Animal-World > Aquarium Tropical Fish > Goldfish > Redcap Oranda Goldfish

Redcap Oranda Goldfish

Red Cap Oranda Goldfish, Redcap Oranda Fancy Goldfish

Family: CyprinidaeCarassius auratus auratusPhoto © Animal-World: Courtesy David Brough

This pretty little goldfish, the Redcap Oranda Goldfish is totally white except for its cherry red hood!

The Redcap Oranda Goldfish is a favorite variety of the Oranda Goldfish, some of the most popular goldfish in the world. The Red cap Oranda is a beautiful gold fish with a large round body, shimmering scales, and a long flowing split caudal (tail) fin that fans out when it comes to a stop.

The Red Cap Oranda Fancy Goldfish are favored for their hood, a fleshy growth on the top of the head called the wen. The wen starts to show at about 3 - 4 months, but really begins to form at about 1 - 2 years becoming full in 2 - 2 1/2 years.

Unlike the common goldfish with a long slender body, the Redcap Oranda Goldfish is one of the more rounded or egg-shaped fancy gold fish. It is totally white except for a cherry red hood on its head, looking just like a cap. All of its fins are paired except the dorsal fin, and the tail fin is usually split.

The Redcap Oranda Goldfish are very popular, 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 goldfish information, see:
Goldfish Care: Fancy Goldfish and Goldfish Diseases

Habitat: Distribution / Background

The goldfish of today are descendants of a wild carp fish, known as the Prussian Carp, Silver Prussian carp, or Gibel Carp Carassius gibelio (syn: Carassius auratus gibelio) which was described by Bloch in 1782. For many years it was believed that goldfish had originated from the Crucian Carp or Golden Carp Carassius auratus auratus described by Linnaeus in 1758, but more recent research is pointing toward the former.

These wild carp originated in Asia; Central Asia (siberia). They inhabit the slow moving and stagnant waters of rivers, lakes, ponds, and ditches feeding on plants, detritus, small crustaceans, and insects. In the early 1500's these fish were exported first to Japan and then to Europe and were developed into the wonderful colors and forms of gold fish we see today.

The Oranda Goldfish is one of the older fancy goldfish with the Redcap Oranda variety being an early development. Today there are more than 125 captive bred fancy varieties.

• Scientific Name: Carassius auratus auratus
• Social Grouping: Groups
• IUCN Red List: NE - Not Evaluated or not listed - There are no wild populations of this captive bred variety.

Description

The Redcap Oranda Goldfish is an egg-shaped variety of goldfish. The body has a large round shape, shimmering white 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. They have fleshy growth or hood on the top of the head that is a bright cherry red.

• Goldfish colors
  The Redcap Oranda is totally white except for a cherry red hood, looking just like a cap.
• Size - Weight
  Redcap 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.
• Goldfish lifespan
  The average goldfish lifespan is 10 – 15 years, though living 20 years or more is not uncommon in well maintained goldfish aquariums and ponds.

• Maximum Size: 7.0 inches (17.78 cm) - There have been reports of well cared for adults reaching double this size.
• Lifespan: 20 years

Fish Keeping Difficulty

Redcap 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 goldfish bowls with no heater or filtration. But for the best success in keeping goldfish, provide them the same filtration, especially biological filtration, that other aquarium residents enjoy.

• Aquarium Hardiness: Very Hardy - The Wen is prone to infection, if the aquarist notices any rawness or irritation it is wise to treat right away.
• Aquarist Experience Level: Beginner

Foods and Feeding

Since they are omnivorous, the Redcap 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 Redcap 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. Due to their fleshy head growth they can have poor vision and a harder time seeing their food, so need extra time to feed.

• Diet Type: Omnivore
• Flake Food: Yes
• Tablet Pellet: Yes
• Live foods (fishes, shrimps, worms): Some of Diet
• Vegetable Food: Some of Diet
• Meaty Food: Some of Diet
• Feeding Frequency: Several feedings per day

Aquarium Care

Regular weekly water changes of 1/4 to 1/3 is strongly recommended to keep these fish healthy. Snails can be added as they reduce the algae in the tank, helping to keep it clean.

• Water Changes: Weekly

Aquarium Setup

Setting up an aquarium in a manner that will keep your fish happy and healthy is the first step to successfully fish keeping. Here are aquarium parameters to consider in choosing goldfish aquariums, filtration, lighting, and decor as well as temperature and water movement.

• Minimum Tank Size / Length:
  The shape and size of the goldfish 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. Keep the tank size and shape in mind when you are buying your fish.
  • Tank Shape
    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 goldfish bowl, filling the bowl to the middle offers more surface area than filling the bowl to the top. Always provide the maximum amount of surface area.
  • Tank size
    It's best to start with a 20 - 30 gallon tank for your first goldfish and then increase the size of the tank by 10 gallons for each additional goldfish. Providing a large amount of water per fish will help dilute the amount of waste and reduce the number of water changes needed
  • Formula: # of fish per gallon of water
    A general rule of thumb, but only for young fish, 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.
  • Fish: size and growth
    To allow for growth, either buy fewer fish than the maximum number of fish (based on the formula above) or be prepared to get a larger tank. 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
• Aquarium Lighting
  Most aquariums come with a cover that includes lighting. 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. Lighting is not essential for goldfish, but does make the aquarium a nice show piece and lighting will help if you have live plants.
• Filtration
  Goldfish produce a lot of waste. Good filtration, especially biological filtration, is very helpful in maintaining the water quality of the aquarium. Filtration systems remove much of the detritus, excess foods and waste. This helps keep the tank clean and maintain the general health of the goldfish.
• Substrate
  Provide a gravel substrate to help create a natural and comfortable environment for your fish. A medium sized gravel works best..
• Aquarium Decor
  You can add some decor, but make sure that all ornamentation is smooth with no protruding points or sharp edges. Smooth rocks or driftwood, should be used sparingly if at all.
  Aquarium plants would be the best choice of aquarium decor for goldfish, but unfortunately these fish are diggers. Consequently live plants may be uprooted. Artificial plants make a good substitute and silk plants are safer than plastic ones.
• Temperature: Goldfish are a cold water fish and will do best at temperatures between 65 - 72° F (18°- 22° C). Unlike the flat-bodied types of goldfish, they have a lower tolerance for pollution and cannot tolerate temperatures much below 60° F (16° C).
• Water Hardness: 5 - 19° dGH
• ph: 6.0 to 8.0
• Water Movement: Moderate.
• Water Region: These fish will swim in all areas of the aquarium.

• Minimum Tank Size: 10 gal (38 L) - Ten gallons is the absolute minimum required to house this type of fancy goldfish. It has high oxygen requirements, produces a lot of waste, and will have very stunted growth if it is kept in a smaller aquarium or bowl.
• Suitable for Nano Tank: Sometimes
• Substrate Type: Any
• Lighting Needs: Moderate - normal lighting
• Temperature: 65.0 - 72.0° F (18.3 - 22.2° C)
• Range ph: 6.0-8.0
• Hardness Range: 5 - 19 dGH
• Brackish: Sometimes - Goldfish are freshwater fish, but they have some tolerance for slightly brackish water. Yet any salinity for C. auratus must be kept below 10%, a specific gravity of less than 1.002.
• Water Movement: Moderate
• Water Region: All

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. It is really not necessary to add other scavengers or other bottom feeders to the aquarium when you have goldfish.

The Redcap Oranda 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.

• Venomous: No
• Temperament: Peaceful
• Same species - conspecifics: Yes
• Peaceful fish (): Safe
• Semi-Aggressive (): Threat
• Shrimps, Crabs, Snails: Safe - not aggressive
• Plants: Threat - Goldfish will eat many kinds of aquatic plants, and their constant search for food can end up uprooting plants that they don't eat.

Sex: 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.

Breeding / Reproduction

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

• Ease of Breeding: Moderate

Fish Diseases

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. For more in-depth information about goldfish diseases and illnesses, see: Goldfish Care; Fancy Goldfish and Goldfish Diseases.

Availability

The Redcap Goldfish is readily available in fish stores and on-line, and is inexpensive.

References

• Animal-World References: Freshwater Fish and Plants
• David Alderton, Encyclopedia of Aquarium and Pond Fish , DK Publishing, Inc., 2005.
• Marshall E. Ostrow, Goldfish (Barron's Complete Pet Owner's Manuals), Barron's Educational Series, Inc. 2003
• Geoff Rogers, Nick Fletcher, Focus on Freshwater Aquarium Fish, Firefly Books. 2004
• David Sands, Goldfish (Caring for Your Pet), Interpet Publishing, 1999

Author: David Brough CFS

• Redcap Oranda : $7.99
• Redcap Oranda : $6.79
• Redcap Oranda : $31.44
• Redcap Oranda : $81.59
• Redcap Oranda : $25.49

Red Cap Oranda Goldfish Small Offered By: That Pet Place Price: $7.99

Red Cap Oranda Goldfish Extra Small 2 3 Length Offered By: PetCo Price: $6.79

Red Cap Oranda Goldfish Small/ Medium 4 5 Length Offered By: PetCo Price: $31.44

Red Cap Oranda Goldfish Large 8 Length Offered By: PetCo Price: $81.59

Red Cap Oranda Goldfish Small 3.5 4 Length Offered By: PetCo Price: $25.49

Lastest Comments on Redcap Oranda Goldfish View all 57 comments on Redcap Oranda Goldfish Add Your Comment

Laurie - 2011-11-26 Hello My Fellow fish lovers...I have a problem. I have two new red cap orandas that we transfered from our small pond in our backyard-(1st year)-to a 36 gallon indoor tank. We spent alot of $ on a really good filter, everytime we feed our fish-1x daily 4 pellets, one of our orandas seems to get sick and floats upward, stays there and sometimes floats sideways for a day. We panic, put him in a small bucket with water,conditioner, a little salt and oxygen and feed him peas Overnight he recovers slightly but still isn't right. We feed him peas when he acts up again still isn't right. He once got messed up really bad the first time we transfered him after being in pond all summer) , cause we didn't condition the water....since then this floating goes on every time we feed him. Can someone PLEASE help me..I'm afraid we are going to lose him...Thank you...happy Holidays to all Charlie Roche - 2011-11-26 I found just two things but either could be the problem. The first is constipation and the symptoms fit. This one is easy cuz you just change the food. It would explain why feeding it a pea would help. The second is gas bubble disease gas bubbles and you might want to check this article out. Lory - 2011-12-10 Keep feeding him peas for a few days. Then just feed him veggies for a while. if you do give him pellets soak in water till they sink. Than place in tank. Also does his body look okay...no injuries from the transfer- tank from pond? kelsey - 2011-12-29 i think we have the same problem because my fish bernenne is not swimming.We just cleaned his tank today but he is struggling to move and he wont eat at all.I dont know what kind of fish he is but it looks like what you have. Any suggestions??? I'm afraid I might lose him thank you ....happy hoiladays and im sorry you don't know me I just had to get a answer. Hope your fish gets better! sincerliy kelsey sheila meredith - 2012-01-19 Dear red cap oranda owner, i too set up a huge tank a few months ago and brought 4 of these fish, one is always sickly, they suffer constpation and get swim bladder problems and cannot swim to the bottom of the tank, i put in florets of brocolli which they love (cooked and softened) also cauli, but they do love broc, i give mine the flake fish food, this time though i do not think i will be successfull, the other thre are doing well, they are a lovely temperament fish, and should not be put with goldfish, who usually bully them, all the best with your poorly fish, i.ve also turned out the lights on the fish tank- these are cold water species and the lights warm the water up. good luck leah - 2012-05-01 I had a fish that would do this. I read that it is because the fish is constipated and so the swim bladder is pressed on making it hard to swim...I made my fish fast for a day or two and then fed him and it seemed to help clean out his system and he has since stopped with the scary sideways swimming on the top of the tank. Reply

chloe - 2012-04-19 I have 2 red cap oranda fish and others but I was just wondering if any one could tell me do they get white lumps on their head and were do they lay their eggs under water or on the side of the tank? How big are the eggs when first laid? I think they have only been there a sort time. What should the eggs look like? Reply

Joselyne - 2012-02-14 Hi guys!! i just got a redcap oranda goldfish today for valentines day. It's really cute but I have other gold fishes that are bigger than him. I also got the eye black moor or goldfish ((dont remmeber the name)) but they are small too. Should I take the 'babies' out till they are big or leave them with the other bigger goldfishes?? Jeremy Roche - 2012-02-15 Hello Joselyne. Goldfish are usually not aggressive towards each other if there is enough room for them. May be a little fin nipping but that is usually it. Should be fine; just keep an eye on them and remember to properly get the new fish use to the water in the tank. Reply

tulsi - 2012-01-09 Hi, I had 2 red cap oranda but after few months one fish died. now the other fish has layed eggs in the tank. Pls help me how to take care of it and do I have to keep another red cap oranda with this one which I have and how do I have to keep the tank clean for the fish and its eggs??? Pls do guide me on this??? Clarice Brough - 2012-01-20 The parent will eat the eggs, you need to remove her. For info to help care for the eggs and fry see Goldfish breeding Reply

Cheyenne - 2011-11-26 I have a 55 gallon hexagonal tank with a medium sized redcap oranda goldfish her name is Puff. And I believe she has a fungal infection, but I'm not sure. I also have a Rexa XP4 Filstar filter. Please help. Charlie Roche - 2011-11-28 Try Animal Worlds article on Fish Diseases and Symptoms Symptoms and look at symptoms. Also look at Fungal diseases. Identify which one (if any) your little guy has and the corresponding treatment is listed. Reply

forestkaat - 2010-05-26 As an expert in the field, I strongly urge those that find all goldfish appealing to please keep them in as large an aquarium that you can afford. They really appreciate space & as most of you know, these fish produce more waste than most other "tropical" freshwater fish. As they grow larger, they can be a bit territorial towards other goldfish. Of course, don't keep them with Betta fish unless you want see some ripped fins. Don't forget that they are primarily vegetarians & love Romaine lettuce, zucchini & flat "veggie" discs made for algae eater fish. I have 6 assorted (1 Redcap Oranda, 1 bubble eye Moore, 2 fantail common comets, & 2 calico Ryukins) in a 60 gallon acrylic tank with a Pleco cat, Farlowella & 2 Chinese Anglonema loaches & everyone's happy. Filtration is wedge-shaped under-gravel filter with 4 powerheads & a 2213 Eheim canister filter as backup. I've had this acrylic tank since 1982 & have had all kinds of fish in it. I'm enjoying these goldfish more than the African / South American Cichlid brats I used to keep - even more than when it was an Angelfish/Discus tank (they just hid & stared - even with all of the tall plants). Yes, I've kept saltwater fish & reef systems, too. I know from running tropical fish stores that some hobbyists turn their nose up at these delightful & hardy fish, which is too bad as most of them live longer than most exoctic tropicals, except, of course, for Koi. Anonymous - 2010-06-09 Totally agree. Nance - 2010-07-23 Enjoyed your article & I'm with you they are a beautiful overlooked fish. I have 120 gallon tank & just switched from Oscars to Orandas & other tropicals. Thanks didn't know about the tail nipping of Bettas &was going to buy one today! You saved me a lot of trouble, I wouldn't want problems w/ my fish. Zak - 2010-07-25 Hi, just seriously thinking about starting my 1st aquarium and want to do it right. I'm interested in a black moor & either a lionhead or redcap, plus loaches &or snails in a 20+ tank. Your comments on feeding (especially the veggie discs) & filtration were very helpful. Thank You. Aivre - 2010-09-01 Hi, forestkaat. From your post, you seem very knowledgeable when it comes to Redcaps, so I was wondering if I could ask you a quick question. I currently have one Redcap (housed in a 20 gallon tank, carbon filtered, with six or seven live Amazon Sword plants) who I've had for almost four months. He's only about three inches long, including his tail. I've speculated for a while now whether or not he actually IS a Redcap, as he has absolutely no evidence of a wen other than the red coloring. His body is rather similar to that of a Comet Tail, though he has the split caudal fin that is common to fancytail goldfish. His fins also don't appear to be as "flowing" as some other Redcaps. Is this more or less due to the fact that he's still growing? This article states that wens will show within three or four months, though I've had him for about that long and still nothing. Kiera - 2010-09-06 Goldfish necessarily don't produce a lot of waste unless you overfeed them. jayzak - 2011-04-02 No offense expert but from my researches your combination of fish would be quiet problematic. First you keep the bubble eye moore with oranda? in addition to that you have a "fantail common comet"? Is that suppose to be veiltail goldfish? or common and/or comet? if it is common or comet dont they get most of the foods first before they other fantails (orand and fantails) get to the food? Further the bubble eye(assumed) will get even less food since it got eye problem does this not make your fish have un unbalance growth when comparing your fishes? Lastly the pleco, most of the time once they(pleco) get used to the tank they will chase goldfish around because they LOVE their (goldfish) slimcoat. Don't you get any of the problem? I am not saying your doing it wrong since you have been keeping fishes for over 29 years. What's your trick on avoiding these problems? Like you I would love to have a well mixed tank of goldfish. mel - 2011-09-01 hi there, i have about 35 oranda, most white, orange/white, red and black, ever since i got these fish they have had white spots on their wens, nowhere else on them tho (can realy only notice on the orange and black fish, on the black fish it has gotten worse over night)fish however seem fine, have been feeding flake, floating balls but mainly vegies. i have been doin partial water changes like i do every 2 days but still dont know whats wrong with them. last owner said it was a bit of stress from the water changes??? also i have a lemon head with pimple like spots with light red around the bace. they spawned a week ago and the eggs never hatched eather, i was asleep when it happened as i didnt notice the chacing. please could you let me know what you think, here just 1x the black orandas go for $700! last thing i need is to loose them, thanke heaps in advance. nancy - 2011-11-07 Hi, Have one of these redcap oranda. He is about 5 inches long and chubby...When I got him he was so little...I have him now in a 20 gallon tank. I run two filters that are for 10 gallon. Within one week the tank is so cloudy again. What can I do so I do not have to clean the tank every week..He seems to be very happy lol Reply

Add your comment!

View all 57 comments on Redcap Oranda Goldfish

Back to Goldfish