page_title: Carp
section_title: As ornamental fish
hierarchical_section_title: Carp / As ornamental fish
caption_attribution_description: English: Painting of goldfish and other types of carp. Cropped from a Song dynasty handscroll attributed to Liu Cai (c.1080–1120).
context_page_description: Carp are various species of oily freshwater fish from the family Cyprinidae, a very large group of fish native to Europe and Asia. While carp is consumed in many parts of the world, they are generally considered as invasive species in parts of Africa, Australia and most of the United States.
context_section_description: Carp, along with many of their cyprinid relatives, are popular ornamental aquarium and pond fish.
  Goldfish  (Carassius auratus) were originally domesticated from the Prussian carp (Carassius gibelio), a dark greyish-brown carp native to Asia. They were first bred for color in China over a thousand years ago. Due to selective breeding, goldfish have been developed into many distinct breeds, and are found in various colors, color patterns, forms and sizes far different from those of the original carp. Goldfish were kept as ornamental fish in China for thousands of years before being introduced to Japan in 1603, and to Europe in 1611.
  Koi are a domesticated subspecies of common carp (Cyprinus carpio) that have been selectively bred for color. The common carp was introduced from China to Japan, where selective breeding in the 1820s in the Niigata region resulted in koi. In Japanese culture, koi are treated with affection, and seen as good luck. They are popular in other parts of the world as outdoor pond fish.
caption: Goldfish and other carp from Fish Swimming Amid Falling Flowers, a Song dynasty painting by Liu Cai  (c. 1080–1120)
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