Oranda

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Oranda
Country of origin
China
Type
Veiltailed
Breed standards
BAS
Red cap Oranda at Visakhapatnam, India

An oranda is a breed of goldfish characterized by a prominent bubbly-like hood encasing its head. The hood or headgrowth (also known as wen) encases the whole head except for the eyes and mouth.[1][2][3]

When it was first imported from China to Japan it was mistakenly thought to be native to Holland, and was therefore dubbed the "Dutch Ironmask" (オランダ獅子頭), from which its English name "oranda" derives.

Description

Due to the fleshy outgrowth on the upper half of its head and sides of its face, the oranda has become one of the most popular goldfish. It is described as a wen by the aquarists. The oranda is a metallic or matte scaled goldfish that is similar in appearance to the veiltail. It has a large, long and deep body accompanied by a long quadruple tail. This four-lobed and contracted tail normally spreads out broadly when the oranda stops swimming. The back does not rise up to form a ryukin-like hump.[2][3]

Orandas are available in a variety of colors, most often orange, red, red-and-white, red-and-black, black, blue, chocolate, bronze, white or silver, black-and-white (panda-colored), red-black-and-white (tricolor), and calico colors.[1][2][3]

The headgrowth of young fry may take one to two years to develop.[1][2] The oranda can reach 20 to 31 centimeters (8 to 12 inches) in length.[2][3] A specimen from China, named "Bruce" (after late actor and martial artist Bruce Lee), has attained 15 inches in length.[1] Sometimes the wen grows enormously covering its eye. Due to this the eyesight is either limited or the fish has no vision. Special care should be given to the wen because it is prone to bacterial infections. The Oranda can tolerate temperatures from 17-28°C (65-80+°F).More recently blue scale oranda have been developed but these fish are very rare.[4] Oranda goldfish are especially sensitive to cold temperatures, more so than other goldfish.

Large Oranda

Variants

A pair of red cap oranda goldfish. The one on the left has red-colored lips.
  • The azuma nishiki is an attractive nacreous-colored form of the oranda.[2]
  • The red-cap oranda has a silver body with a prominent red headgrowth on the forehead.[2]
  • Chinese breeders have developed telescope eyed orandas, a cross-breeding of the telescope eye and oranda goldfishes.[3]
  • The hana fusa or white pompom oranda is an elegant pompom with a dorsal fin.[2]
  • The nagate oranda is a long body oranda developed in Shikoku, south west area of Japan.
  • The panda oranda is a variety of oranda that is bi-colored or tri-colored, most identifiable by the black-and-white coloration for which it is named.

Special care

Orandas are sensitive to low water temperatures and susceptible to the attention of other active goldfish.[2] If their wen grows too much, it may hinder vision, so it is advised to keep them with others that have this disability in order to make sure that they do not starve because of the able-sighted competition. Their wen is also susceptible to injury from rough objects placed in their residence.

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Oranda.
  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Koko's Goldfish World: Oranda, KokosGoldfishWorld.com, retrieved on: 3 June 2007.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 Andrews, Chris. An Interpet Guide to Fancy Goldfish, Interpet Publishing, 2002. - ISBN 1-902389-64-6
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Johnson, Dr. Erik L., D.V.M. and Richard E. Hess. Fancy Goldfish: A Complete Guide to Care and Collecting, Weatherhill, Shambala Publications, Inc., 2006. - ISBN 0-8348-0448-4
  4. ↑ Free Information Keeping Oranda Goldfish

External links

Breeds of goldfish
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