The Origins of Goldfish

The goldfish is a fascinating creature – being the most basic species that is breaded for living in aquarium as a pet, they are not only pretty but also carry a great heritage. The goldfish has a rich biological and geographical history, as they are more complex creatures than many people would think.

It all begins a long time ago in China, where people domesticated the so called carp – a species of fish that was used for food and sewing materials (its bones serve as a needle). They were breaded for thousands of years and they have been mostly with a silver or gray color, even though some showed mutations that looked red yellow and orange. The first evidence of that occurring is during the Jin Dynasty. After that the mutations started to increase in number, which lead to the common gold color we know nowadays. By the time of the Tang Dynasty it was already a trend to pet the fish in ponds that served as ornaments for the beautiful water gardens. As they looked prettier and were highly valued for their looks, people started to bread only the golden species of the fish and started shifting their purpose from food to decoration.

This process reached its peak during the Song Dynasty, when the empress admitted her fascination for the animal built a large pond for red and orange variety. As these were the imperial colors by that time the breading of the fish for people outside the big imperial family was forbidden. This is why the orange type is more common nowadays in comparison with the more yellow color.

Hundred years later during the famous Ming Dynasty the Chinese started to try raising the fish in tanks rather than ponds, which lead to the species becoming more adjusted to the conditions it is breaded in nowadays. This is also a probably reason for why the colors started to shift as well – during this time, in 1276 was the first time a fancy – tailed fish was observed. Two hundred years later the species found its way in Japan. The western presence there was getting stronger and stronger, which eventually lead the fish to Portugal and from there to the whole of Europe and America.

Symbolizing luck and good fortunes, the species quickly become a charming pet for the Europeans. Married men had the tradition of giving their new wives a goldfish for their first anniversary, which was a promise for fortune in the coming years. With the increased availability of the breed the tradition declines, as the gift became more common.

Today there are many types of the goldfish, many of them domesticated. If you put them in the wild most of them are not likely to survive, especially highly breaded ones such as the fancy goldfish, which have brighter colors and weaker sight. Common goldfish along with their comet cousins have more chances, as their ancestors are the ones that were breaded in a pond.