Crucian Carp

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

Recognised by the official bits

IUCN Red List

Least Concern2

Linnaeus

Described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758; the type species of the genus Carassius1