White Oranda Goldfish

White Oranda Goldfish

(Carassius auratus)

White Orandas are peaceful fancy goldfish with a rounded body, flowing double tail and the distinctive fleshy head growth known as a wen. Young fish may have very little visible head growth when first purchased, but this normally becomes more noticeable as they mature.

Their colouring can range from clean white to warm ivory or pale cream. Some fish may also show a soft yellow or peach tint around the face, fins or back. Colour and head growth can continue to develop as the fish gets older, so every White Oranda will look slightly different.

Orandas are slower swimmers and are best kept with other gentle fancy goldfish of a similar size. They should not normally be mixed with common goldfish, comets or shubunkins, as these faster varieties can easily outcompete them at feeding time. Avoid very strong water movement, as their deep body shape and long fins make swimming against a powerful current difficult.

They require a mature, fully cycled aquarium with strong biological filtration and plenty of open swimming space. As a guide, allow at least 100 litres for the first fancy goldfish, followed by approximately 50 litres for each additional fish. Ammonia and nitrite should always remain at zero, with regular partial water changes used to control nitrate and maintain stable water quality.

Feed a good-quality sinking fancy-goldfish pellet or gel food in small portions. Their diet can be varied with suitable vegetables and occasional frozen foods such as daphnia or brine shrimp. Sinking foods are generally preferable, as they reduce the amount of air swallowed while feeding at the surface.

Use smooth aquarium decorations and avoid sharp rocks, rough ornaments or hard plastic plants that could damage their fins or developing wen. White Orandas can grow to around 20cm, sometimes larger, and with the correct care they can live for well over ten years.

The photographs show examples of our current stock. The exact shade, pattern, body shape and level of head growth will vary between individual fish.