Bred for a thousand years
Goldfish were bred in China from a dull, olive-brown carp more than a thousand years ago.
The aquarium · Time every day
Goldfish
Coldwater fish · from China
A plump, shining orange fish with a flowing tail and fins.
- Size
- 15 to 30cm long when fully grown
- Lives for
- 10 to 20 years or more
- Suits
- Families with room for a large tank or a pond
Wiggles after you, mouth opening and closing. Move your pointer and see.
Good to know
Six things about the goldfish
It keeps growing
A goldfish can grow as long as a ruler. A fish that stays small in a bowl is being stunted.
A good memory
The three-second memory is a myth. Goldfish remember things for months and can be taught simple tricks.
It sleeps with its eyes open
It has no eyelids. It rests by hovering near the bottom.
Forty-three years
The oldest goldfish on record, called Tish, lived to forty-three.
It fades in the dark
Kept without light, a goldfish slowly loses its colour.
The real thing
Photos of the goldfish
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Photos are from Wikimedia Commons, used under the free licences shown. They have been resized, and cropped where they appear in link previews.
Looking after one
One goldfish needs at least 100 litres of water with a strong filter, and more for each extra fish. Feed small amounts once or twice a day.
Before you get one
A goldfish is not a starter pet for a bowl. Kept properly in a big tank or a pond, it lives for decades.
Keep going