Goldfish are one of the most popular pets in the world. Undoubtedly their brilliant mettallic gold and reddish coloration is greatly responsible for that popularity. Their mild temperment, extreme hardiness, and lack of fussiness about food and water conditions also add to their appeal.
A clean, well-cared for, and attraction decorated aquarium containing a few brightly colored goldfish swimming easily through plant thickets and around rock clusters is a fascinating and relaxing sight. However, in spite of their undermanding nature, it does take a little bit of work and some common sense to keep goldfish healthly, happy, and active. You may also find the greatest joy in sitting back and simply watching goldfish as they glide smoothly throught the water, occasionally stopping to eat, or show courtship or rivalry.
While goldfish appear to have originated in China, it was the Japanese who began to develop them several hundreads of years ago intothe exotic forms and colors we see them in now. Through selective breeding, plain, common goldfish were transformed into strains having bright red, white, and light-black colors, long flowing fins, exotic eye and body shapes, and some weird, but attractive growths around the head. Enjoying goldfish in this way is not a 20th century discovery, for the goldifsh were one of the first aquatic animals in recorded history to be kept as pets. They are mentioned in Chinese literature as far was back as the 7th century A.D., when they were supposedly first domesticated and kept in various kinds of bowls and small pools. It is difficult to know exactly why goldfish were such desireable pets in ancient China, but it is reasonable to assume that it was their bright golden color and easy manageability, as it seems to be today, that made them so popular.
