In order to provide a basis for building shelf life prediction models of Cyprinus carpio, this report investigated the bacteria flora, sensory, chemical, and microbiological quality of Cyprinus carpio in storage at a room temperature and low temperature, and found out the changes in specific spoilage organisms (SSOs), shelf life and freshness during storage. The total number of bacterial colonies, pseudomonas spp, H2S-producing bacteria, total volatile base nitrogen (TVBN), and SSOs of the carps were measured at the beginning of storage and at the end of shelf life at 0, 5, 10, 15 and 25 ℃, respectively. The sensory quality of carps at the beginning of storage is fine, and the total number of colonies, Pseudomonas spp., H2S-producing bacteria and TVBN were (4.34±0.58), (3.42±0.45), (2.85±0.63)lg(CFU)/g and (84.7±5.7)mg/kg, respectively. The shelf life of carps stored at 0, 5, 10 and 15 ℃ are (28.9±1.20), 15.9, 6.1 and 3.6 d, respectively, and the SSOs were Shewanella putrefaction and Pseudomonas spp. The shelf life at a room temperature was 1.1 d, and the SSO was Aeromonas. This report found that the quality, shelf life, and bacterial flora of carps changed under different storage temperature, which provided a reference for constructing shelf life prediction model.