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Goldfish Types

Fancy Goldfish and Common Goldfish

Assorted types of goldfishPhoto © Animal-World

   Dr, Jungle says, "The average lifespan of the common goldfish is over 20 years and some have been known to live up to 32 years!"

   Goldfish are one of the all-time favorites of fish keepers everywhere. Why? Because they are beautiful and fun to watch. They have a good memory and becoming very sociable with their keepers. There is a wide variety of beautiful goldfish colors that can be metallic, iridescent, or flat and they come in many interesting forms. Most of the commonly available goldfish varieties are also relatively easy to care for.

   The goldfish available in pet stores today are descendants of a wild carp fish, known by such names as the Prussian Carp, Silver Prussian carp, or Gibel Carp Carassius gibelio (syn: Carassius auratus gibelio). For many years it was believed that goldfish had originated from the Crucian Carp or Golden Carp Carassius auratus auratus described by Linnaeus in 1758, but more recent research is pointing toward the former. Originating from Asia (Siberia), they are one of the first aquatic animals in recorded history to be kept as pets.

   Although goldfish were originally developed in China, in the 1500's goldfish were exported first to Japan. Then they were sent to Europe in the 1600's and to America in the 1800's. These countries developed them into the wondrous variety of goldfish colors and forms we see today, with the majority of the fancy goldfish being developed by Oriental breeders. It is estimated that there are over 125 types of gold fish.

   Goldfish are a cold water fish and will do best at temperatures between 18°-22° C (65°-72° F). Many goldfish types are very hardy species, especially the Common goldfish and the Comet Goldfish. These two are great for beginners, as are both the Fantail Goldfish and Ryukin Goldfish. Other hardier types include Black Moor Goldfish and the Ryukin Goldfish. Several of these durable goldfish types, like the Black Moors, Shubunkins, Comets, and common goldfish can actually tolerate temperatures a few degrees above freezing as long as the cooling drops only a few degrees a day. Once you've gained experience and confidence, try some of the other fancy goldfish types like the Bubble-eye Goldfish, Celestial Goldfish, Oranda Goldfish or Lionheads.

   Sometimes people start out keeping goldfish in small one or two gallon bowls with no heater or filtration. But for the best long-term success in keeping both common and fancy goldfish, goldfish aquariums work better than goldfish bowls. In an aquarium you can provide your pet goldfish with the same filtration, especially biological filtration, that other aquarium residents enjoy and you'll have long lived, healthy fish..

For more goldfish information and taking care of goldfish, see:
Goldfish Care: Fancy Goldfish and Goldfish Diseases

Goldfish: Click on the small images below
for more information about each one.

Goldfish
Black Moor Goldfish	Bubble Eye Goldfish
Carassius auratus auratus	Carassius auratus auratus
Celestial Eye Goldfish	Comet Goldfish
Carassius auratus auratus	Carassius auratus auratus
Common Goldfish	Fantail Goldfish
Carassius auratus auratus	Carassius auratus auratus
Lionhead Goldfish	Oranda Goldfish
Carassius auratus auratus	Carassius auratus auratus
Pearlscale Goldfish	Ranchu Goldfish
Carassius auratus auratus	Carassius auratus auratus
Redcap Oranda Goldfish	Ryukin Goldfish
Carassius auratus auratus	Carassius auratus auratus
Shubunkin Goldfish	Telescope Goldfish
Carassius auratus auratus	Carassius auratus auratus
Veiltail Goldfish
Carassius auratus auratus

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