem when they are removed from their native habitat.

Although goldfish are traditionally displayed in small "goldfish-bowls", a healthy and happy goldfish reqires at least ten gallons of water in order to live a full life: each additional fish requires an extra 5 gallons of water.

A fad among American college students for many years was swallowing goldfish as a stunt. The first recorded instance was in 1939 at Harvard University. The practice gradually fell out of popularity over the course of several decades.

External links

• The Goldfish Sanctuary