How Goldfish Went From Pretty To Invincible And Back Again

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We began keeping goldfish as pets more than 1,000 years ago, but their beauty wasn’t the only thing they had going for them. Goldfish had a lot of really weird biological traits that made them incredibly resilient. And in an unfortunate twist, we’re now breeding away the very traits that once made them nearly invincible.
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[@SciShow]

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[@dalelane1948]

Ummm, why no mention the curse of carp in natural waterways?

[@caspenbee]

One thing I've heard is that in China and Japan, they weren't kept in small indoor bowls for long. They'd be out back in the pond, and you would scoop them up for visitors to admire them for a couple hours together while you talked. Then they'd be put back in the pond. European traders who were impressed by the fish didn't understand that the bowls were only temporary, and assumed that was just how they lived. That's probably the root of the current abusive situation for goldfish - colonial misunderstanding.

[@bmr4566]

ding ding ding *Europeans the root of abusive situation of goldfish. *** colonial ? You will see. Every bit of youtube and all your comments are available and will be used to prosecute or sue you. Not just you personally....everyone who was stupid enough to not have a clue.

[@derAtze]

Ahhh yes. Good old colonialism. The root of all good in the world 🤪

[@victoriaeads6126]

One of the many things I detest about colonialism is that I love world cultures. Colonialism assumed supremacy in understanding. I love learning about places because I am CERTAIN we are missing crucial facts like the care of goldfish when we,as humans, travel without openness.

[@useodyseeorbitchute9450]

So we couldn't colonize East Asians as they were clearly at least match for us, so at least we colonized their fish. Funny how when talking about fish they domesticate, we're allowed to openly talk about some degeneracy.

[@HidekiShinichi]

How is it a colonialism if noone colonised anything in this particular case?

[@xguesswho2224]

As an aquarium pro I would have liked to see you guys touch on the negative effects of inadequately sized and filtered tanks have on the fish so that people don't watch this and think bowls are proper. 30 gallons per adult with extra filtration is recommended

[@anniesama5729]

They also make a lot of poop per fish! Wait a min... Lot of poop, hardy AF, great oxygen resilience, they got lots in common with plecos!

[@ConstantChaos1]

Yeah I get that bit there is almost no way the viewers don't know enough biochem to have watched vids on every pet they own, im not hating on the uneducated but scishow viewers are almost definitely those who love learning

[@YoushaAhmad]

I agree, I was awaiting a part of the video mentioning not keeping goldfish in bowls.

[@val.628]

+

[@rubyparker5831]

*30 gallons per fancy is recommended 50 gallons + 25 more for new fish is reccomend for full sized adult goldfish

[@ProffesionalZombie12]

It should be noted that folks keep goldfish in tanks WAY too small to fit them properly. Goldfish ideally get anywhere between 8-14 inches long, so a healthy enclosure size for even a single goldfish is *at least* 40 gallons, preferably larger. Do that, and you'll have a very happy, long lived (up to 30 years if kept properly!) and personable Goldfish.

[@iamjustkiwi]

Yup. I always recommend people get guppies first, far easier to care for, can tolerate high ammonia, can live in fresh salt of brackish water, tolerate low oxygen, produce way less waste so need fewer water changes and imo are much prettier and do fine in a 10 gallon where thats too few for even a single goldie

[@peggedyourdad9560]

@@iamjustkiwi What about shrimp or snails? I’d imagine those would also be pretty good aquatic pets depending on the species.

[@ConstantChaos1]

I care for mine NOW in proper sized tanks I was (in retrospect) a VERY abusive owner and I knew better but at 6 years old all you can do is change the water twice a day you can't get them the correct sized pond 12 bucks was all you made in a year)

[@littledreamerrem7021]

That's for non-fancies. Those guys honestly fit better in a pond than a tank. For fancy goldfish, the general rule is 20 gallons for a single fish +10 for every additional goldie. Since they're social creatures, you're looking at a bare minimum of 30 gallons, with many keepers defaulting to 40 anyways. Even in a properly-sized tank, you have to carefully monitor the water parameters due to how messy goldfish are. The larger the tank, the easier it is to keep the fish from killing themselves with their own waste. I'm personally stuck with a 30 gallon housing two ryukins ATM due to space limitations, so I'm compensating with a heavy duty filter set up. I love my goldies, but I would never call them beginner fish. They're hardy, sure, but they have care requirements outside of many people's expectations.

[@iamjustkiwi]

@@peggedyourdad9560 for sure, in fact that's what I have living with mine - one tank with shrimp and ramshorn snails and one tank with a crayfish. In the crayfish tank there have never been any snails though, she eats anything she can get her pincers on!

[@RainebowEvee]

Goldfish are also super invasive if released into the wild, and are a huge problem right now where I live... they grow much bigger in a large body of water with unlimited food, and natural selection means that a lot of them revert to their original brown color because it's better camouflage

[@Parodiafritz]

Yeah, I've seen clips where giant orange blobs of goldfish float around in small lakes and rivers. It's honestly very sad and I really hope the government cracks down on this more.

[@jubi400]

I had a plain old regular goldfish for 9 years in an outside pond. He lived through many frozen periods. He was a fun part of my life.

[@jubi400]

@@mal2ksc LOL! Great imagination!! I loved Sparky, he was awesome. 💖😉

[@dandavis5832]

haiku

[@jubi400]

@@dandavis5832 ☺

[@richardsmith748]

Yeah; got one from a fun fair at age 9. He kept growing untill I was 19. In the end he was in a 3 foot tank by himself. He died after a storm the filter went dead; the water drained through the air hose. The rest was history. Philip the fish was approx 30 cm head to tail at time of death. When he came to my bedroom he was about 5 cm head to tail. Classic fish shape; grey in colour. Suspect he was more carp than gold. These things are real pets though with personalities.

[@ConstantChaos1]

I'm sorry but what? You're bragging about putting every waterway up or down stream of you in danger?

[@clowneggion]

Unfortunately goldfish and betta being so incredibly resilient made them two of the most abused animals in the whole world :(

[@ConstantChaos1]

Yeah I admit before I knew better I was an animal abuser to both, I then learned and changed to actually taking care of them but I still feel bad for the ones I mistreated (until they eneter waterways and become invasive I will end them without a thought)

[@victoriaeads6126]

Constant chaos, if you live in an area where bass or sunnies are native, they will he!p balance fish populations when reintroduced to native waterways that have been invaded by carp family fish. If you have, as we do, local developments that have 'drainage' ponds with goldfish or carp, then catch some local bluegills or similar and release them into problem areas. It will help.

[@feralbluee]

it really made me very sad. . . you’re short talks are simply the facts, which is what science is. i don’t know if i could get through those things, even the genetic variants idiots have bred. very interesting story about their evolution and traits though. thanks. i always thought my goldfish had a little personality :) 🐡🐡🪷

[@rubengoncalves293]

Exactly it’s a good thing that they are not so resilient anymore it means that eventually goldfish won’t be easily abused in the future.

[@elisabethgleason1356]

Daphnia are listed as a species used for testing aquatic toxicity and are bred to be murdered en masse in labs around the US on a weekly basis. I don’t think little kids’ level neglect compares.

[@DFSJR1203]

My wife and I had a one store bought Goldfish we named Shark. We were surprised when it lived for 10 years. It only died when my niece broke the tank and a piece of glass sliced it open.

[@animeartist888]

Ouch, what a traumatic way to go. R.I.P. Shark

[@chrisbuckley1785]

😆😆

[@mareikedaubert1139]

I would like to add something to the explanation of allotetraploidy. It is true that being tetraploid means having four sets of chromosomes and thus more copies of a given gene for evolution to work on. However, allotetraploidy means the organism became tetraploid after a hybridization event vs. autopolyploidy, where no hybridization takes place. So, it is not only that the goldfish has the chance to carry more alleles, its genetic makeup was more diverse from the start. Hybrids also tend to be pretty hardy. These kind of processes are very common in plants, less so in animals with fish being one of the exceptions I know of. Always blows my mind, and I will never look at a goldfish the same way again.

[@Amocles]

Wait, exactly how were you looking at goldfish before? Was it legal?

[@keithyinger3326]

Grandpa always had two cows. He would get a yearling, and butcher the other one every year for meat. He had four goldfish in the old cast-iron bathtub that was the cows water tank. They did a pretty good job of keeping it clean. We would still have to scoop some stuff out of the bottom of every couple of years and clean it out but the fish had plenty of food in there. None of them ever got sucked up and drank by a cow. In the winter we would go break the ice on the surface so the cows could get a drink and the fish are still swimming around under the ice. They lived in that tank for a lot of years.

[@hungrygremlin5151]

I am legitimately surprised those fish didn't get ammonia poisoning, it rain a lot in your area?

[@terranovarubacha5473]

What a great idea!

[@keithyinger3326]

@@hungrygremlin5151 the cows are always drinking water. There was a float valve in the tank so as the cows would drink, it would refill with fresh water. I do live in Washington state in the Pacific Northwest and yeah it does rain a fair amount here as well. It wasn't just stagnant and sitting water.

[@MorgenPeschke]

Same, though ours was in the sheep's water trough. I was just a dumb kid at the time, so it blew my mind when I realized that the 5-6 inch fish in the water tank was just a feeder goldfish my dad had picked up for less than a buck 🤣

[@gazmodius]

We did the same thing except for just trying to get rid of the mosquitoes. My parents always said no to an indoor pet fish so I was so excited when we got to put goldfish in the cow trough

[@domm6812]

This would all be why carp are such horrible invasive and damaging species when introduced into waterways, being the ancestors of goldfish, and the source of a lot of these tough traits.

[@dalelane1948]

Thank you for your comment - I was starting to think that goldfish weren't carp and they were just beautiful, harmless wonders shared by all peoples throughout history. Why are there no other comments like this? I thought the audience was better educated.

[@dalelane1948]

I actually clicked on the video thinking that "invincible" in the title was referring to their invasive, destructive forms.

[@Patmccalk]

@@dalelane1948 but they brought up the fact that they were related to carp right in the beginning of the video, just after the opening title

[@slcpunk2740]

Wrong. Heard of google? Common carp are one of the most damaging aquatic invasive species due to its wide distribution and severe impacts in shallow lakes and wetlands Their feeding disrupts shallowly rooted plants muddying the water They release phosphorus that increases algae abundance Carp induced declines in water quality causes declines of aquatic plants needed by waterfowl and fish

[@Patmccalk]

@@slcpunk2740 firstly, starting a post with “wrong. Heard of google” makes you seem arrogant, chill, it’s a KZbin video. Secondly, he said “such horrible invasive and damaging species” not in the sense that they’re bad at being invasive, but that they’re great at it. So you may wish to re-read the OP. Ever hear of “re-read”?

[@melskunk]

This probably explains why my childhood goldfish lived for over 2 decades

[@ConstantChaos1]

I have been hired to end 5 goldfish lives it wasn't easy, each one was a different parent of the owner (actually surprising) I was a poison expert by age 9 (I'm autistic, I'm an exert in a lot of things)and yeah, now I know every food not to feed them but I'm kinda a good person don't hate me I am a volunteer ems provider who saves the uninsured up to 10k a day I don't sleep for days I'm actually v fragile and just want to be loved) (also v high)

[@shahan484]

@@ConstantChaos1 what is wrong w yoy mate. 550 comments on this channel

[@Amocles]

Psssst.... That wasn't the same fish.

[@Amocles]

​@@ConstantChaos1Much love dude, this is art.

[@MaryAnnNytowl]

​@@shahan484 they like to troll, it seems. Someone had a goldfish in a man-made pond, away from any open waterways or public lakes, and this troll did everything in their power to try to make that person feel bad about giving the fish they loved a long and happy life. They even resorted to LYING about nonexistent laws against even having a goldfish outside at all! They're sick.

[@bunnysparklzbunnytime5117]

You should have put a disclaimer about keeping goldfish in bowls. It's a shitty way to die slowly. They should have at least 30-40 gallons

[@magicmagalie9667]

Agree!!

[@ucumari]

In ponds I have seen them live from ten to possibly fifteen years. One year would be lucky in a tank. The tanks are killing them

[@frejulundr6851]

Regarding fancy goldfish, it’s really unfortunate for them to not just lose their hardy traits but also to become increasingly unhealthy. On the other hand, more feral goldfish are an increasingly dangerous threat to ecosystems all over. 😰

[@raccoontrashpanda1467]

If goldfish are being bred to be less resilient it might be better for the well-being of future generations of pet goldfish. Maybe people might be forced to keep them in halfway decent conditions, keeping a goldfish in a bowl is like keeping a dog in a crate and never letting them out at all. If goldfish didn't survive such abuse, neglect and bad water conditions so easily people might care a little more about improving their pet's living conditions. A heathy goldfish can live up to 20 years and be trained to complete and memorize an underwater maze.

[@anniesama5729]

Sadly, no indoor conditions are right for a fish that is supposed to get to 18". A proper aquarium setup is better though.

[@notkerrystolcenberg]

my ex had a dog and kept him in a crate all day every day. i couldn't handle it so i told him he has to surrender the dog to a (no-kill) shelter or id report him. thankfully he agreed and let us take him to a shelter. I wish all animals were treated with respect. whether it's a dog or a fish, animals are innocent and dont deserve the abuse that humans give them.

[@AngryMothNoises]

Was hoping you guys would have said something about how bowls are not suitable for them. And that goldfish need to be in at least a pair because they are social. 40 gallons for a pair of fancies MINIMUM with 100xtank size being cycled through the filter per hour. They are poop factories. Common and single tailed goldfish are 75 gallons for the first fish. If you can go bigger, always go bigger.

[@iamtheusualguy2611]

Goldfish are amazing pets, it's one of the fish that have been domesticated by now and they are amazingly looking. However, goldfish are often kept in the wrong conditions for hobby fish keepers due to their popularity and commonly held misbelieves and end up being unintentionally abused. They need a much larger indoor fish tank than commonly assumed (bowls are def not ok for them), they need a variable diet of protein and veggies, regular water changes and they need water movements so the oxygen exchange at the water surface can be more efficient. Please be more mindful when keeping goldfish (especially for kids).

[@joeasher2876]

Goldfish can survive lower than 0 celcius... Personal experience, I had two goldfish which I put in my pond as a kid. The pond froze and my goldfish were frozen in the first few inches of ice. I cracked the ice to retrieve them, I buried one but the other sank to the bottom of the pond when I was trying to grab it. In spring I saw the goldfish that I hadn't buried swimming around, happy as Larry.

[@terranovarubacha5473]

I'm assuming Larry wasn't the name of the buried goldfish

[@notkerrystolcenberg]

ive met a few Larry's, none of them were happy

[@Parodiafritz]

@@terranovarubacha5473 Larry is just famously known for being happy.

[@terranovarubacha5473]

@@Parodiafritz yup, fully aware, just making a funny

[@Parodiafritz]

@@terranovarubacha5473 uhh me too?

[@dysonsquared]

Can you next talk about the genetic divergence of goldfish? For instance, since they have 4 sets of genes, wouldn't one see greater variation over shorter periods of time? Any geneticists out there who can ixentify specific differences in populations across the world over the past ~150+ years that are significantly different from earlier population traits?

[@spartan1986og]

That was awesome. Now I know how the standard gold fish we put in our back yard pond have survived and proliferated all these years. Thanks!

[@victoriaeads6126]

I am keenly aware of the problems associated with invasive species. I keep a few goldfish in my little artificial pond for both their beauty and because they thrive there, and because they consume mosquito larvae. They are also able to withstand winters in Northern Virginia, and are in no way able to be introduced into the already carp family contaminated local waters.

[@ooooneeee]

Excellent 😎.

[@littledreamerrem7021]

I keep fancy goldfish. Currently, I have two sizable ryukin, and people always seem surprised at the size of their tank. Guys, this is a 30 gallon. It's the smallest tank teo fancies can realistically be kept in nondetrimentally. They're healthy, but they'd do even better in something BIGGER. I dream of the day I can give them the mansion they deserve. It makes me so sad that people still shove them into bowls. It's fine if it's a very, VERY temporary situation, but even a single fancy (non-single tailed) needs at least 20 gallons.

[@keckingrabbit354]

If you do get a larger tank, you won't regret it. I got my ranchu a 75 and he is swimming everywhere, bobbing and propelling himself with his tiny tail. I watch him for hours.

[@littledreamerrem7021]

@Kecking Rabbit Definitely. I recently moved one of the ryukin, my newest, from the 20 gal hospital tank he was quarantining in into the main tank, and even a 10 gal difference is night and day! He loves the extra space he has to do fishy things. The only reason I don't have a 50+ gal is the space limitations I have in my current abode. As soon as I'm able, these guys are getting a mansion. Maybe even some more friends to goof around with!

[@PaintedDog]

I lived near a retention pond made of some kind of brick or something like it. There was a Target next to it and the other side of Target was a Petco. There was a Petsmart less than 1/2 mile away as well. In the retention pond was a large school of little goldfish. No idea how the goldfishy got there. We assumed people “released” the fish after “saving them” from the pet stores. Drains along many of the streets emptied into the pond as well. My son and I had a picnic nearby to watch the geese and their young goslings. I noticed a bird flying around over the pond. It would dive down a few times and fly off, then came back. He mentioned the bird had something orange in its beak. I watched it and yep, it would dive and fly back up with goldfish in its beak. I saw it dive 3 times in one visit and would fly up from its dive with more and more goldfish. Then leave and come back for more. A few days later we didn’t see anymore goldfish in the pond. We never did see another goldfish ever again in that pond. Idk what they lived on (goose feces?). Maybe the algae that grower on the bricks (probably). It was crazy

[@tylerdurdin8069]

They are carp descendents so they would have survived off of any organic material in the water like grass carp which are known for cleaning up water bodies of unwanted organic material and weeds.

[@merty5713]

I hate people who keep them in tiny bowls. The fact that it CAN live in some other conditions doesn't mean that you should keep the animal in subpar conditions. It needs a 30-gallon tank to thrive and that is what you should give them.

[@Parodiafritz]

Yeah, my friend had a goldfish for a while that turned completely white because it had no LEDS. The poor fish was kept in a 10 gallons or less tank WITH a pleco. Yikes.

[@merlapittman5034]

I hate that people have bred goldfish to be unhealthy and have inherited disorders. We've done the same thing to other animals, too, (poor short-faced dogs who can't breathe properly, for example) and I think it's awful

[@useodyseeorbitchute9450]

Well... from the moment child mortality collapsed during industrial revolution we're doing this to humans as well.

[@ooooneeee]

We've done it to plants too. E.g. modern tomatoe varieties are so fragile and vulnerable to pests and pathogens that scientists are now crossing them with wild tomatoes to bring back pathogen resilience and genetic diversity.

[@stephenbrand5661]

I recently became aware of some incredibly freaky looking goldfish with all sorts of crazy looking eyes!! Goldfish breeders in Asia have created some truly weird fish that make bubble eyes and celestials seem normal!!

[@Amocles]

Silence Him!

[@Parodiafritz]

have you SEEN ranchu goldfish?

[@stephenbrand5661]

@Boxer Boi2 🤣 ranchus don't look weird at all compared to some of the freaks out there!!

[@Parodiafritz]

@@stephenbrand5661 i just dont like the wen, it makes me feel uncomfortable.

[@TheDentrassi]

Ha. This is great. Me and my brother got carnival goldfish as kids and my mam was lumped with looking after them. She admitted to trying to kill them off by putting a little bit of bleach in the water when she cleaned them out. They survived for years; really long lived goldfish.

[@ursaltydog]

And they're highly intelligent too! Unlike what most people think.

[@colonagray2454]

Yeah! My buddy has is do jumps and little rolls for its meals.

[@ursaltydog]

@@colonagray2454 I so miss my Lionhead, and Jaws.. RIP buddies..

[@wonky_shoebox7514]

We had a pet goldfish when I was very young. He belonged to my brother and sister, who named him goldie. He was in his teens when I was born and lived til he was in his mid 20s.

[@invisibleninja86]

Separate goldfish story: My mom had to perform a one-finger Heimlich maneuver on my goldfish, Domino, at least two times. He liked to suck on the rocks at the bottom of his tank, and sometimes he would find one that was too small and get it lodged in his throat. But he survived being taken out of the water and basically squished repeatedly until he coughed up the rock. After the second time, we got him glass marbles instead. :)

[@terranovarubacha5473]

Your Mom is so awesome!

[@invisibleninja86]

@@terranovarubacha5473 Haha thanks, her training instincts kicked in.

[@kimflavin4824]

That’s why I never got anything more than those 15 cent feeder goldfish they usually last around 10 years and are fun.

[@anniesama5729]

The ones that are fancy are often really inbred. 😖 Feeder fish are little tanks!

[@invisibleninja86]

We had an accidental goldfish pond when we left our above-ground pool uncovered and unused for too long. It got pretty gross, and my parents were worried that it was a breeding ground for mosquitos. They bought a few goldfish to eat the mosquito eggs/larvae, and then we kind of just forgot about it. Much much later, there was one goldfish left; he was probably about 10 inches long and just living his best life. We eventually let him go into a real pond. I like to imagine he still lives in that pond and is a 2-3 foot orange monster now.

[@J.A.Smith2397]

Very informative, great one

[@jesselun9535]

9:40 I'm curious if there's any attempt to breed the most hardy goldfish now.

[@ikbintom]

You showed two different kinds of goldfish with bulging eyes. One has side facing eyes, one has too facing eyes. Especially the latter cannot use their eyes properly and always faces the light, and it's basically animal abuse. The other type, I think is animal abuse as well but it's less clear cut since they might be fine with those eyes. They can still easily pop their eye if they bump into something and that makes that eye blind.

[@erikjohnson9223]

And crows like to hunt both varieties of googly eyes, specifically pecking the eyes out. I recommend "commet" type (nearly wild form, except for the orange-red color mutation and longer but still hydrodynamic tails) of goldfish for outdoor ponds (except where they can invade natural watersheds--raise something native in those situations).

[@morganmurner1581]

Great, goldfish are the new pugs. Just fabulous.

[@Biohazbird]

It goes without saying that just because a goldfish can SURVIVE in harsh conditions, doesn't mean they're not suffering. They can only live with almost no oxygen when the temperature is low, and it's easier for them to become obstipated and develop swim bladder problems because their metabolism has slowed so much in these conditions. Goldfish can withstand a range of temperatures, but a RAPID temperature change can kill them. Goldfish are also more sensitive to rapid ammonia spikes, especially because they produce a high amount of waste ammonia themselves. I once forgot to establish a nitrogen cycle before moving my little sister's common goldfish to a bigger tank, and in 48 hours his scales had gone completely dull and he started developing minor ammonia burns. (The poor little guy survived because I freaked out and got someone to cover my workshift so I could get some emergency supplies from Petco, but he died a few days after Christmas 2022 from a combination of a persistent flavobacterium infection and a pressure sore he got from swim bladder disease. Turns out goldfish need to be fed boiled veggies regularly for GI health)

[@spencerthompson1049]

He's still my favorite Sci-Show presenter well done!

[@Amocles]

The goldfish?

[@invisibleninja86]

I miss him being on Tangents!

[@Amocles]

@@invisibleninja86 The goldfish?

[@EmilyJelassi]

I had a regular orange goldfish when I was in elementary school. I wanted a dog, but my dad is allergic to every animal hair known to man, so I settled for my fish 😊

[@ConstantChaos1]

You can actually train them the same as dogs you just need much smaller treats

[@frostincubus4045]

​@@ConstantChaos1 why do I imagine the fish being trained to jump though hoops?

[@sociallyawkwardbutterfly9764]

​@@frostincubus4045 I think with some species you can do that! I've been training my betta to jump for treats :)

[@3DJapan]

I think I had a goldfish that I won at a carnival. Mainly when I was little we had a fish tank with other kinds of small fish. Neon tetras, angel fish, pink kissers, even a small shark.

[@atanassov92]

You guys are champions of the earth, thank you for the knowledge!

[@AdamTehranchiYT]

Neat video! I have also heard that goldfish are one of the few animals that can see both UV an IR light. But mostly great googly moogly they make ethanol !?!

[@anthonymorris9061]

If I remember correctly, all animals that consume plants produce some ethanol. Even humans.

[@albirtarsha5370]

This was much more entertaining than I expected. Also, I expected some comment about getting flushed down toilets.

[@michaelborror4399]

Very interesting, I'll have to plan on where I'll keep the 3 or 4 fish tanks from yard sales, for my model step syphon generator though?

[@vocalsunleashed]

Years ago I adopted a single goldfish that a family was rehoming (for free). It came with a bowl so the first thing I promised it was to get it an aquarium. Pretty soon I found a 60L aquarium on one of the free stuff Facebook groups I was in. It had been used as a planter box so it needed some cleaning but I had help setting it up with some special soil and aquarium gravel and of course plants. The goldfish was so happy it swam up and down and from left to right. Unfortunately a few weeks after it was floating at the top of the tank sideways struggling to propel itself. A problem with the swim bladder I suppose. It died not long after 😓

[@hi_tech_reptiles]

I mean goldfish are also insanely invasive too, so I think in some populations their genetic diversity is just fine lol.

[@Amiels.Adventures]

Perhaps unintentional but the slander on the betta fish is not based in fact. Female betta fish can lay plenty more than 100 eggs per spawn and spawn every few weeks. They actually represent an excellent genetic model. I have bred and raised a black avatar male with a blue avatar female and have finally created the purple avatar betta!! Their genes and ability to breathe air through the use of their labyrinth organ. Betta fish are certainly comparable in producing a far greater spawn than current genetic fish models in academia such as zebra fish or cavefish.

[@Skibbityboo0580]

I got into a fight with a goldfish once, and lost.

[@gailaltschwager7377]

Thank you!

[@General12th]

Hi, Stefan!

[@stevenurkel2454]

In Germany they Live in Basic small Canals 😅😂 this summer i saw 1 black and 1 Gold one above Water

[@feuerling]

Instead of getting me a pet, by parents just bought me care guides. By the time I got to the constant maintenance and possible diseases section, I was tired of the concept. I have a whole collection of care guides for different species.

[@Rubrickety]

I eagerly anticipate attempts at "pyruvate decarboxylase" in the Patreon blooper reel.

[@DracoDatura]

As an educational channel you really should have mentioned that keeping goldfish in suboptimal conditions (in a small, unfiltered, unheated container) is still not the best idea if you want your pet to be healthy. Please spread awareness that everyone ought to learn about the animal they are planning to get. Humans are a similarly hardy (and invasive) species most of us wouldn't want to live in a tiny, cool ,windowless room though... :p Nevertheless these facts about goldfish are fascinating, thanks for the video!

[@SnakeAndTurtleQigong]

Thanks so much

[@brendakrieger7000]

I've had hundreds of fish growing up. Many different species of tropical fish. But yes goldfish were among them.

[@Genchi_Violet]

Dumb question: why haven't we developed a pill/drug that would allow the body to deal with lactic acid better? I'm guessing due to the byproduct of ethanol? Seems like a fair trade off though.

[@madartzgraphics2019]

4:28 are those Hornworts? 😂😂

[@theoverseer393]

Seriously, it’s crazy that they basically bred themselves into being capable of surviving anything just because we all didn’t know how to actually take care of then Sensitive goldfish are far rarer. But man, it sucks that some fancy goldfish are incapable of living

[@emilysmith2965]

Wow, it feels really anachronistic to picture a goldfish in, say, the March family home in Little Women, but apparently it wasn’t. Unlike Saoirse Ronan’s hairstyle in the movie.

[@BaldingClamydia]

I mean, I believe you when you say goldfish are hardy, but I worked at Walmart years ago and we couldn't keep them things alive at all. It was so bad that specific WalMart doesn't even sell fish anymore

[@GeekmanCA]

Worth noting that all those survivability adaptations make goldfish an absolutely horrendous invasive species. People frequently release them into the wild where they grow to immense sizes and outcompete native species.

[@MrBigStuff504]

Nice thumbnail of Chi-Yu

[@zombiedad]

Oh bugger. Man does it again. Sigh. Great video Thanks❤

[@Iowa599]

Goldfish get drunk when it's cold…lol.

[@seanspartan2023]

I 💗 black moors with bug eyes

[@McGusder]

brb gonna make goldfish beer

[@AaronShenghao]

Chinese: breeding fish, leads to bubble-eyed goldfish. Western world: breeding dogs, leads to Chihuahua. Although Chinese did made those bubble-eyed fish, I think it’s still a little bit more ethical than starve dogs to make them smaller… *The Chinese also breed small dog breeds, just not to the extent as they did in the West.

[@Thepotatohidingintheshadows]

That thumbnail is frightening

[@boi248]

Once I've moved out, I want to get a normal goldfish and put it in a giant tank. Goldfish are great.

[@sjhall2009]

Does the standard Comet goldfish still have the survival skills and genetic diversity mentioned in this video?

[@TheFishWitch]

comets should have a lot of the features, but like everything in the goldfish industry they're severely inbred which can mess everything up.

[@AnimalStomper]

What is CE? Is it AD for wokies?

[@jonatanromanowski9519]

Go Go Sci Show!

[@colonagray2454]

Weird question; if you took a bunch of all the weirdest varieties of goldfish and out them in a big srea where theu can thrive will they have more or less diversity in future generations?

[@colonagray2454]

Sorry my dyslexia makes me miss letter mistakes sometimes, kinda embarrassing

[@anniesama5729]

The flashy, impractical traits would quickly die off, and interbreeding would reduce differences between varieties until each fish had a similar variety makeup. Probably would resemble the original goldfish again, since it's traits were best suited for survival. Genetic diversity would still be good, certainly better than the individuals from the fancy varieties, but the fancy genes having been lost or reduced.

[@MaryAnnNytowl]

​@@colonagray2454 you have fewer mistakes than people with zero problems other than pure laziness and apathy. You have very little to apologize for!

[@lebowski_dude]

Tough little buggers. Surprised they're not in charge by now.

[@ssa6227]

Respect to Goldfish

[@dhawthorne1634]

Fish fermentation... OCEAN VODKA? DO IT!

[@nicklindberg90]

This goldfishes whole vibe embodies how I feel every day

[@matthewirvin6505]

Black moore goldfish are my favorite

[@BigVtheVanity]

I love Lion Head goldfish.

[@aquailscurlyfeather]

Fantastic video as always, SciShow; but I wish you didn't choose videos portraying people owning goldfish in a tiny bowl and instead mentioned adequate aquariums for goldfish in particular. People take what you show for value, coming from a reputable channel based on science conversation. Would have loved to see you put in the extra effort for animal well-being, especially for goldfish and bettas, where misconception on them being housed in inadequately sized bowls is widespread.

[@christianheichel]

If you see this Hank you have long lost brothers in the band The Proclaimers Also Joe Hanson from Be Smart

[@googaajjj6099]

is it actually from wuchang bream or crucian carp??

[@elisabethgleason1356]

Good for goldfish… making back-ups before it was cool! 🎉

[@Archie0pteryx]

Some of the breeds just look painful like the blisters on the lionhead oranda and those hugs ones on the bubble eye and the awful ones you mentioned of the telescope and stargazer varieties sometimes breeding like that just seems very cruel I'm very interested in evolution and adaptation in feral animals (like rock doves/pigeons for example appear different in different parts of the world now- ones in hotter climates have smaller beaks and longer legs than ones in cold places) I wonder what's going on with feral goldfish populations (besides most of the orange and white ones getting picked off faster so they are mostly bronze)

[@grannyweatherwax9666]

I agree completely, some goldfish breeds are unbelievably cruel. The one with no dorsal fin is awful, just why!? Have you seen the dogs of chernobyl? They've developed a most beautiful "breed" being left to their own devices.

[@Archie0pteryx]

@@grannyweatherwax9666 The no dorsal fin one is the oranda, I doubt it is painful since it's not amputated it just never grows. The Chernobyl dogs haven't been around long enough to be distinct yet but they are mostly German Shepard lineage and those are pretty dogs by default, they are neutering them so there are less offspring

[@grannyweatherwax9666]

@Tesseracttoo I know the dorsal fin is not amputated I know they are not a breed, hence the "" and I support the charity neutering them I know animals revert back to close to the original animal they started from 🤣🤦‍♀️

[@Archie0pteryx]

@@grannyweatherwax9666 The way you were phrasing it, it sounded like you didn't know. I used to work in a pet store when I was youngand I used to take home all the unsellable animals, like budgies with thyroid problems and so many goldfish with messed up swim bladders I put them in the tank in critter pens so they would still get good water flow with oxygen but not be pushed around by the currents in the tank. I had to kind of guess if they appeared distressed like rapid breathing or their eyes darting around of if their pupils were a noticeable different size than the other fish and a lot of them I euthanized but some seemed ok aside from not being able to swim up or down They are starting to mess up horses they way they have done to dogs, with Arabs they are putting such a dish in their face that they have breathing and jaw problems But yeah the extreme body types die in the wild so evolution puts them back to a form that they can survive over generations

[@dalelane1948]

Ummm, why no mention the curse of carp in natural waterways?

[@Specogecko]

Cause that isn’t what this episode is about lol

[@gopium1976]

I’ve always wondered why there aren’t goldfish in the canals of Birmingham

[@drsingingeagle]

- Did you say “into bedrooms everywhere”? 😳 Not tonight, Honey. The goldfish are watching.

[@ritawarde5518]

I love my goldfish !

[@gordybishop2375]

Recipes?

[@istvansipos9940]

nature: "I created something super tough" perverted humans: "Let's (in)breed it into a bazillion fukkd up versions!"

[@WordFyle]

8:20 what breed is that?

[@Jsarson1976]

If there was not fish keepers then the White Cloud Mountain Minnow would be extinct. Only found now in peoples fish tanks or for food for bigger fish. Originally came from China but there rivers are so populated they couldn’t survive there.

[@Schmogel92]

Wait what They can produce alcohol And we have not made a beverage from that yet?

[@ZenStrive52]

so basically goldfish is the dog of the aquatic world

[@Amocles]

No, a goldfish is not a dog

[@kevinquinonez838]

Fun fact goldfish can live up to 10-15 years and the adults can be big up to 10 inches long

[@Amitdas-gk2it]

Interesting

[@CaptainKirk01]

We do the same crap to dogs, to the point of defects, and disease. Some breads cant even give birth normally anymore, and the list goes on.

[@drextrey]

Its hardiness also makes it the most Invasive species on earth, and Impossible to eradicate.

[@baijokull]

So you're saying I can brew beer with goldfish instead of yeast? :D