Cold Water Fish

Cold water fish species, particularly varieties of Carp were the first fish to become domesticated and kept as pets in the home aquarium. The Goldfish we know today as the most popular pet fish in the world was actually bred from a not so colourful wild Carp over a 1000 years ago in China! The massive array of varieties available today in shops including fancy Goldfish have been produced as a result of mass breeding through out the years. I think it’s safe to say most people at one point or another have had a Goldfish but whether they have provided the correct living conditions is another story, there are many popular myths surrounding the Goldfish some of which I plan to talk about in the page about Goldfish.

The Koi Carp is a bigger relative of the Goldfish but was similarly bred from less colourful wild Carp (this time the Common Carp) in Japan to produce beautiful ornamental fish for ponds and water gardens almost 200 years ago! The Koi today are available in huge colour variations and depending on what size you buy them from are reasonably priced too. Click the images below to find out more about each cold water species.