In the world of Fancy Goldfish, the variety is huge and has a lot of fans in the hobby. And Fancy Goldfish are an entirely other sub-genre from your classic Goldfish.
One of the most peculiar-looking Fancy Goldfish is the Oranda (Carassius gibelio forma auratus), which may also be called a Red Cap, Blue Cap, or Black Cap variety depending on its coloring.
The hint is in the name ‘cap,’ as these fish do look like they have a hat on for snowy weather. Some may argue that their head resembles a fish with its brain on the outside of its body!
Whichever way you perceive their odd looks, they remain a popular Fancy Goldfish and with good reason. They are known for representing a sign of good luck, wealth, and even power in some Asian countries like China and Taiwan.
Originally from China, they are believed to be a species derived from crossbreeding in the commercial hobby industry, a designer fish, if you will.
These fish have a dramatic shape, something called a ‘wen’ (more on that later), and paired fins which do give them a healthy dose of what many might say are unusual looks for a tank community.
This is not a fish for the faint of heart. They are discriminating in their water demands and care needs. Certainly not a fish for the novice; even an expert would need to pay careful attention to their exacting needs to ensure the best life for these unusual beauties.
Orandas are notable for being one of the crowning glories in the world of Fancy Goldfish keeping. It isn’t hard to see why when you see them in person, looking like they have an external brain, a lump of caviar, or a hat on their heads, depending on your perspective.
Let’s get under the head of these fantastic-looking fish and delve deep into their care needs to optimize their lives in an aquarium environment.
Oranda Goldfish Behavior
Orandas are known as peaceful fish who are rather passive and are unlikely to cause any disturbance in the force of your tank.
Their egg-like shape and fin distribution make them weak swimmers, so you will usually spot them swimming slowly around the tank, floating about casually without a care in the world.
They can occasionally dig in the substrate to poke around and will often be seen investigating plants in the setup.
Although they aren’t fast swimmers, that doesn’t mean they aren’t ‘active’ swimmers. These fish are unlikely to spend their time hiding in vegetation or caves, and you will usually be able to enjoy seeing them all day long as they go about their slow swimming business.
Orandas enjoy being in a community as they are social and like to be around others of their own kind, including other Goldfish types.
Most keepers will have a variety of Oranda colors to mix it up, and they are often kept in a species-only tank setup. Not because they don’t mix with other fish, just because they do tend to look quite spectacular on their own.
If you choose to mix them with other species, temperament and size are the factors that come into play. They don’t tend to get too bothered with other fish, and their peaceful nature ensures that everyone gets along.
Avoid keeping a single Oranda on its own, as they will become depressed or suffer from stress with their solitary life. It’s best to keep a group of around 5 or more for socialization.
A fun fact? These fish don’t have eyelids, so you may see on barely moving on the substrate. Chances are this fish is asleep, so don’t panic unless this behavior goes on for longer than seems appropriate!
Oranda Goldfish Lifespan
If you cater to the needs of your Oranda Goldfish could expect them to live for around 15 years. The quality of their tank conditions will impact their lifespan, as always, so you can expect a longer life if you meet their requirements meticulously.
This is not a short amount of time to commit to. Those who choose to keep these fish in ponds can even see a lifespan of up to 20 years.
We will discuss more on tank requirements a little later in this article.
Oranda Goldfish Appearance
This is what the Oranda Goldfish is all about.
They are notable for their crowning glory or ‘wen’ as it is known in Chinese.
While the wen sure looks like a brain, you can rest assured it isn’t their brains which is a relief. The wen is actually a fleshy growth that starts to appear at around 4 months of age and develops into a lumpy cap on their head. In some cases, the wen can even overgrown and impact their eyesight.
In such cases, it’s good to know that this fleshy growth can actually be trimmed as it doesn’t possess any never endings and will not hurt your fish. It would still require a calm fish, and therefore some gentle sedation would be essential to performing any trimming process so as not to distress your specimen.
The most popular Oranda is the plain all-over Orange Oranda and the Red Cap, which has a white body and a red wen on top.
You can also find a Red Oranda where the entire body is red, including the cap too.
White Oranda are all white, and Blue Oranda is a deep indigo blue all over.
Most of these fish are as wide as they are long in the body, so they resemble an egg shape that is quite balanced.
What sets them apart are their luxurious and lengthy double fins that flow and look incredibly graceful as they slowly swim and wander around. All fins are doubled except for the dorsal fin.
The caudal fin is often as long as their body and can come in a variety of shapes such as ribbon, fan, and broad shaping.
These Fancy Goldfish have large, densely packed scales that are iridescent and highly reflective, so they look outstanding in the right lighting.
In terms of size, these fish can typically reach 7 inches in length, although in ponds, they can get substantially larger, up to a foot!
Oranda Goldfish Habitat And Tank Requirements
Since these fish don’t exist in the wild, the parameters we ascribe to keep them happy is from experience in the hobby.
A point to note here is that this type of Fancy Goldfish is also well-suited to pond systems.
You will also need to take into account that their fins are long, so they need space to accommodate them despite their compact and rounded body shape.
Oranda Goldfish Tank Conditions
The ideal setup for these fish is something that has a natural look to it that avoids any pitfalls that can damage these delicate fish.
Long flowing fins are a recipe for disaster with any sharp edges or decor. Although they are considered hardy thanks to their carp ancestry, you want to minimize any potential harm in your tank where avoidable.
Sandy substrates work well, and if you want a more textured surface, ensure that it is rounded and smooth as they do like to poke around in the substrate for morsels of food.
Plants that are hardy in nature work best with these fish since they do muck around in the substrate and might disturb your vegetation. Things like Vallisneria and Elodea work exceptionally well with these fish.
Avoid overplanting as these fish like to meander and swim around all levels of the tank, so they need ample space to do so.
Highly oxygenated water is ideal, so adding in air stones or air curtains on top of excellent filtration is essential, particularly if you choose to use silk or plastic plants. Fancy Goldfish, as a rule, create a ton of waste product, so filtration needs to be on point.
Water changes need to be done weekly at least 25 – 30% to keep optimum water quality.
Water conditions should be noted and maintained as follows:
- pH of 5.0 – 8.0
- Water hardness between 4 – 20 dGH
- Temperature between 65 – 72ºF (18 – 22ºC)
- Lighting conditions should be natural or standard and set to a daylight cycle
Oranda Goldfish Tank Size
The minimum tank size for a single Oranda Goldfish would be 30 gallons, and for every additional one, you should add 10 more gallons.
Since we don’t advocate that you keep one solo and they enjoy a group of a minimum of five in a tank, you will really need a 70-gallon tank minimum.
Choosing Tank Mates For Oranda Goldfish
When it comes to finding species appropriate for your Oranda Goldfish, you need to consider peaceful and slow-moving tankmates. They can’t escape bullying tactics and will be startled by fast-moving fish, which will only stress these fish out.
Catfish and other bottom-feeders make a great pairing since Goldfish are notorious producers of waste and will dirty the tank quickly without some efficient cleaners present.
Some excellent tank mate pairings for your Oranda Goldfish that would work well include:
- Fancy Goldfish like Black Moor Goldfish
- Sailfin Plecos
- Pepper Cory Catfish
- Rhykin Catfish
- Pearlscale Catfish
- Leopard Plecos
- Pearlscale Goldfish
Skip adding snails and shrimp. Although they are brilliant at cleaning the tank and useful for the waste, your Orandas will create they will be gobbled up in no time by your Goldfish.
Avoid anything aggressive like Cichlids, Barbs, Bettas, and Neons who are known to be fin-nippers or just biting other fish in general, which would render your Orandas in peril.
Feeding Oranda Goldfish
Oranda Goldfish are omnivores, and like most goldfish species, they are not picky and will hoover up whatever you present them with for a food source.
You will need to provide a varied diet that includes plant matter as well protein, including fiber, so that your fish don’t get constipation causing serious illness.
Live and frozen proteins are ideal and can include things like bloodworms, brine shrimp, tubifex, and daphnia.
Like most omnivores, you should offer blanched veggies like spinach, lettuce, and broccoli which will give them essential fiber and plant nutrients.
Sinking pellets or high-quality flakes are also a good option, but you should supplement with higher quality foods already described regularly.
Try to break up their feedings into smaller portions a few times when they are juvenile, and then move to once a day to avoid your fish from overeating which can be a problem with Goldfish. Allow what they can eat in a few minutes and remove what they can’t afterward, or they will scoff it.
Oranda Goldfish Common Diseases And Illness
Oranda Goldfish can have swim bladder issues. If you spot one of your Orandas outside of his comfort zone in the middle, chances are there is an issue. If you spot one languishing at the bottom of the tank or floating haphazardly at the surface, they have a problem.
Adding in fibrous foods after a 24 absence of feeding can help regulate this.
Monitoring the wen is also important as it can overgrow its welcome and obstruct eyes or even cover their mouth, impairing feeding. Trimming may be necessary but get professional help until you know how to do it safely.
Oranda Goldfish Breeding
For any hobbyist looking for an easy breeding project, Oranda Goldfish are really easy to breed.
This species will require a separate breeding tank as the parents will inevitably consume the fry or fertilized eggs.
Fine leafed plants are essential in the breeding tank as the female will lay her eggs on those delicate leaves.
Typically a female can lay up to 10,000 eggs in one spawn, so be prepared for plenty of room!
Oranda Goldfish fry will hatch within two days to a week and can be fed with Infusoria, followed by baby Brine Shrimp as they grow.
The fry will be mature enough after around two or three months to transfer to the main tank and handle adult food sources.
Conclusion
There is a definite appeal to having Fancy Goldfish as the hobby can attest to. With such a wide variety of these Goldfish having been selectively bred for the aquarist, they do make an enticing option.
If you’re used to dealing with the waste goldfish species can produce, you will do well handling an Oranda Goldfish community.
Surely it’s a case of where and not ‘wen’ you’ll welcome the Oranda Goldfish into your life!
