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The
goldfish (
Carassius auratus auratus) was one of the earliest
fish to be
domesticated, and is still one of the most commonly kept
aquarium fish. A relatively small member of the
carp family (which also includes the
koi carp and the
crucian carp), the goldfish is a domesticated version of a dark-gray/olive/brown carp native to
east Asia (first domesticated in
China)that was introduced to
Europe in the late 17th century. The mutation that gave rise to the goldfish is also known from other cyprinid species, such as
common carp and
tench.
Goldfish may grow to a maximum length of 23 inches (59 cm) and a maximum weight of 9.9 pounds (4.5 kg), although this is rare; most individual goldfish grow to under half this size. In optimal conditions, goldfish may live more than 20 years (the world record is 49 years); however, most household goldfish generally only live six to eight years. [1]
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Seahorses are a
genus (
Hippocampus) of fish belonging to the family
Syngnathidae, which also includes
pipefish and
leafy sea dragons. There are over 32 species of seahorse, mainly found in shallow tropical and temperate waters throughout the world. They prefer to live in sheltered areas such as sea grass beds, coral reefs, or mangroves. Colonies have been found in European waters such as the
Thames Estuary. From
North America down to
South America there are approximately four species, ranging from very small in size (
dwarf seahorses are only about an inch long) to those much larger, found off the Pacific Coast of Central America (the foot-long
Hippocampus ingens).
Hippocampus erectus are larger seahorses found anywhere from
Nova Scotia down to around
Uruguay. Three different species of seehorse live in the
Mediterranean Sea: Hippocampus hippocampus (long snout), Hippocampus brevirostris (short snout) and Hippocampus fuscus (immigrated from the
Red Sea). These fish form territories, with males staying in about one square meter of their habitat while females range about one hundred times that area. They bob around in sea grass meadows, mangrove stands, and coral reefs where they are camouflaged by murky brown and grey patterns that blend into the sea grass backgrounds. During social moments or in unusual surroundings, seahorses turn bright colors.
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