Goldfish
Are you looking for goldfish activities because you are thinking about buying goldfish or already own some? Or perhaps because goldfish are a lucky symbol of Chinese New Year? We've got lots of printables and craft ideas below.
The goldfish is a freshwater fish and likes to live in water that is 50F to 76F. They are one of the most commonly kept aquarium fish and are extremely popular pets - over 480 million goldfish are sold every year (more than cats and dogs combined!).
Goldfish were kept as pets as long as 2000 years ago in ancient China. It was during the Song Dynasty (960 AD – 1279 AD) that people started to breed silver-colored carp. Once breeding began, a colour mutation occured resulting in yellow-orange scales. Yellow was designated the imperial colour and only members of the Royal family could keep yellow fish. Commoners were allowed to keep the orange/gold version and gave them the name goldfish.
Most goldfish that you see in pet stores today come from commercial breeders located in Thailand, Japan, China or Indonesia.
Many people think goldfish don't live long, but healthy goldfish live on average 15 to 20 years and they can live for over 40 years in the right conditions. In the wild, goldfish are omnivores, eating aquatic vegetation, frogs, newts, fish eggs and insect larvae.
Some Interesting Facts
- Goldfish have to sleep with their eyes open as they have no eyelids!
- Goldfish were once considered to be good luck and it was a tradition for newly married men to give one to their wives on the first wedding anniversary.
- A group of goldfish is called a "troubling".
Our Goldfish Activities
