Libby Ballard, age 13, of Rock Island, I11., for her question:
ARE THERE MANY KINDS OF GOLDFISH?
Goldfish are a type of carp that are sometimes also called golden carp. There are about 100 fancy varieties of goldfish although only about 20 kinds are sold today.
Goldfish are favorites in home aquariums. The colorful fish make popular pets that don't require too much work to make them happy.
Goldfish actually require very little care compared with many pets. A container with straight sides is better than a curved bowl, because it gives more surface for the absorption of air. The water should be about 65 degrees Fahrenheit and must be kept clean.
Extreme changes of temperature are harmful to goldfish. Heaters for home aquariums handle this important job. Some goldfish, however, do well in outdoor ponds or pools.
Goldfish should be fed once a day. They eat worms, bread crumbs, water fleas and plants. Shade must be provided in the tank because the fish have no eyelids.
Young goldfish do not have bright colors, but many develop brilliant hues. They are all called goldfish, though their colors range from red, gold and orange to bronze, brown, gray, black and white. Multicolored goldfish are produced by selective breeding from plain colored gold fish.
Goldfish have such names as comet, nymph, fantail and veiltail, which tell how they differ from each other. Some goldfish have scales so thin that they can hardly be seen. They are called scaleless. These have deep red colors and many have spots of blue, purple, lavender or calico. Some grow only two or three inches long and others grow to be more than a foot long.
Some goldfish live to be very old. Golden carp are known to have lived over 50 years. Wild goldfish usually do not live longer than 15 years and most goldfish in homes live less than five years.
The ancestor of the goldfish is a plain colored fish of China and Japan.
Goldfish placed in bodies of flowing water, such as lakes and rivers, soon lose their striking appearance and look like the plain colored ancestors.
Centuries ago,the Chinese bred goldfish to produce beautiful colorings and unusual fins and body forms. The Japanese helped create many of the strange kinds that have become popular today.
Goldfish were first bred in the United States in 1878. Today there are goldfish farms in many parts of the United States.
In addition to the popular comet, nymph, fantail and veiitail varieties, other goldfish include the fringetail, the calico, the popeye and the lionhead.
Goldfish belong to the family Cyprinidae. Those who want all the scientific details will want to know that goldfish are classified as genus Carassius, species C. auratus.