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. It is like a Veiltail Goldfish but with a bit shorter tail, and develops
a hood similar to the Lionhead Goldfish! This beautiful gold fish has a large
round shape, shimmering scales, and a long flowing split caudal (tail) fin that
fans out when it comes to a stop.
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", from which its English name
"oranda" derives.
The Oranda Goldfish is one of the
most popular goldfish in the world. It is favored for its hood, a fleshy growth
on the top of its head called the wen. The oranda can reach 20 to 31
centimeters (8 to 12 inches) in length.
The wen starts to show at about 3 - 4 months, but only really begins to
form at about 1 - 2 years. The hood gets fully developed when the fish gets to
be about 2-2 1/2 years old.
Orandas are sensitive to low water temperatures
and susceptible to the attention of other active goldfish. The Oranda can
tolerate temperatures from 17-28°C (65-80+°F). Oranda goldfish are especially
sensitive to cold temperatures, more so than other goldfish. 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.
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