Enter the humble goldfish.  Humble, yes, by nature and also by status, but on closer examination many are discovering the almost painfully exotic beauty of Fancy Asian stock!  All Goldfish blood lines originated in Eastern Asia. Quality Asian brood stocks capture the incredible beauty of the Chinese and Japanese fancy goldfish varieties.  Astonishingly, all the countless varieties of  fancy goldfish originated from the common Asian carp. All goldfish, no matter what variety, belong to the same species. Why keep Asian Fancies? Fancy goldfish have been bred in the Orient for over a thousand years and in Europe for   over a hundred years, bringing us all of the colors and shapes available to aquarists today. All goldfish are temperate fish found in cool streams, lakes and ponds throughout Asia and part of Eastern Europe--though all the specimens found  in the hobby today are captive bred. Given proper care, goldfish can in some cases live over 50 years! We are generally happy when a fish reaches 10 or so, but many goldfish surpass that! Few other aquarium fish have such astonishing color patterns. Even fewer attain such size --    and none live as long! While most aquarist’s fish do not live for decades they are far hardier  than the hardiest of     marine specimens or even many other species of freshwater fishes. Goldfish, a status symbol? There is more status involved in keeping the otherwise humble goldfish than one might think. Serious Asian hobbyists and commercial establishments in the Far East often keep                                 specimens worth many hundreds and even thousands of dollars! Mated pairs of Show quality fish can be even more! Though you may not wish to invest hundreds of dollars in individual show quality specimens, some so-called mid-grade youngsters will grow into possible award winning beauties!  While we can obtain all price ranges of extra fancy goldfish and Japanese Koi,  it is neither practical nor necessary to spend such enormous amounts of money to achieve an impressive display. We offer absolutely stunning examples of fishes ranging in prices from $10 to $50, ...some in excess of 8” to 10”! Those prices are low in comparison to the cost of saltwater fish. It’s a lot more bang for your buck! Also, keep in mind that these fish are less aggressive toward one another. This reduces losses due to territorial disputes,  as is common in marine aquaria. And goldfish are friendlier toward people as well! Instead of racing off to hide under a rock when you come near, they are nearly always  front and center begging for your attention! This behavior has fascinated people thought the ages. We currently operate many saltwater systems successfully but some people who are finding that there are alternatives to marine aquaria. Many saltwater enthusiasts have made the switch, and some have incorporated   fancy Goldfish into their collections. Reasons for the switch? Unhealthy municipal water has in many cases required the saltwater aquarist to use expensive Reverse Osmosis (R/O) water as their local water contains too many total dissolved solids (TDS) – otherwise know as bad junk in our water! These TDS are the root cause of many problems associated with aggressive algae growths including many formerly unseen bacterial blooms some like the dreaded black, red or grey algae, which are not algae themselves, but bacteria which bond with various algae. The saltwater hobby is not at risk however, as steps can be taken to minimize these problems, but they are getting costlier all the time. R/O water (salt mixed) currently costs around 1.25 per gallon. Now go ahead and do that 30 to 100 gallon water change! It is 10 times the cost of a freshwater change! A freshwater aquarium featuring Asian Fancies can be every bit as impressive as a marine system -  and for far less money! The facts are that Asian Fancy Goldfish are elegant and stunning.   Aesthetically, they are pleasing to look at.  They are sociable; happy aquarium fish with less stringent water quality requirements therefore they are less costly to keep! The final choice is up to you!  Whether Marine or Freshwater, we will be there to make it all come together.                                                                                                                                                              The question is:  What strikes your fancy?