Common Goldfish

Scientific Name Carassius auratus

Natural Habitat The Goldfish was bred from Crucian Carp in China during the time of the Tang Dynasty

Size 13 inches is an average maximum size although Goldfish have been known to grow to lengths as long as 23 inches

Temperment Peaceful, will eat fish small enough to fit in their mouth

Aquarium 125 litres

Comments The Goldfish was the first fish to be kept as a pet. It was bred from the Crucian carp over a thousand years ago in China and even today remains one of the most popular species in the hobby. Popular belief that the Goldfish is a small species that will live happily in a bowl couldn’t be further from the truth. The Goldfish is a hardy fish yet like all species poor conditions will cause it stress and eventually death.

These large fish should be kept in aquariums that suit its large size. An aquarium holding 125 litres is the minimum for three Goldfish although the bigger the aquarium the better. As you probably know already temperature is not a concern when keeping Goldfish so a heater is not neccessary. Many people keep Goldfish in garden ponds and if you ask me this is the best place for them unless you can supply them with a very large aquarium. You should also include an air pump for Goldfish as a lack of oxygen in the water will also cause them stress. Lastly and perhaps most importantly is providing a good filter.

Goldfish produce far more waste then other species of fish so correct filteration is a must. Weekly water changes of 25% to 40% are also needed to remove any waste from the aquarium and keep the water in good quality. There are not many species which can be kept with Goldfish. If you have a very large aquarium then it is possible to keep them with Weather Loach. I would not recommend keeping Common Goldfish with Fancy Goldfish however. Common Goldfish are far faster then the Fancy Goldfish due to there more streamline shape. Common Goldfish will thus eat any food you put into the aquarium before the Fancy Goldfish have a chance. Common Goldfish will also occasionly mistake Fancy Goldfish for being pregnant and take the oppertunity to chase and bully them. Feeding the Common Goldfish isn’t a hard, most fish stores should have a selection of granule and flake food which are purpose produced for the nutritional feeds of Goldfish. Feed Goldfish a small amount of food once a day and remove any food which is not consumed in 4 minutes.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask on our forum.

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Oddballs – Monster, Ancient Fish in Our Aquariums

There are many fish hobbyists that would like to keep this kind if fish in their tanks, but unfortunately not all can afford that. This types of fish need pretty big aquarium because if you’ll look at them, you’ll realize that they are really monsters. Don’t even try to compare this fish to something like cichlids. Even tough cichlids are aggressive fish and will eat smaller fish, but still they can’t compete with gigantic fish like Channa Micropeltes or Wolf fish because it’s just impossible.

It’s really difficult to see these monster fish in regular aquariums because most of these fish are illegal and can’t be kept in tanks. And here is the question, why not? Why shouldn’t I keep these fish? I will not breed it and let it live in the nearest river. But again this is illegal and may cause you a problem once discovered that specific kinds of these fish live in your aquarium. For example Snakehaed are  illegal because they are causing big problems in maryland and virginia by killing smaller fish that are essential to environment.

But if you would like to have these fish in your aquarium, you have to make sure that you create the same environment like they have in wild, meaning that everything has to be the same in order to really enjoy these monster fish. I would also recommend you, once you got this fish, to feed them by real meat like beef, pork or if you can get small bass fish than it would be also great. You will not believe but once they feel the smelt of a victim, they will destroy it right away! Feeding fish like goldfish are not enough for their diet! Believe me.

If you would like to know more information about these interesting and scary fish, please visit our special “oddball fish” forum section at

http://aquatropicalfish.com/forum/index.php/board,46.0.html