<tr><td align="center">Image:Goldfish_1.jpg
<tr><th bgcolor=pink>Scientific classification <tr><td>

Goldfish

Goldfish


Conservation status: Secure

<tr><td>Kingdom:<td>Animalia <tr><td>Phylum:<td>Chordata <tr><td>Class:<td>Actinopterygii <tr><td>Order:<td>Cypriniformes <tr><td>Family:<td>Cyprinidae <tr><td>Genus:<td>Carassius <tr><td>Species:<td>auratus <tr><td>Subspecies:<td>auratus </table> <tr><th bgcolor=pink>Trinomial name <tr><td align="center">Carassius auratus auratus
(Linnaeus, 1758) </table> The goldfish (Carassius auratus 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 (like the koi), the goldfish is a domisticated version of a dark-gray carp native to East Asia, first domesticated in China was introduced to Europe in the late 17th century. It will grow to a maximum length of 23 inches (59.0 centimeters) and a maximum weight of 6.6 lbs (3.0 kg). Goldfish natively live in rivers, lakes, and other slow or still moving bodies of water in depths up to 65.6 ft (20 m). They natively live in a subtropical climate and prefer freshwater with a 6.0 - 8.0 pH, a water hardness of 5.0 - 19.0 dGH, and a temperature range of 32 - 106 °F (0 - 41 °C). Their diet consists of crustaceans, insects, and plant matter. They lay their eggs on aquatic vegetation. 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 ice forming on the surface, so long as there is enough oxygen remaining in the water. Although edible, the fish are rarely eaten.
Several goldfish

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. Their introduction often has unfortunate consequences for local ecosystems, however.

Although goldfish are traditionally displayed in small "goldfish-bowls", a healthy and happy goldfish requires at least ten gallons of water in order to live a full life: each additional fish requires an extra five gallons (nearly 20 litres) 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.

In the United Kingdom they have traditionally been given as prizes at fairgrounds, but new laws mean it is now illegal to give live animals as a prize.

It is often said that goldfish have a memory of only a few seconds, but this is not entirely true. Goldfish have what could be called a selective memory, that is to say they have some kind of concience of what has happened on previous occasions, but are not sure what it was. They can be trained to do simple tasks such as eat from a certan ring inside their bowl, This is because they instinctively know that something good is in that area, they are just not sure what . If a predatory animal such as a heron is around they will hide away through instinct for quite a while, but they do not know what it is they are hiding from, they simply know it is worth avoiding.

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References


de:Goldfisch nl:Goudvis ja:キンギョ zh:金鱼


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