wild goldfish

[saxmatt]

Crusians were brought over from Europe with common carp and mirror carp well over 100 years ago. In a lot of places they've been around longer than largemouth bass, brown trout, and rainbow trout. I've caught a lot of them all around NJ, lots of them in the Rahway River and ponds around it. They look a lot like common carp, the best way to tell the difference is common carp have barbels and crucians don't. Predators like to eat them too

[acabtp]

Originally Posted by zhitoman

I am not kidding. Goldfish also known as crucian carp, is a prime food fish in Europe and Asia.

no; different species

[zhitoman]

Technically they are different species, originally therm crucian carp was applied to gold crucian carp. In Europe there are two species of crucian carp, gold crucian carp and asian silver crucian carp. Goldfish are domesticated silver crucian carp. The thing is, those fish hybridize so much, it's not really possible to tell which one is a pure crucian now. You can trust me, I caught both species.

[zhitoman]

Originally Posted by saxmatt

Crusians were brought over from Europe with common carp and mirror carp well over 100 years ago. In a lot of places they've been around longer than largemouth bass, brown trout, and rainbow trout. I've caught a lot of them all around NJ, lots of them in the Rahway River and ponds around it. They look a lot like common carp, the best way to tell the difference is common carp have barbels and crucians don't. Predators like to eat them too

Please tell us more!!!

[acabtp]

Originally Posted by zhitoman

Goldfish are domesticated silver crucian carp

according to a couple articles linked from the wiki, it seems that the evidence points more towards the prussian carp these days?

Goldfish were bred from Prussian carp (Carassius auratus gibelio) in China, and they remain the closest wild relative of the goldfish. Previously, some sources claimed the Crucian carp (Carassius carassius) as the wild version of the goldfish. However, they are differentiated by several characteristics. C. auratus have a more pointed snout while the snout of a C. carassius is well rounded. C. gibelio often has a grey/greenish color, while crucian carps are always golden bronze. Juvenile crucian carp have a black spot on the base of the tail which disappears with age. In C. auratus this tail spot is never present. C. auratus have fewer than 31 scales along the lateral line while crucian carp have 33 scales or more.

they do look more like prussian carp than crucian carp

[saxmatt]

I've caught prussian carp too but only a couple of them, crucians are a lot more common in NJ. There are also a lot of koi in NJ and they can get gigantic. There are a few other species too and like zhitoman said members of the carp family can hybridize. Lots of cool looking members of the carp family swimming around.

Here's a prussian I caught:


Cool looking fantail carp by buddy caught:


Giant koi my buddy caught:


Butterfly koi:

[zhitoman]

Originally Posted by acabtp

according to a couple articles linked from the wiki, it seems that the evidence points more towards the prussian carp these days?

they do look more like prussian carp than crucian carp

If I show you two fish, one gold crucian carp and another silver "prussian" carp, you would never tell the difference.))) They really look very similar. There is a difference in habitat, though. Native European gold crucian carp likes calm, weedy waters, just like catfish. Silver "prussian" carp on the other hand, likes strong currents, and often lives in big rivers forming huge schools. Most of the "prussian" carp in Eastern Europe was introduced in 20 century from Asia, and became numerous, reaching 4-5 lbs. In Eastern Europe they mistakenly call these huge fish "american buffalo fish" even though they are from Asia.

[zhitoman]

saxmatt, imagine catching that huge fish on light line? The state should put crucians in those weedy park ponds instead of trout.

[saxmatt]

They're already in a lot of the weedy park ponds. Right on about the Prussian habitat, caught that one in a big river with current. Crucians tend to be thicker and Prussians are shaped a little more like a piranha. Crucians tend to be a darker gold color too but can be different shades from light gold to a brownish color.

[zhitoman]

Originally Posted by saxmatt

They're already in a lot of the weedy park ponds. Right on about the Prussian habitat, caught that one in a big river with current. Crucians tend to be thicker and Prussians are shaped a little more like a piranha. Crucians tend to be a darker gold color too but can be different shades from light gold to a brownish color.

You think you can share a spot?