Why Are Goldfish A Low Maintenance And Popular Pond Fish?

Like many things in life that have survived the test of time the secret to the success of the common goldfish or in this case longevity is its simplicity and low maintenance requirements.

Just like the Coca Cola logo the goldfish is the fish that everyone recognises. Young children even from an early age see this tough little fish on the TV, at the fair or in mom and dads pond or fish tank.

The goldfish is the fish against which other fish are compared. The goldfish offers a wide range of fish keepers and pond keepers an extensive selection of shaped and coloured fish that are relatively undemanding and easy to keep.

They can be very rewarding through breeding and increasing a pond collection, even becoming accustomed to your footsteps. It's hardly surprising that the simple ole goldfish is so damn popular.

The Goldfish - A Born Survivor ... Why Are They So Popular?

Readily Available - The goldfish is readily available throughout the world and is the fish of choice for the newbie pond keeper wanting to learn the responsibilities and skills needed to maintain a healthy pond. Many experienced pond keepers will keep them alongside their collection of much more expensive and harder to keep koi carp.
Low Maintenance - What makes the goldfish stand out is its ability to withstand and even thrive in average water conditions, often without adequate filtration and a readily available supply of oxygen rich water. How many other fish could survive in a gold fish bowl for example? The records of colourful fish being kept for their beauty dates back to the T'ang Dynasty in China (AD 700) where they were often kept in ceramic jars without pumps, air filters and air pumps. If it were not for the ability to survive in such conditions then goldfish would not be as widespread and popular as they are today.
Breed Easily - A goldfish reaches sexual maturity at around 6" in length and will readily spawn in a garden fish pond, splashing and bumping in weedy shallows, depositing thousand of tiny adhesive eggs within the string algae and weed. What is truly amazing with goldfish is the variety of colours that can result from a natural spawn. The majority appear at first to be brown and it is only over time that some of the fry will develop the traditional colouration of goldfish.
Many Forms - The goldfish over the centuries has developed into a myriad of different varieties including comets, fan tails, pom poms, bubble eyes. It is hard to believe that these fish although vastly different in appearance actually stem from the same genetic ancestor and are the same species of fish.
Intelligent Brain Power - Goldfish have a recognised level of intelligence that is common to most fish in the carp family which gives goldfish a 'pet' status with their owners. It is possible to train goldfish to respond to specific stimuli, the responses to which may be interpreted by the owners as the goldfish 'being glad to see them' or 'showing a like for the owner'. It is more probably a case of the goldfish recognizing the owners silhouette or vibrations of their footsteps as he or she walks towards the fish pond as feeding time.
Easy To Feed - Goldfish are easily fed using a floating pellet or flake for the smaller fish. Look out for Fish Foods that offer colour enhancing ingredients as these will really deepen red and black colouration.