Not furry, but we like them anyway.
Crucian Carp
Carassius carassius
Also called Crucian, Karas (Polish: karaś), Golden crucian
From Native to northern and central Europe and western Asia, from eastern England across to Siberia, north to the Arctic Circle in Scandinavia and south to central France and the Black Sea.12
At a glance the quick version
Looks how to spot one
Scaled, deep-bodied cyprinid
A rounded, bronze fish with a well-rounded snout and a convex, gently curved dorsal fin. Body shape changes with surroundings: fish in waters with predators grow tall and deep, while those in predator-free ponds stay slimmer.1
Personality what they are like
A quiet, peaceful fish that spends much of its time foraging among plants and on the bottom.21
Daily activity how busy a day looks
Calm and steady. It feeds through the day but is busiest at night, and in winter it may burrow into soft mud and rest.2
Grooming and care the hands-on bits
Very undemanding. It is a cool-water fish (about 2 to 22 C) that tolerates cold and low oxygen well. A planted pond with soft mud suits it best.21
Home where they are happiest
Shallow, well-vegetated ponds, lakes and slow rivers. It is occasionally kept in aquariums and water gardens, but a planted pond is its natural home.12
Food basics what goes in the bowl
An omnivore eating plankton, bottom-living invertebrates, plants and detritus. In a pond it takes general pond-fish food.2
Company who they like around
Lives in groups and shares a pond peacefully with other calm fish.12
The story where it all began
The crucian carp is a native European fish, named by Linnaeus in 1758 and long valued by anglers and cooks in Poland and Russia. It is now less common in the ornamental trade than koi or orfe, but pond keepers value it as a hardy, natural member of a wildlife pond.1
Fun facts for the dinner table
- 1
It can survive months without oxygen under winter ice by turning its stored energy into alcohol, which it releases into the water. One study kept fish in oxygen-free water for 140 days.1
- 2
When predators are around, crucians grow a deeper body that is harder to swallow.1
- 3
Young crucians carry a dark spot at the base of the tail that fades with age.1
- 4
A female can lay 130,000 to 250,000 sticky eggs that cling to water plants and hatch in 4 to 8 days.2
Recognised by the official bits
- IUCN Red List
- Least Concern2
- Linnaeus
- Described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758; the type species of the genus Carassius1
The care rhythm Furry Diary remembers it for you
A typical home-care rhythm for a Crucian Carp. It is our own starting plan, not a vet's advice, and you can change every line in the app.
- FeedingOnly in the warm seasonevery day
- Pond checkevery day
- Water testevery 2 weeks
- Filter cleanevery month
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Where this comes from
Every breed page shows where each fact comes from. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are pet people, not a science magazine. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
- Wikipedia: Crucian carp en.wikipedia.orgused for range, body, colours, size, records, anoxia tolerance, history, pond role, fun facts
- FishBase: Carassius carassius fishbase.seused for max length and weight, max age, temperature, diet, habitat, spawning, IUCN status
Checked 2026-09-30. Text is written in our own words from these sources.