Goldfish

Carassius auratus
Species Project-Biology 212

By Melissa Peacock

Taxonomy
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata Class: Vertebrata Order: Osteichthyes Family: Cyprinidae Genus: Carassius Species: Carassius auratus

Basic Fish Body Structure

Dorsal fin-keeps the fish from rolling; helps with sudden stops and turns Pectoral fins-used for locomotion; side to side movement

Ventral fins-helps to stabilize the fish during swimming

Anal fins-stabilizes the fish during swimming Caudal fin-used for locomotion; the main propelling fin

Fin Erosion in Goldfish

Fin erosion is a condition that causes deformation of fish fins.
The cause of fin erosion in feral goldfish was investigated by Dr. Alan Mearns and Marjorie J. Sherwood.

Fin Erosion Experiment

Every 6 weeks (between May 1990 and May 1991), goldfish were captured and examined from 5 sites near a pulp and paper mill in New Zealand. Triple-hoop fyke nets were used to catch the sample goldfish. A total of 576 goldfish were captured. Sample goldfish were classified in 1 of 4 categories: acute erosion, healed erosion, acute & healed erosion, or no erosion.

Experiment Results
Of the fish examined: 197 (34.2%) had acute and/or healed fin erosion Of those 197 fish, erosion occurred in: 49.1% of fish from Site 1

33.9% of fish from Site 2

29.4% of fish from Site 3 32.1% of fish from Site 4

9.2% of fish from the reference site

Fin erosion affected some fish more than others.

Other Defects
Other defects noticed in sample goldfish included: Shortening of the upper/lower jaws Distortion of the skull and pectoral girdle Lack of fins Deformed opercula

Conclusion
Waste water release from kraft mills does cause fin erosion in goldfish. Pectoral and caudal fins are most often affected. Other effects are also observable.

Food-anticipatory Activity
Fish display daily feeding patterns in and out of captivity. It is suggested that goldfish can remember when food is available. To test this hypothesis, an experiment on approaching behavior to food odor in goldfish was conducted.

Pre-Experiment
Sixty goldfish were equally separated into four groups. Group 1 was fed at 3 times daily at 8:00, 12:00, and 16:00 hours. The remaining groups were fed only once daily at 8:00, 12:00, or 16:00 hours.

Experimental Procedure
A Y-maze flow-through system was used to test goldfish. A single fish was placed between the upper and lower gate and given 30 minutes to adjust to the water. After 30 minutes, 20 grams of fish food was positioned at the end of one arm channel. 20 grams of marbles were positioned at the end of the other arm. The gate was raised and the fish was observed for 5 minutes

Experimental Results

Conclusion
Feeding time does have an effect on anticipatory behavior in goldfish. This experiment shows that goldfish are capable of remembering the time they are fed, and/or an internal mechanism, the food-entrainable circadian oscillator (FEO), is responsible for anticipatory behavior.

Fin