Goldfish are probably the most common pet found in households today and they have been kept as pets longer than any other species of fish. Although there are many varieties they all belong the species Carassius auratus – a sub-species of the crucian carp, Carassius carassius.

Goldfish originated in China and are described in manuscripts from the Sung era in the eleventh century. It is believed that they originated from mutant common carp and during the Sung dynasty the emperors began building pools to keep them.

During the Ming dynasty when ceramics were becoming popular, goldfish were bred in clay aquariums and kept as household pets in decorative ceramic jars.

It required the passage of about 500 years for the goldfish to reach beyond China and during the sixteenth century the goldfish was introduced to Japan where they were popular at first with the aristocracy and samurai. The Japanese set up breeding programs and by the eighteenth century had developed the Bubble Eyes, Celestial, Pearlscales, Blue and Lionhead golfish.

During the eighteenth century goldfish found their way to the west and were soon being bred in Europe and were classified zoologically.

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Tagged with: goldfish-history • history-of-goldfish

Filed under: Freshwater fish tank maintenance

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