Goldfish have a fascinating history that begins in China at least a thousand years ago. First, people in China began to domesticate wild carp, a bigger and silver colored fish. People would take care of the fish, providing them with food and protecting them. Every now and then, carp would be born that were gold or orange instead of silver, because of a mutation, or a random genetic change.

People liked the gold-colored fish, and enjoyed raising them in gardens and ponds, much as we display them in aquariums. Through a process called artificial selection, people were able to choose the colors and shapes they desired in the fish. In short, we created goldfish to look like they do.

This was the case with the fantail goldfish, which was developed by the 1700s. This breed, or type, of goldfish originated in China and then was brought to Japan by the 1880s, and then to the rest of the world shortly after. So the fantail goldfish, while Chinese in origin, now lives in fishbowls and aquariums all over the world.