Goldfish
species of freshwater fish, common in aquariums
The goldfish (Carassius auratus) is a freshwater fish in the family Cyprinidae of the order Cypriniformes. It is commonly kept as a pet in indoor aquariums, and is one of the most popular aquarium fish. Goldfish released into the wild have become an invasive pest in parts of North America and Australia.
Native to China, the goldfish is a relatively small member of the genus Carassius (which also includes the Prussian carp and the crucian carp). It was first selectively bred for color in imperial China more than 1,000 years ago, where several distinct breeds were developed. Goldfish breeds vary greatly in size, body shape, fin configuration, and coloration. Various combinations of white, yellow, orange, red, brown, and black are known.
History
Various species of carp (collectively known as Asian carp) have been bred and reared as food fish for thousands of years in East Asia. Some of these normally gray or silver species have a tendency to produce red, orange, or yellow color mutations; this was first recorded in Imperial China, during the Jin dynasty (266–420).
During the Tang dynasty (AD 618–907), it was popular to raise carp in ornamental ponds and water gardens.
The public source identifies “Goldfish” as species of freshwater fish, common in aquariums. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Goldfish, species and freshwater.
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Stable identifiers, scientific names and standards terminology offer the best bridge between this overview and specialist evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 25, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q123141. The Library of Congress control number is sh85055774. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank.
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This entry incorporates text from “Goldfish” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.