If you’re an aquarium enthusiast, you may want to consider the oranda goldfish as your pet. This PetPonder extract gives you tips to take proper care of your pet.
Chinese breeders have developed telescope-eyed orandas, a cross-breeding of the telescope eye and oranda goldfish.
An oranda is a goldfish breed characterized by a salient feature-bubbly-like hood surrounding its head. The hood or head growth is known as wen and encases the whole head barring the eyes and mouth. It is a designer breed, the parents being the veiltail goldfish and the lionhead goldfish. Thus, it has metallic or matte scales that are similar to the veiltail. Its body is large, and its tail is long and quadruple. To be honest, oranda is not a beginner’s fish.
Understanding the need to take proper care is very essential to handle this delicate goldfish for its longevity.
Know Your Pet Oranda!
✦ Striking feature: Oranda is one of those fancy goldfish that can be easily recognized for its hood or cap. This is a large, fleshy growth covering the top part of its head, known as a “wen”. It is fully developed when the fish is about 2 years old.
✦ Color: It comes in a variety of colors―calico, orange, red, black, silver, tricolor, and likewise. The most common types of oranda goldfish are Red Cap, Black Oranda, and Calico Oranda.
✦ Size: The adult size can vary from 8 -12 inches.
✦ Diet: They don’t need special fish food, but they are prone to bladder problems and infections, if fed wrongly. Dried fish food flakes and pellets, things like frozen bloodworms, brine shrimp, and lettuce will provide them the nutrients they require to grow to their potential.
✦ Temperature: They prefer a temperature in the range of 65 – 75°F, and are highly sensitive to cold water conditions. They don’t do well in outdoor ponds where temperatures fall dramatically.
✦ Habitat: A cold water tank or pond is required. They should be brought in during the cold months.
✦ Behavior: They are peaceful, friendly, and attractive. So overall, they are a good community fish.
Things You’ll Need to Take Good Care
✦ 20 – 30 gallon tank
✦ Aquarium filters
✦ Aquarium heater
✦ Aquarium thermometer
✦ Decorations
✦ pH test kit
✦ Goldfish food
Tank Requirements
Size of the Tank
Oranda goldfish can grow up to 12 inches in length. Their egg-shaped bodies consume a lot of space in the tank. So you need a tank of at least 20 – 30 gallons. If you are housing more than one fish, then the tank size should be increased accordingly.
Water Aeration
Goldfish tend to be oxygen hoggers. It is wise to have a tank with a good surface area exposed to air. Use a good-quality filter to make sure that the water is moving and has enough oxygen content.
Filtration
Oranda can be messy at times. They do not do well in dirty water, so a filtration system will help keep the environment under water fresh and clean. Hence, it is recommended to have a filter that runs 10x aquarium volume per hour. Also, an aquarium heater is required as these are prone to shock if their water temperature falls too low.
Tank Setup
It is advisable to keep the aquarium decorations smooth because the presence of any sharp or jagged edges can cause the little oranda to cut itself. Keep the decorative stuff at a minimum, so that your oranda has enough room to swim. Also, layer the bottom of the tank with gravel substrate, probably medium-sized, to make your pet feel at home.
Disease/Illness
Keep a check on your oranda on a daily basis. Watch out for lack of appetite, and change in swimming movements. If you see some white specs appearing on your pet’s body, it is likely to be infected by a fungus called ich, which needs to be medicated. If your tank has more than one fish, move your oranda to another one for the time being, till it gets perfectly fine.
Some Additional Tips
✦ They have a lower tolerance for polluted environment. The caps on their heads grow better if the water is kept clean. So, try keeping your tank as clean as possible.
✦ The hood is infectious to debris, bacteria, and fungi that gets collected. So again, cleaning is important.
✦ Oranda should never be kept in a fish bowl.
✦ A healthy fish would consume all the food in two minutes of feeding. If there is food in the aquarium after this time has elapsed, there’s something fishy! This may be due to poor water quality, and may make your goldfish more susceptible to the disease.
✦ Add aquatic snails to their tank to help keep it clean.
Oranda as a Tank Mate
Orandas are recommended for experienced fish keepers. Daily care is needed for them to survive for long.