Books About Goldfish

Fancy Goldfish: A Complete Guide to Care and Collecting

Authors: Dr Erik L Johnson DVM and Richard E Hess

Hardcover only, 176 pages.

This book is a stunning visual reference with over 100 color photographs of beautiful specimens and rare varieties by Fred Rosenzweig.

Written in clear, easily understood language, it’s suitable for both the newcomer to Goldfish, and the more experienced.

I’ve owned this book since 2015 and it is my go-to for disease identification and treatments.

Goldfish Breeding and Genetics

Authors: Joseph Smartt and James H Bundell

Hardcover only, 256 pages.

This high quality book is aimed at the serious Goldfish breeder.  Its title give a clear indication of what the book is about, but it does include other information such as listing 15 common varieties and describing the ideal Goldfish aqueous environment.

It is another publication that contains superb photographs by the famed photographer Fred Rosenzweig.

I've owned the book since 2016 and always learn something new every time I re-read it.

The Goldfish

Authors: George F Hervey & Jack Hems

Hardcover and paperback, 271 pages

This book was first published in 1948, with two updates in 1968 and 1981.

It is considered to be the first in-depth book in English on the keeping of Goldfish.  A lot of the information is out of date but it is interesting to learn what the thinking was in those days, and see the advances that have been made in the last 75 years.

As you can see, my copy is very second hand and in paperback form.  There are hardcover versions in circulation as well.

About Goldfish: The Ultimate Guide to Care and Breeding

Author: Grant Lord

Paperback, Kindle and eBook, 277 pages (paperback)

This book is a compilation of the About-Goldfish.com website, which is based on my 45 plus years keeping and breeding Goldfish.

All aspects of Goldfish care are covered in detail, from choosing the ideal aquarium, plants, filters, foods and how to select the healthiest fish to buy.

Ponds are also featured with tips on the best filter and UV clarifier options.

Goldfish breeding and diseases are also covered in detail, features often missing from other Goldfish publications.

Goldfish Breeding: How to successfully raise goldfish fry

Author: Grant Lord

Paperback, Kindle and eBook, 76 pages (paperback)

This book takes the breeder right through the breeding process, starting with conditioning in the autumn of the year before, through to how to select the best juveniles worth keeping from a spawning.

Written in clear, easily understood language, it’s suitable for both the beginner, and the more experienced.

The content is based on my own experiences, the successes and failures, that over many decades have led to processes that almost guarantee success.

Goldfish

Author: Anna Marie Roos

Print length 208 pages.

This book is about the history of the Goldfish, and the influence it has had on firstly the Chinese, then Japanese and finally Western cultures.

It doesn't pretend to be manual for the care of Goldfish, but it has been well researched and does have the odd "pearls of wisdom" such as in a low oxygen environment, Goldfish make ethanol and "this neat metabolic trick allows them to survive harsh winters, and contributes to their hardiness and their ability to out-compete other species".

This book is for anyone interested in the development of the Goldfish, and its spread from China across to Japan and then to Europe and America.

Some reviewers found the book a little dry in parts, as I did, but generally worth the read, especially the Villain or Hero chapter which goes into more scientific data found during Goldfish research.

The Truth About Goldfish

Author: Meredith Clawson

Kindle and paperback, print length 160 pages

This book has a high review rating on Amazon.

This book has been around for some years and is now on its 5th revision.

In the early revisions the author was dead against using salt for treating illnesses, but in the latest revision sees to have had a change of heart.

The book doesn't cover breeding, but does cover everything else about Goldfish care, especially diseases.

The book is good value because of the wide range of topics it covers.

A complete Guide For Goldfish Care

Author: Unknown

eBook (PDF) 66 pages

54 pages of this book are dedicated to Goldfish, the rest are about aqua-scaping for Goldfish.

This book was available from a high ranking website about goldfish, but it seems to have been removed recently.

I suspect it wasn't written by the website owner as the information is very lightweight.  It includes several images of gold fish that are not goldfish and often gives vague instructions such as "You need to change around 30% of the tank water every week to dilute nitrates and keep the environment safe and healthy for the fish".

A better guide would have been to say "test your water and when nitrates reach 30-40 ppm, make a water change".

Not worth the money I paid for it.

Goldfish Care: The Complete Guide to Caring for and Keeping Goldfish as Pets

Author: Tabitha Jones

This book has a low review rating on Amazon.

The book has 45 pages written in large font.  Some reviewers considered it a pamphlet rather than a book.

The book is aimed at the absolute beginner and has little information about Goldfish.

Still available on Amazon which surprises me.

The Ultimate Guide to Goldfish Care [No longer available on Amazon]

Author: Jackson Jerry

Kindle print length 21 pages, paperback print length 58 pages.

This book has a low review rating on Amazon.

I quote from the book's Introduction pages, grammatical errors included:

"Length additionally varies greatly depending at the fish.  some measure simply an inch or lengthy, others surpass a foot in duration.  The biggest recorded person grew to a period of nineteen in."

I didn't bother to review this book any further.