Animal-World > Freshwater Fish > Goldfish > Oranda Fancy Goldfish

Oranda Goldfish

Family: Cyprinidae

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Carassius auratus auratus Photo © Animal-World: Courtesy Michelle Storsberg

   The Oranda Goldfish look the same as a Veiltail Goldfish except their tails are not as long and flowing, and they have a head growth or hood similar to the Lionhead Goldfish!

Photo ©Animal-World

   The Oranda Goldfish in the picture is too young to have the hood which develops when the fish gets to be about 2-2 1/2 years old.

   The Oranda Goldfish is one of the most popular goldfish in the world. It is favored for its hood, a fleshy growth on the top of its head called the wen. The wen starts to show at about 3 - 4 months, but only really begins to form at about 1 - 2 years, and reaches full development in 2 - 2 1/2 years. This beautiful gold fish has a large round shape, shimmering scales, and a long flowing split caudal (tail) fin that fans out when it comes to a stop. It is not surprising that the Chinese refer to it as the "flower of the water". In Japan it is called 'Oranda Shishigashiri', and a calico version they call 'Azuma Nishiki'. In the Orient, though the common name Oranda is applied to these fish, varieties with the fleshy growth covering the entire head are known as Tigerhead or Tiger Goldfish.

   Rather than having the long slender body of the Common Goldfish or the Shubunkins, The Oranda Goldfish is one of the more rounded or egg-shaped fancy gold fish. All of their fins are paired except the dorsal fin, and the tail fin is usually split. They can have metallic or matte scales and are available in a wide variety of colors including red, black, calico, chocolate and red/white combinations and a more recently developed blue color. A favorite variety is the Redcap Oranda which is totally white except for a cherry red hood, looking just like a cap.

   Oranda Goldfish are very popular and are found in collectors tanks throughout the world. But although they are widely available, they are considered delicate and not recommended as a beginner fish. Unlike the flat-bodied types of goldfish, they have a lower tolerance for pollution and cannot tolerate extremely cool temperatures. The hood is subject to infection from debris, bacteria, and fungi that settles in the tiny folds.

For more Information on keeping this fish see:
Guide to a Happy, Healthy Freshwater Aquarium

Distribution:
   The Goldfish, a wild carp originally known by such names as the Crucian Carp, Gibel Carp, or Golden Carp, was described by Linnaeus in 1758. They originated in Asia; Central Asia and China. Today domesticated goldfish are distributed world-wide. These fish inhabit the slow moving and stagnant waters of rivers, lakes, ponds, and ditches feeding on plants, detritus, small crustaceans, and insects.
   These fish were developed in China, and in the early 1600's were exported, first to Japan and then to Europe, and were further developed into the wonderful colors and forms of gold fish we see today. The Oranda Goldfish is one of the older varieties of fancy goldfish, today there are more than 125 captive bred fancy varieties.

Status:
   This species is not listed on the IUCN Red List, and presumably there are no wild populations of this captive bred variety.

Description:
   The Oranda Goldfish is an egg-shaped variety of goldfish. The body has a large round shape, shimmering scales, and a long flowing split caudal (tail) fin that fans out when it stops swimming. All of their fins are paired except the dorsal fin, and the tail fin is generally split. In the Orient, though the common name Oranda is applied to these fish, a variety with the fleshy growth covering its entire head is known as the Tigerhead or Tiger Goldfish. The Chinese have also developed a telescope eye variety of Oranda.
   Orandas can have metallic or matte scales and are available in a wide variety of colors including red, black, calico, chocolate and red/white combinations and a more recently developed blue color. A favorite variety is the Redcap Oranda which is totally white except for a cherry red hood, looking just like a cap.

Size - Weight:
   Oranda Goldfish will generally reach about 6 - 7 inches (5-18 cm), though they have been known to grow much larger in many aquarists tanks. The largest known Oranda Goldfish is Bruce, bred in Hong Kong at the TungHoi Aquarium, where he is reported to have reached a whopping 15 inches (38 cm) in length!

Care and feeding:
   Since they are omnivorous, the Oranda Goldfish will generally eat all kinds of fresh, frozen, and flake foods. To keep a good balance give them a high quality flake food everyday. To care for your Oranda Goldfish, feed brine shrimp (either live or frozen), blood worms, Daphnia, or tubifex worms as a treat. It is usually better to feed freeze-dried foods as opposed to live foods to avoid parasites and bacterial infections that could be present in live foods.
   Oranda Goldfish are some of the more delicate species of goldfish. Unlike the flat-bodied types of goldfish, they have a lower tolerance for pollution. Its hood is subject to infection from debris, bacteria, and fungi that settles in the tiny folds. They will need good care and plenty of space. Many people will keep goldfish in small one or two gallon bowls with no heater or filtration. But for the best success in keeping the Oranda Goldfish, provide them the same filtration, especially biological filtration, that other aquarium residents enjoy.
   The shape and size of the aquarium is important and depends upon the number of fish you are going to keep. Goldfish need a lot of oxygen and produce a lot of waste.

• A large surface area of water will help minimize goldfish suffering from an oxygen shortage. Surface area is determined by the shape of the tank. For the same volume of water, an elongated tank offers more surface area (and oxygen) than a tall tank. In a fish bowl, filling the bowl to the middle offers more surface area (and oxygen) than filling the bowl to the top. Always provide the maximum amount of surface area.
• Providing a large amount of water per fish will help dilute the amount of waste and reduce the number of water changes needed.
• A general rule of thumb for young fish only is: 1 inch of fish (2.54 cm) per 1 gallon of water. This rule applies only to young fish and is not adequate as they grow. Larger gold fish consume much more oxygen than young fish so maintaining this formula for growing fish will stunt them, and can contribute to disease and even death.
• Keep the tank size and shape in mind when you are buying your fish. To allow for growth, either buy fewer fish than the maximum number of fish (based on the above formula) or be prepared to get a larger tank.

   Because goldfish produce a lot of waste, good filtration is very helpful in maintaining the water quality of the aquarium. Regular weekly water changes of 1/4 to 1/3 is strongly recommended to keep these fish healthy.
   Use a gravel substrate and add some decorations that provide shelter for your pet goldfish. Driftwood and smooth rocks make good, safe decorations; and plants are especially appreciated, either live or plastic. A cover for the tank is desirable as it reduces evaporation and though they are not prone to jumping, on occasion some gold fish will jump out. Most aquariums come with a cover that includes lighting. It is not essential for goldfish, but will help if you have live plants.
   Goldfish are subject to the same diseases as tropical fish. A couple of the more common problems are Ich, Swim Bladder disease, and external parasites including flukes, lice and anchor worms. To learn about these and other diseases and how to treat them see: Aquarim Fish Diseases & Treatments.

Water Region: Top, Middle, Bottom:
   These fish will swim in all areas of the aquarium.

Acceptable Water Conditions:
Unlike the flat-bodied types of goldfish, they have a lower tolerance for pollution and cannot tolerate temperatures much below 60° F (16° C).
   Temp: Goldfish are a cold water fish and will do best at temperatures between 65 - 72° F (18°- 22° C)
   Hardness: 5 - 19° dGH
   Ph: 6.0 to 8.0

Social Behaviors:
   Goldfish are very social animals and thrive in a community. Not only are they a great community fish but they are great scavengers as well. The Oranda Goldfish is not a fast swimmer. They cannot vigorously compete for food with fast swimming types of goldfish like the the Common Goldfish, Comet Goldfish, the Shubunkin, so may not fare well if housed with them, but they will do well housed with other egg-shaped varieties if the environment is well cared for. It is really not necessary to add other scavengers or other bottom feeders to the aquarium when you have goldfish.

Sexual Differences:
   Although is it impossible to sex Goldfish when they are young and not in breeding season, the male is usually smaller and more slender that the female. In the breeding season the male has white prickles, called breeding tubercles, on its gill covers and head. Seen from above the female will have a fatter appearance as she is carrying eggs.

Water Region: Top, Middle, Bottom:
   These fish will swim in all areas of the aquarium.

Breeding/Reproduction:
   Oranda Goldfish are egg layers that spawn readily in the right conditions. See Breeding Freshwater Fish - Goldfish for more information on breeding Goldfish.

Availability:
   The Oranda Goldfish is readily available and are inexpensive. Fancier or rarer types can be more expensive.

Panda Oranda Goldfish	Oranda Goldfish	Red Cap Oranda	Red Oranda Goldfish
Buy From LiveAquaria.com

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Latest Comments
I currently have a 7-inch long chocolate oranda. Though he is mostly docile and friendly with my several other goldfish, I'm pretty sure he's eaten a plecostomous before and my latest bottom feeder went AWOL recently. When I got him a year and a half ago he was less than 3 inches long, so within the right aquarium environment almost anything is possible...just make sure your tank has a fail-safe place for your bottom feeders to hide or they might be lunch for your oranda. ashley 2009-05-13
Last night I got a small red cap oranda. It is very small but it loves to be with the other fish. I have a 20 gallon fish tank with about 15 fish in it. I have a huge variety of fish going from tropical serpae tetras all the way to sarasa goldfish. I have never had a problem with my fish. They get along perfectly. I noticed that the first fish that my oranda went to was my small black moor. My black moors and orandas have gotten along very well as if being best friends. I WOULD RECOMMEND: I would recommend having black moors with your orandas. They seem to be best friends. GOOD LUCK! Jay Jay 2009-03-27
I have 500 gallon outdoor artificial goldfish pond where I have 6 orandas, whereas 4 of them are cherry red and 2 of them are red cap orandas. They all grew up to 6 inches now and still growing. I've kept these goldfish for 4 months and when I bought them they were just 1 or 1 and a half inches long, but surprizingly they grew very fast. I have lots of plants in my pond too; water lettuce, hornwart, and some water hyacinth. My orandas love to eat these plant's root. I just feed them dry fish powder. They are very healthy and happy. Paban 2008-06-25
I have 2 orandas, Ozzy (a red with tiger stripes) and Tila (calico). They live with 7 other fancies (2 pearlscales, 2 lionheads, 1 black moor, 1 telescope, and 1 ryukin) in a 90 gallon tank. Orandas are the kings of the tank and like other fancy goldfish they should be allowed at least 10 gallons per fish in order to get big and stay healthy. My goldfish have very adorable personalities and are very fun pets (a different kind of fun than a dog, cat, or rabbit). Emily 2007-12-07
I have a redheaded oranda that I call 'Yammie' because the color of its head looks like a red yamika. He's so funny to watch and he's got some appetite. I had to separate him from another fantailed goldfish because of the fact that he was eating the other fishes food! JANET PETRONELLA 2007-06-24
Some of the coolest comments:
I have 3 Red Cap Orandas, Pompadour and the Gold Dust twins, Mopsie and Bopsie. They share the tank with Cocoa a Chocolate Oranda and Diamond a pure white Oranda. Diamond is a baby; however, she is growing very quickly. The Gold Dust twins are the largest. They are about 5 inches and very round. Cocoa is the longest but he is slender. He is almost 6 inches long including his tail. There is also a comet named Dreamsicle that was purchased as a feeder for my clown knifes. My fish are vegan. Dreamsicle is huge. She was my first goldfish. Goldie and Shubu are her companions. As I developed a liking for goldfish I began looking for specific characteristics. I want one more Oranda I once saw a light golden oranda. I love watching them. They enjoy watching me too. The tank is next to a futon. When I sit down they come and watch me. They are so cool and social. I truly enjoy my goldfish tank. I have a 60 gal; tropical tank. The knifes are cool, I have frogs, a Bichor and a few other fish. The Gold Dust twins were originally in the tropical tank. I took them out because they like prefer cooler water. The tropical tank is no where as enjoyable as my gold fish. And yes, everyone is right, these guys are piggies. They love to eat. Very cool, fast growing fish. Lleslie Johnson 2008-06-30
I currently have three oranda gold fish in my 46 Gal Euro. I prefer a cold water set up, double filter, natural rock decor, and a bubble wall. My female is all gold, my breeding male is a panda(black and white), and my other male oranda is calico. I find that they are pretty easy to keep as far as fish are concerned. They have only had ich three times(which I'm proud to say all lived) and nothing else thus far. I keep large gravel in the bottom of the tank since they will pick up the smaller bits and get it caught in their throats. Most people recommend feeding their fish once a day but I was taught in the asian method of up to 4 times daily. I feed them Hikari Oranda Gold since it increases color and lionhead growth and eliminates the need to feed live or freeze dried foods. Orandas will come to the top of the water and pop at you to get you to feed them, but you'll have to ignore it or you will soon have an overfeeding problem. I keep a sword plant in my tank that they will not touch which is good since Goldfish eat almost anything. I have noticed though that you need to keep a good deal of Stress Enzyme or Stress Coat in the water since they are easily stressed and prone to ich. jess 2006-07-20
Comments Dr Jungle REALLY Likes to Hear!
I must say this is the best reference site for fish I have ever seen. The information is easy to read and understand, and you have a great range of pictures. On this page though, the Oranda appears to be a baby telescope eye!! I think you might want to change that! Rita Sady 2006-08-06
I bought my Oranda about two wks. ago and love him dearly. I named him Shadao. He's not very big yet but I keep him at the end of my couch in a ten gallon tank. I am planning on buying Shadao a friend since he has told me he's lonely. The pet store has a beautiful black and red Oranda that I have been wanting to bring home. Thank you to everyone who has posted, not knowing much about these wonderful fish, I found your postings very informative. Jezra 2006-03-14

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Author: David Brough. CFS.