Goldfish

Pond and Parlor

Carassius auratus

Goldfish are the most common housepet in the world. Almost everyone in the civilized world has had a goldfish at some time during their life. Whether it was one bought with a little bowl from the pet store, or one that was won at the county fair arcade by tossing ping pong balls into fishbowls, the breed has captured the hearts of young and old alike. Goldfish can live for many years with proper care. They are very adaptive to water conditions such as pH value and hardness. They tolerate water temperatures that would make the tropical varieties shiver. And they eat virtually anything. They are a carp species and according to some sources are indigenous to China, although some opinions differ. I assume the disagreement stems from the fact that they have been kept domestically from the beginning of time, and they thrive in nearly every water they are released into. Consequently they are distributed almost worldwide.

We have eighteen Goldfish of varying sizes in an outdoor pond, and have kept one in our 10 gallon community tank just for color. We have had the pond fish reach lengths of six to eight inches, but That seems to be about the stage in their development when raccoons become attracted to them. We have lost three groups of goldfish, a couple of perch (caught from a local lake and introduced to the pond), and two Koi to raccoon attacks over the past four years. We have just recently restocked the pond and we are hoping for better luck this time. They are fed flakes twice a day and grow very quickly. The pond water is filtered through pea gravel and aerated by waterfall action. The temperatures fall to freezing or below at least a couple of days a year here, and seems to have no ill effects on the Goldfish. In the summer the temperatures can reach 100 degrees farenheit. The pond is in a partially shaded area and evenings are cooler, so I estimate the water temperature rarely exceeds 80 degrees farenheit. This gives an indication of the vast range of temperatures that can be withstood by these hearty little fish

Goldfish form a significant portion of the live diet for our Oscars. Yes, we feed live Goldfish to the Oscars. Don't be horrified. It's just a food chain thing. Big fish eat smaller fish. Goldfish and other carp species, while being herbivorous, will eat small fish if they are able to catch them. It's nature. We feed bloodworms in our community from time to time, and the Goldfish eats those as well.

I am very interested in any information you may have regarding Goldfish. If you know of a good publication or a comprehensive Website dealing with the subject of Goldfish, please send mail to the address shown below. Thanks for visiting this page.

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Gary Churchman
garydebc@silcom.com

Copyright © 1997 Gary Churchman
This page was created Friday, March 14, 1997
Most recent revision Wednesday, July 2, 1997

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