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Common Goldfish

Family: Cyprinidae

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Carassius auratus auratus Photo © Animal-World: Courtesy David Brough

Goldfish are fun! Just look at all the different colors of these beautiful fish!

   The Common Goldfish are colorful, inexpensive, and readily available. For about 90 percent of all aquarists, their first fish were Common Goldfish won at the local faire or obtained from the pet store in town. They can be quite personable and are delightful to watch.

   One of the hardiest of the gold fish varieties, the Common Goldfish are recommended for beginners. They are an easy fish to keep as they are not picky and will readily eat what is offered. They are active and can swim fairly fast. They are also very social and thrive well in a community.

Common Goldfish Comet Goldfish

   The Common Goldfish is very similar to, and sometimes confused with, the Comet Goldfish. The Comet Goldfish is a further development of the Common Goldfish. Both these fish have an almost identical body shape but the fins on the Comet are much longer, especially the caudal (tail) fin, and it is more deeply forked. Also, in the standard orange color the Comet is generally a more reddish orange while the Common Goldfish is more orangish. The adult size of the Comet Goldfish is smaller too. On both these fish the caudal (tail) fin is held fully erect.

   Another goldfish that is almost identical to the Common Goldfish is the 'London' type of Shubunkin Goldfish. Both these fish have virtually the same body and fin shapes, but the London type Shubunkin Goldfish has a totally different body color. While a good specimen of the Common Goldfish will have a bright orange metallic color, this London type Shubunkin goldfish can be speckled or have a variegated color pattern.

   Along with the other elongated goldfish, such as the Comet Goldfish and the Shubunkin Goldfish, Common Goldfish make good pond fish. They are hardy and can tolerate cold water temperatures. They are active and fast and can get along well with Koi, but they will readily spawn so can quickly overpopulate your pond.

For more Information on keeping this fish see:
Guide to a Happy, Healthy Freshwater Aquarium

Dream Aquarium Build your own aquarium The Coolest and Funnest Screensaver in the World.

Distribution:
   The Goldfish, a wild carp originally known by such names as the Crucian Carp, Gibel Carp, or Golden Carp, was described by Linnaeus in 1758. They originated in Asia; Central Asia and China. Today domesticated goldfish are distributed world-wide. These fish inhabit the slow moving and stagnant waters of rivers, lakes, ponds, and ditches feeding on plants, detritus, small crustaceans, and insects.
   In the early 1600's these fish were exported first to Japan and then to Europe and were developed into the wonderful colors and forms of gold fish we see today. The Common Goldfish is one of the more than 125 captive bred varieties that have been developed.

Status:
   This species is not listed on the IUCN Red List, and presumably there are no wild populations of this captive bred variety.

Description:
   The Common Goldfish is an elongated, flat-bodied variety of goldfish. The most distinguished specimen is a bright orange metallic color. The head is wide but short and it has a smoothly tapering body shape from its back and belly to the base of its caudal fin (tail fin). The caudal fin is forked. Its fins generally stand fully erect and the edge of the dorsal fin is slightly concave.

Size - Weight:
   The environment the Common Goldfish is kept in is a determining factor on whether your pet grows to its full potential size or is somewhat smaller. In an average 10 gallon tank, if well cared for and not crowded, they can grow up to about 4 inches (10 cm), while in a larger uncrowded tank they can grow larger generally reaching about 7 or 8 inches (17.78 - 20.32 cm). If kept in a spacious pond they can reach over 12 inches (30+ cm), with some hobbyist reporting their Common Goldfish reaching up to a whopping 18" (45+ cm)!

Care and feeding:
   Since they are omnivorous, the Common Goldfish will generally eat all kinds of fresh, frozen, and flake foods. To keep a good balance give them a high quality flake food everyday. To care for your goldfish, feed brine shrimp (either live or frozen), blood worms, Daphnia, or tubifex worms as a treat. It is usually better to feed freeze-dried foods as opposed to live foods to avoid parasites and bacterial infections that could be present in live foods.
   Common Goldfish are some of the hardier species of goldfish. They are very undemanding of water quality and temperature. Many people try to keep goldfish in small one or two gallon bowls with no heater or filtration. But for the best success in keeping goldfish, provide them the same filtration, especially biological filtration, that other aquarium residents enjoy.
   The shape and size of the aquarium is important and depends upon the number of fish you are going to keep. Goldfish need a lot of oxygen and produce a lot of waste.

• A large surface area of water will help minimize goldfish suffering from an oxygen shortage. Surface area is determined by the shape of the tank. For the same volume of water, an elongated tank offers more surface area (and oxygen) than a tall tank. In a fish bowl, filling the bowl to the middle offers more surface area (and oxygen) than filling the bowl to the top. Always provide the maximum amount of surface area.
• Providing a large amount of water per fish will help dilute the amount of waste and reduce the number of water changes needed.
• A general rule of thumb for young fish only is: 1 inch of fish (2.54 cm) per 1 gallon of water. This rule applies only to young fish and is not adequate as they grow. Larger gold fish consume much more oxygen than young fish so maintaining this formula for growing fish will stunt them, and can contribute to disease and even death.
• Keep the tank size and shape in mind when you are buying your fish. To allow for growth, either buy fewer fish than the maximum number of fish (based on the above formula) or be prepared to get a larger tank.

   Because goldfish produce a lot of waste, good filtration is very helpful in maintaining the water quality of the aquarium. Regular weekly water changes of 1/4 to 1/3 is strongly recommended to keep these fish healthy.
   Use a gravel substrate and add some decorations that provide shelter for your pet goldfish. Driftwood and smooth rocks make good, safe decorations; and plants are especially appreciated, either live or plastic. A cover for the tank is desirable as it reduces evaporation and though they are not prone to jumping, on occasion some gold fish will jump out. Most aquariums come with a cover that includes lighting. It is not essential for goldfish, but will help if you have live plants.
   Goldfish are subject to the same diseases as tropical fish. A couple of the more common problems are Ich, Swim Bladder disease, and external parasites including flukes, lice and anchor worms. To learn about these and other diseases and how to treat them see: Aquarim Fish Diseases & Treatments.

Water Region: Top, Middle, Bottom:
   These fish will swim in all areas of the aquarium.

Acceptable Water Conditions:
   The Common Goldfish is one of the most hardy varieties of goldfish and can tolerate temperatures a few degrees above freezing, as long as the cooling drops only a few degrees a day. A quick temperature drop can kill them, so if you live in a very cold climate a heater is advisable.
   Temp: Goldfish are a cold water fish and will do best at temperatures between 65 - 72° F (18°- 22° C)
   Hardness: 5 - 19° dGH
   Ph: 6.0 to 8.0

Social Behaviors:
   Goldfish are very social animals and thrive in a community. Not only are they a great community fish but they are great scavengers as well. It is really not necessary to add other scavengers or other bottom feeders to the aquarium when you have goldfish.
   Most fancy goldfish will thrive in both freshwater and tropical aquariums as long as there are no aggressive or territorial fish in the tank. Some good tank mates for fancy goldfish are the Chinese Blue Bitterling and the Northern Redbelly Dace.

Sexual Differences:
   Although is it impossible to sex Goldfish when they are young and not in breeding season, the male is usually smaller and more slender that the female. In the breeding season the male has white prickles, called breeding tubercles, on its gill covers and head. Seen from above the female will have a fatter appearance as she is carrying eggs.

Buy Comet Goldfish From LiveAquaria.com

Breeding/Reproduction:
   Common Goldfish are egg layers that spawn readily in the right conditions. See Breeding Freshwater Fish - Goldfish for more information on breeding Goldfish.

Availability:
   The Common Goldfish is readily available and is inexpensive.

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Latest Comments
I had 2 common goldfish plus my sister's 2 common goldfish all in a 2.5 gallon tank (yes I spelled that right 2.5). The largest being almost 4 inches and the others being no smaller then 2.5 inches. I did not have any routine water changes, I fed them once a week-once-every two weeks(sometimes longer), and they lasted over a year and a half! fish man 2008-10-27
Ok, I have to say I am disgusted by a lot of the comments left. Just because comets are cheap people need to take into consideration what they are getting into. They should NOT be kept in a small tank, and you surely don't need a whole lot in a small tank. They grow fairly big and no they won't grow that big or live long in a small tank for that exact reason, it's unhealthy! It's not that they live a week, it's how you treat them! I have 5 comets and I love them dearly. I'm a sucker for them because of how A LOT of dumb owners treat them! I'm sorry if this offended you, but A LOT of people need to hear this! Fish Owner 2008-10-18
Now I have 16 of them. All of them are small at 1 inch. I feed them Tubifex worms. All just in 10 gallon tank. I wonder how big those fish will get, to keep in a 10 gallon tank. Abi Sufian 2008-07-30
I have 2 feeder fish that I got to pre-start our tank for $ fish. I now have had them almost 5 years. They live in a 55 gal. with many huge fish--all tropical. They are 10 inches in diameter. I love my 12 cent fish. I feed them everything and anything for fish. Not picky, not hard to keep happy. m.conner 2008-07-24
Hi. I have a bad history with goldfish. I saw a 1 gallon goldfish kit at walmart for about $10 with just about everything you could need for a freshwater fish in an unheated, unfiltered tank. I was wondering if this tank would be sufficient for 1 or 2 common 28 cent goldfish, assuming I cleaned the tank once a week because my schedule is tight. If someone could let me know about this it would be greatly appreciated, thanks. Guy 2008-07-21
Some of the coolest comments:
I enjoyed reading your interesting page about goldfish care (I found it while googling reproduction) and I decided to add my two bob's worth: yes, they are easy to care for as long as you keep them well fed and cleaning out their tank every few weeks. A good filter also really helps keep the water cleaner and aerated as well. We've got two fish - Wiggles, an ordinary goldfish and Dingleberry, a hyperactive Shubunkins. They both get along well together, really cosying up to each other at times... Another time we saw Dingleberry chasing Wiggles all around the tank - it was hilarious watching Wiggles frantically trying to escape his "amorous" attentions... Goldfish are also more intelligent than you might think; Wiggles and Dingleberry always know when it's feeding time and they get terribly excited when they see me approaching their tank around feeding time! We've just upgraded to a larger tank (15 litres) which replaced their old (and tiny) 5 litre job, and they just love it! I added a pictorial backing as well as more rocks and artificial weed for a more natural look and I also think that this more stimulating environment is definitely helping the fish as well as providing them with more room to swim and exercise. mason 2008-06-19
I have had up to 30 Comet goldfish at a time, and I love them! Contrary to popular belief, they live longer than a week. Ive had my feeder comets for a year, and they are still going strong! I do not believe they are a good beginner fish, because they require a lot of cleaning. they have fast metabolisms, so they are constantly eating and extricating. I have two undergravel filters and one power filter in my ten gallon tank, and that seems to be the minimum to keep the water clear for two weeks. Then I do a partial water change. There are currently ten small comets and shubun comets in there. I do not believe in keeping them in "goldfish bowls" either, unless you are willing to clean them out every other day! That would be hard on the fish, so I dont suggest it. Those of you who keep healthy goldfish, enjoy! Cassidy Jones 2004-10-22
Comments Dr Jungle REALLY Likes to Hear!
I am about to get one or two common Goldfish. Your info is so helpful! Thanks! christina 2008-03-09
Thanks for all your help, my fish thank you too. You saved 'em, gracias! (Thank you in Espanol) Catie 2007-04-28
i have five of these fishys they are very cute... thankies for the information. my last fishy commit of the suicidal acts. made me cry. Jenny 2006-01-13

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Author: David Brough. CFS.

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