The color of goldfish

 
So, you have a goldfish and have no idea why is it called a goldfish when it looks orange or whether to keep it in your freshwater aquarium or not!
 
The color of goldfish depends on the environment it is bred in as well as the light it is exposed to. However, they aren’t really golden – more a combination (or absence) of the two or three types of pigment cells black, yellow and red – that give the Goldfish a variety of color effects. Goldfish can be golden, red, white, bronze and even blue and black.
 
The Goldfish is a fresh water fish and is the most common aquarium fish. Its scientifuic name is Carassius auratus auratus and it belongs to the carp family. This fish lives in a home aquarium for about six to eight years, though 20 years is a possibility! The maximum that a goldfish has been seen to grow is 23 inches, although generally it is half this length.

The goldfish was first developed in China through interbreeding. Today there are many varieties of this fish with variations in colors, fin and eye configurations. There are wild varieties and those that have to be kept in aquariums. The common varieties are: Common, Black Moor, Bubble Eye, Celestial Eye, Comet, Fantail, Lionhead, Oranda, Pearlscale, Pompom, Ryukin, Shubunkin, Telescope Eye, Ranchu, Panda Moor, and Veiltail.

Pond dweller

Goldfish is often a favorite pond fish because it is hardy and inexpensive. The colors and small size also add to its popularity. Common pond goldfish are Common, London and Bristol shubunkins, Jikin, Wakin, comet and fantail.

These fishes survive in ponds all the year round in temperate and subtropical climates so long as the water doesn’t freeze solid during winters. Most often you can avoid this by being careful about the depth of the pond.

A deep enough pond will not freeze completely. In such conditions, the fish moves to the bottom of the pond and if your pond has a good plant system, the fishes will survive on the oxygen generated by the plants. They might eat less during this phase.

Aquarium favorite

All over the world, fish enthusiasts love Goldfish for its hardy nature. Goldfish can also live in unheated water. The problem with Goldfish is that they create a lot of mess in the aquarium. Goldfish are habitual eaters but cannot disgest excess protein. This is relesed in the aquarium and toxic levels build up quickly and kill the fish. You need to have a good filter in your aquarium and feed just the required amount of food to the fish.

Even though, goldfish can survive in cold water, it cannot withstand rapid temperature changes. Be careful to provide consistent temperature conditions to your fish.

Goldfish also find it diffciult to survive in small confined areas like bowls. The toxic levels build up quickly in such a system and poison the fish.

Humane understanding

While goldfish might seem like an ideal cheap pet, it isn’t so. You have to understand the needs of this fish which is truly hardy but has acquired a reputation of dying quickly! This reputation owes it origin to the fact that lack of care can kill your goldfish quickly.

The world record for a goldfish is 49 years, so if you are losing your fish in weeks, you have to check the care you are giving!

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