The Oranda is a type of fancy goldfish that is distinguishable because of the hood that forms as an adult. Some may refer to them as a forked tailed or square edge tai. Eastern orandas have a deeply forked skinny lobbed tail. Orandas have lovely coloring with self-colored reds with an excellent color depth, keeping good coloration and hood growth. Breeding with these fish is a challenge for many breeders.
Orandas have a prominent growth in the cranial region that looks like a hood. Their cheeks and gills are not well developed. In the West and Far East, these fish have been fancied for ages. In Japan, Orandas are called azumanishiki.
Some distinguishing marks of the Oranda are:
- The depth of the body is greater than two thirds of the body length.
- Hoods are well developed
- All the fins are paired, except for the dorsal fin, which is single, and the caudal fin, which is divided
- The caudal fin length is approximately ? of the body length
- The body is approximately 5.5cm or 2 ? inches
- Forked tailed fish are acceptable but maybe down pointed
- Fantailed fish - fish with caudal fin held high is never accepted
The fish should be alert and bright. The dorsal fin is carried high and the caudal fins are well divided and flowing gracefully. The body should be of short length and rounded with a smooth outline. The three areas of the oranda hood which are the cranial, infra-orbital and opercular should be well developed.
Orandas have two colors - the Metallic or the variegated and Calico.
- Metallic oranda contain red, orange, yellow, blue, brown, or black color. This is also called variegated, which is of any color combination and includes silver. The color of burned metal is extended up to the fins.
- Calico has blue background with patches of violet, red orange, yellow and brown that is spotted with black. Fish with quality have high color intensity extending up to the fins.
Orandas need a diverse diet and should not be fed just one type of food. Their diets must be of different kinds. You can fee dthem peas, salad or cocktail shrimps, lettuce, frozen bloodworms, daphnia, krill, brine shrimps and of course live plants in your aquarium. Avoid putting in fake aquarium or unkown sea plants, Orandas may eat the non-edible plants which can make them sick or kill them. It is important to give them a good variety of food, but avoid overfeeding.
Orandas are best suited for indoor tanks but can be kept in a pond outside quite easily as well. During the winter season, orandas can stay outside provided your pond is deep enough to not freeze over. However, it is better to keep them inside for a more stable environment. It is not necessary to clean the Oranda aquarium everyday, once to twice a month is enough.
