Description

The Oranda is a fancy goldfish known for its soft, fleshy head growth called a wen. This cap can cover the head, cheeks, and sometimes even the gill plates. Orandas are graceful, rounded, and elegant swimmers with flowing fins.

Key Features

• Wen (head growth): Soft, bumpy cap; develops fully with age

• Size: 6–12 inches (some grow larger)

• Body Shape: Rounded, egg-shaped body

• Fins: Long, flowing double tail (fantail)

• Colors: Red, orange, black, white, blue, calico, red-cap (white with red wen), panda, chocolate

• Temperament: Peaceful, sociable

• Lifespan: 10–15+ years (20+ with excellent care)

🐡 Care Requirements

✔️ Tank Size

Orandas are large, messy, oxygen-hungry fish.

• 1 Oranda: 20–30 gallons minimum

• Each additional: +10–15 gallons

• Filtration: High-powered, oversized filtration is essential

• Flow: Gentle—too much current makes swimming difficult

💧 Water Parameters

Fancy goldfish are cold-to-temperate water fish.

• Temperature: 65–74°F (18–23°C)

• pH: 7.0–8.0

• Hardness: Moderate to hard

• Ammonia/Nitrite: 0 ppm

• Nitrate: <20 ppm

Orandas do not tolerate ammonia or nitrite well due to their sensitive skin and wen.

🍽️ Diet

Orandas are omnivores that benefit from a mixed diet.

Best Foods:

• Sinking goldfish pellets (preferred over floating)

• Gel foods (Repashy, homemade gel food)

• Leafy greens (spinach, romaine, kale) — blanched

• Veggies (peas, zucchini, cucumber)

• Protein treats: bloodworms, brine shrimp, daphnia

Feeding Tips:

• Feed 2–3 small meals daily

• Avoid floating foods (reduces swim bladder issues)

• Fast one day per week

• Remove excess food — goldfish are messy eaters

🧽 Tank Setup

Safe Environment:

• Substrate: Fine sand or smooth gravel

• Plants: Live plants like anubias, java fern, pothos (rooted above)

• Decorations: Smooth rocks, driftwood, nothing sharp

• Lighting: Moderate

Avoid:

• Sharp edges (damages wen and scales)

• Strong filter currents

• Small openings they can get stuck in

🤝 Tankmates

Orandas are slow-moving and peaceful.

Best Tankmates:

• Other fancy goldfish (Ranchu, Lionhead, Demekin, Fantail, Pearlscale)

• Snails (mystery snails, nerites)

Avoid:

• Common/comet goldfish (faster, outcompete for food)

• Nippy fish (barbs)

• Fast tropical fish (guppies can nip the wen and fins)

🧠 Behavior

• Curious, gentle, interactive

• Slow swimmers

• Often beg for food

• The wen may slightly obstruct vision

• Can recognize their keepers

🪺 Breeding

Orandas breed like other goldfish.

• Males develop white “breeding stars” on gill plates

• Males chase females during spawning

• Eggs stick to plants or spawning mops

• Adults eat eggs—remove eggs or adults after spawning

• Fry grow quickly when fed baby brine shrimp and micro foods