Goldfish

The goldfish, Carassius auratus , was one of the earliest fish to be domesticated , and goldfish are still one of the most commonly kept aquarium fish . A relatively small member of the carp family (which also includes the koi carp and the crucian carp ), the goldfish is a domesticated version of a dark-gray/brown carp native to east Asia (first domesticated in China ) that was introduced to Europe in the late 17th century. Goldfish are a hardy, interesting, exciting and lovable pet which can live for many years and provide its caretakers with a lifetime of enjoyment and affection.

There are several varieties of goldfish, however, all goldfish stem from the original stocks developed by Chinese, Korean, and Japanese breeders. Goldfish arrived in the United States somewhere between the 18th and 19th century and have became the most common pet found in households today! Unfortunately, because of its commonality, adaptability, and small price, the goldfish is often mistreated, abused, underfed, or made to live in otherwise intolerable conditions. The supposed reputation of goldfish dying quickly is often due to poor care amongst uninformed buyers looking for a "cheap" pet. In optimal conditions, goldfish may live more than 20 years (the world record is 49 years), but most household goldfish generally live only six to eight years, due to their often being kept in bowls.

While it is true that goldfish can survive in a fairly wide temperature range, the optimal range for indoor fish is 68 to 75 Â°F (20 to 23 Â°C). Goldfish are considered ill-suited even to live in a heated tropical fish tank, as goldfish are used to the greater amount of oxygen in unheated tanks, and some believe that the heat burns goldfish

Touching a goldfish can be quite dangerous to its health, as it can cause the protective slime coat to be damaged or removed, which opens the fish's skin up to infection from bacteria or parasites in the water. Goldfish need only be fed as much food as they can consume in one to two minutes, and no more than twice a day. Like most carp, goldfish produce a large amount of waste both in their feces and through their gills, releasing harmful chemicals into the water and will require frequent water changes.

The popular image of a goldfish in a small fishbowl is an enduring one. However, in Rome, Italy, the city passed a law in late 2005, which banned the use of goldfish or other animals as carnival prizes and made it illegal to keep goldfish in a under sized fish bowl. Remember, if your tank is not big enough to house more than one goldfish, your goldfish will still live happily, and in better health than if you crowded it.

Common goldfish, London and Bristol shubunkins, jikin, wakin, comet and sometimes fantail can be kept in a pond all year round in temperate and subtropical climates. In a pond, they may even survive if brief periods of ice form on the surface, as long as there is enough oxygen remaining in the water and the pond does not freeze solid. Goldfish are popular pond fish, since they are small, inexpensive, colourful, and very hardy.

Fancy goldfish are unlikely to survive for long in the wild as they are handicapped by their bright fin colors; however it is not beyond the bounds of possibility that such a goldfish, especially the more hardy varieties such as the Shubunkin, can survive long enough to breed with its wild cousins. Native environment Goldfish natively live in ponds and other slow or still moving bodies of water in depths up to 20 m (65 ft). Like some other popular aquarium fish, such as the guppy, goldfish and other carp are frequently added to stagnant bodies of water in order to reduce the mosquito populations n some parts of the world, especially to prevent the spread of West Nile Virus, which relies on mosquitoes to migrate.

A common misconception that gold fish only have a three second memory has been proven completely false ("Busted" on the show Mythbusters).

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