Goldfish

Overview

The goldfish is one of the earliest domesticated fish, bred in China over a thousand years ago from a wild silver-gray carp relative for its color mutations. Selective breeding over centuries produced dozens of ornamental varieties, from the streamlined common and comet goldfish to elaborately finned fancy types like the oranda and ranchu. Goldfish do not grow to fit their tank, and a small one stunts them rather than keeping them small. Contrary to popular myth, they retain memories for months and can be trained to respond to cues and simple tasks.

Quick Facts

History

Chinese sources put dates on each stage of the domestication. Color mutations in pond carp were noted as early as the Jin dynasty, between 266 and 420, and in 1162 a Song empress ordered a pond built to hold the red and gold fish, while yellow specimens were restricted because yellow was the imperial color. Moving the fish indoors during the Ming dynasty is what let breeders keep the fragile fancy-tailed mutations that would not have survived an outdoor pond. Goldfish reached Japan in 1603 and Portugal in 1611, spreading through Europe as a status object, and arrived in North America around 1850, where Henry Bishop of Baltimore built what was reckoned the largest goldfish operation in the world.