Goldfish - Carassius auratus auratus

The goldfish is the classic fish for garden ponds. It has been kept as an ornamental fish in ponds and in aquariums for well over a thousand years. Originally Carassius auratus auratus comes from China, it is a color variant of the Chinese silver crucian carp. In China, goldfish are considered lucky charms. Initially, young goldfish are rather dark in color, the beautiful golden-orange coloration that one automatically associates with the word "goldfish" comes only from about the second year of life. An adult goldfish grows to 30 cm in length and lives an average of 25 years. Exceptional specimens can live up to 40 years. The body shape of this classic goldfish strongly resembles the natural shape, so the golden-orange fish can live quite easily in the garden pond.

Choose from different goldfish sizes here: 5-7 cm, 7-10 cm, 10-12 cm, 13-16 cm or 18-20 cm. When putting together a school, you should pay attention to fish of approximately the same size.

The goldfish belongs to the quite sociable carp fish. Therefore, you should keep the curious pond fish in a group of conspecifics that includes at least 5 goldfish - the color or body shape is secondary. A goldfish pond must be sufficiently large and created in partial shade - at least 4 cubic meters of volume for five goldfish. Goldfish are actually cold-water fish that do not tolerate high water temperatures in the garden pond above 20-24 °C well. The pond should therefore be in partial shade and well planted. In summer, an oxydator for garden ponds helps with oxygenation.

Goldfish are omnivores, they take algae, dead and soft living plants, but they also devotedly take care of mosquito larvae, worms, small crustaceans, fish larvae, insects and so on. In a garden pond with a heavy fish population, the natural food is usually not enough, so the goldfish need a special, preferably high-quality goldfish food - of which you always give as much as the fish can handle in a few minutes. If the goldfish pond is heavily stocked, you should support the oxygen content of the pond water in summer with an oxydator for garden ponds.

If the garden pond is deep enough(at least 100-130 cm), the goldfish can easily overwinter outside. They will then sink to the bottom of the pond, where they will fall into cold torpor and wait for better weather. If the pond is not deep enough, the water can freeze completely. In that case, you should fish your goldfish out in the fall and let them overwinter cold, but frost-free. An appropriately sized tub or aquarium placed in an unheated basement or frost-free garage is sufficient for this purpose. If goldfish are kept too warm in winter, their natural rhythm will be upset, which can have negative consequences for their health.

When the temperatures rise again in spring, it is time for mating season in goldfish. Females of Carassius auratus auratus spawn in open water, and males fertilize the eggs as they are laid. Goldfish are very effective spawning predators and also eat fish fry. Those wishing to rear goldfish in a pond should have a relatively large shallow water zone, very well vegetated with pond plants and marsh plants , adjacent to a pond bank where the young fish can easily hide from the older goldfish.