Goldfish

Carassius auratus

About

The most common pond fish of all time! The goldfish has been kept as a pet for over 2,000 years, and in ancient China they were seen as a symbol of luck and fortune and they could only be owned by members of the Song Dynasty. 

Available in a variety of colours, goldfish are an excellent addition to a home ornamental pond and are a great fish for beginners and get on really well with other pond fish. These fish do well in most sized ponds and you will see them grow to over 45cm long in larger ponds. Goldfish can be messy feeders, so owners of smaller ponds that contain many goldfish may find keeping the water crystal clear a tad difficult and will need to include additional filtration to manage the water clarity.

Goldfish will also tolerate extremes in temperature from below freezing to 30 degrees, making them ideal for the temperature ranges we experience across Australia.  

Varieties

Colours and varieties of goldfish include golden, shubunkin (mottled colour), bronze, orange, white and a multitude of mixes in between. Their tails also come in numerous varieties including fantails, short tails and veil tails.

Comet varieties are generally the hardiest and are much faster to escape from predators such as Kookaburras and Herons although their intense colour can cause their demise. Including small caves and aquatic plants with large foliage, such as water lilies, will give goldfish essential cover and places to hide from predators. If you have an established pond and can’t create small caves, consider other objects like pieces of plumbing pipe or carefully arranging some rocks in a deeper part of the pond to create cover. 

Food

As part of their varied diet, goldfish will consume mosquito larvae and other water bugs however goldfish do best with a pellet or flake diet every 1 to 2 days to keep their colour strong and healthy. They will grow much quicker on frequent feedings, plus they are fun to feed! 

Breeding

Most goldfish will breed in the warmer months, with males chasing females around the pond in a frenzy where females will scatter their eggs. Having aquatic plants in your pond will help to protect the eggs as they are scattered. 

Frog and tadpole impact

Goldfish are not fussy eaters, and as a result will unfortunately eat frog eggs and tadpoles so would not be a great option for a frog pond or ecosystem pond where you are trying to invite nature in. There are plenty of better options for ponds such as this so check out our native Fish Profiles on our Learning Hub.