If you want a fancy looking goldfish that has an unusual characteristic and you might consider the Oranda goldfish for your aquarium. This fish has a beautiful metallic scaled appearance and comes in a variety of colors from yellow to bright red as well as an interesting chocolate color and a pure white with a red cap.

The interesting characteristic of this goldfish is that they have a bumpy growth on the top of their head which develops when they are a couple of years old. This growth is called a wen and is an unusual, but somewhat appealing characteristic. While this differentiates the Orlando from other goldfish he is similar in many other ways including his paired anal fans and dorsal fin.

The Oranda goldfish can grow to be about 7 inches in length and will survive best in the tank that is between 65 and 72 degrees F. Like other goldfish, he is a good community fish and will even help to clean excess food from the bottom of the tank. However, you must be sure to keep him in a tank that is of sufficient size keeping in mind the population of fish you wish to house in the aquarium. Appropriate aquarium maintenance is a must to keep the water quality in good shape. While goldfish are hardy, they will do best with a well cared for tank.

Goldfish are omnivores, and the Oranda is no exception so you want to be sure to feed him a good-quality flake food every day. In addition, you want to include some fresh or frozen foods such as tubifex worms, brine shrimp or blood worms. Keep in mind that live foods can introduce parasites and bacteria into the tank so you might want to stick to frozen foods only.

With the Oranda, you do want to be careful about bacterial infections because debris, fingi and bacteria can get caught in the folds of their wen. Well, for the most part, these fish will be fine you do want to keep an eye out for any red or wall looking patches and take the appropriate steps to clear up an infection should one arise. On some fish, you may be alarmed to notice that the wen has grown to cover over the eyes. This seems to disturb the owners more than the fish, however, and the Oranda somehow does fine even if it seems like he can't see where he is going.

Originally from China, Oranda goldfish can be found in most pet stores today. They are not inexpensive fish, however, they can be a bit delicate and may not be the best choice for a novice aquarist.