We have a large range of different types of goldfish, ranging from the
everyday comets to the weird and wonderful lionheads, pom poms and
more. All species of goldfish are coldwater and do not require heating
to be kept successfully in an aquarium.
Perhaps the most commonly kept fish of all time is the goldfish, Carassius auratus (auratus meaning "covered with gold"). Indeed, the goldfish you may have seen at a carnival game have a long and royal lineage. It goes back over 1375 years to the T'ang dynasty in China (618-907 A.D.), where they were kept in ponds or small bowls (goldfish and their relative, the koi, are best viewed from above). During the 15th century, goldfish were introduced to Japan, where keepers continued to selectively breed these fish for color, body shape and finnage. Somewhere around the 18th century, the goldfish was introduced into Europe and later into the American hobby.
The most common goldfish variety is the Comet, a long, slender plain-looking fish (and a far cry from the many varieties available to hobbyists). Due to selective breeding and accidental mutations, the common goldfish has been transformed into the 100+ varieties we see today. Comets can vary in color from pale white to gold to blue, to black, or a mix of colors (called the shubunkin). Selective breeding has turned the slender, single-tailed Comet into the round-bodied, colorful, multi-tailed fish we are all familiar with.

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