Oranda

[DonMD]

So my lovely wife has decided she wants a dedicated tank for Oranda. I've got a 30 gal ready to go. Does anyone have advise for me about these fish, setup, another forum, anything?

Thanks, -Don

[Scribbles]

You need a bigger tank. Goldfish are so messy that 25 gal/fish is recomended. I always overfiltered my Orandas and did massive wc just like discus. I like Orandas but I just find discus easier.

Chris

[rickztahone]

You need a bigger tank. Goldfish are so messy that 25 gal/fish is recomended. I always overfiltered my Orandas and did massive wc just like discus. I like Orandas but I just find discus easier.

Chris

man, sounds difficult to keep goldfish :)

[DonMD]

Thanks, Chris. That's surprising -- the few blogs my wife found recommend 1 fish per ten gallons, same as for discus, and a once per week water change. Are we talking the same fish ? ? ? Good grief!


You need a bigger tank. Goldfish are so messy that 25 gal/fish is recomended. I always overfiltered my Orandas and did massive wc just like discus. I like Orandas but I just find discus easier.

Chris

[chicklett1]

It's not so hard. I have a couple of Orandas. It's fine to start em in a 30G as long as they are small and you are aware that they may one day need a bigger pad. I'd say 3 in a 30G is plenty. They can get quite large over time. When I was a kid, my grandfather in Japan had a 3 enormous (maybe 7-8 inches) orandas in a 75G. He claimed they were 15 years old. We never knew if he was telling the truth or not!

I overfilter my water by having 2 filters instead of one, and this way I can maintain good biofiltration even if I change one of the filters. I gravel vac and do a 30% WC every week. I prefer soaked pellets as a staple over flakes because I find them much less messy. If your fish don't eat all of the pellets right away, you can easily scoop out the excess with a net. I do feed them a variety of foods, though, including blood worms, veggie mix, california black worms, and funny enough, Hikari discus gold. Basically, if my discus are getting a treat, I share with the goldies. I have noted with the goldfish that if I don't feed them veggies, they start to eat the plants--especially the moss balls, which creates a mess. I keep the water temp at 70ish.

As for disease, the only problems I have encountered are ich, which cleared up with the usual treatment, and anchor worms, which came with a new fish. Anchor worms are bad news. Do a google search to learn what they look like and then look very very very carefully at new stock before you buy them.

The usual advice regarding tank cycling and quarantining apply, of course. Know that they will cause a huge nitrite spike if you don't cycle well. If you can grab a filter that already has good biofiltration and transfer it to your new tank, it would be good.

Overall, though, I have had good luck with Orandas, and while they are more delicate than other goldfish, I think on the discus scale, they are pretty easy keepers. If you want really beautiful fish, I would look into breeders (just like discus!) and shell out the extra money for a really nice fish. Good luck, and post pics when you get them all set up!

Here are some forums/websites:
http://thegab.org/
http://www.goldfishsociety.org/index.html
http://goldfishkeepers.com/forum/index.php

[DonMD]

Excellent information, Cricklett. Thanks! I'll check out those web sites.

So, should I get 3 "breeder quality" orandas for our 30 gallon square tank, or do you think it's too small? Obviously I'm used to daily water changes for my 125 discus tank, and could easily handle 50% weekly for an Oranda tank. 3 is enough? or too many? in 30 gallons? with good water params? -Thanks!

[Mr Wild]

They like the centres of peas and it helps keep them regular. That was the only problem I had when I kept them if the get constipated they can start floating - not a good look. Their shape just screams digestive problems so I guess it just makes sense. I started with Orandas them moved to Discus!

They are pigs so don't over feed, make sure their food is soaked before giving it to them and they do not like a really strong flow as they can be poor swimmers - not aerodynamically shaped - but for all that I loved mine, they will come over just like discus and I used to pat mine when feeding.

As with all goldfish they have a lifespan of about 25 years and they can get very big, one of mine was 8 inches long and about 5 inches round!

Good luck!

[nikond70s]

watch out dont let the goldfish bug bite. next thing you know you might be spending hundreds of dollars like me on goldfish. yeah goldish can cost a lot. who would of thought right?i've been spending more money and time on my goldfish than my discus. saving up to get more goldfish.

[chicklett1]

Excellent information, Cricklett. Thanks! I'll check out those web sites.

So, should I get 3 "breeder quality" orandas for our 30 gallon square tank, or do you think it's too small? Obviously I'm used to daily water changes for my 125 discus tank, and could easily handle 50% weekly for an Oranda tank. 3 is enough? or too many? in 30 gallons? with good water params? -Thanks!

I think 3 in a 30 gallon would be fine for, say, the next 5-7 years if you get them small, as they don't actually grow that fast. When you start looking, though, the temptation will always be to drop a small fortune on a ginormous fish, because they are just so beautiful and interesting when they are in the 7-8 inch range!

Just make sure your biofiltration is well established, follow your nitrates and nitrites, do your water changes, and don't overfeed. Oh, and the advice about shelled peas is really good! I do that too. I think the fish actually really love peas.

[DonMD]

I think 3 in a 30 gallon would be fine for, say, the next 5-7 years if you get them small, as they don't actually grow that fast. When you start looking, though, the temptation will always be to drop a small fortune on a ginormous fish, because they are just so beautiful and interesting when they are in the 7-8 inch range!

Just make sure your biofiltration is well established, follow your nitrates and nitrites, do your water changes, and don't overfeed. Oh, and the advice about shelled peas is really good! I do that too. I think the fish actually really love peas.

OK, the fish love peas ! ! ! My wife says, "fresh or frozen ! ! ! ? ? ?"

Anyway, I'm still thinking of setting up that 30g as a breeding tank for some amorous discus in my show tank ! ! ! BUT, it's NOT up to me.:p:p:p

[Scribbles]

Thanks, Chris. That's surprising -- the few blogs my wife found recommend 1 fish per ten gallons, same as for discus, and a once per week water change. Are we talking the same fish ? ? ? Good grief!

Hmmm...I've always heard 25gallons per goldfish. Who knows. Maybe 10 gallons is ok for the little juvies. Anyway they are the messiest fish but very personable. LFS told me that a weekly wc was sufficient but to me the tank just didn't seem clean enough between wc. I can be kinda anal about clean tanks though. My fish were happier when I did 3x week wc especialy in the summer. Some of my friends that have big expensive goldfish use chillers in the summer but I never did.

Chris

[chicklett1]

OK, the fish love peas ! ! ! My wife says, "fresh or frozen ! ! ! ? ? ?"

Anyway, I'm still thinking of setting up that 30g as a breeding tank for some amorous discus in my show tank ! ! ! BUT, it's NOT up to me.:p:p:p

I think either fresh or frozen is fine, but it is important to shell them. If I feed them frozen, I shell them and then soak them in water for a few minutes so they are water temperature, but I'm not sure if that actually matters to the fish or not.

30G is an awfully nice size for a breeder tank. ;) But the orandas a fun too. They are quite personable. Mine will eat out of my hand and nibble on my fingers.

[Mr Wild]

Re the peas, I only ever used frozen - take 4 or 5 out and let them thaw only takes 2 mins then peel the outer shell off them and you are left with the soft inner pea, depending on the size of your fish you may want to chop it up into 1/2 or something then I used to drop them into the water one by one to make sure everyone got a couple of pieces each. It can be a treat every other day, and yep they like it. Mine would eat the cucumber I had in there for the BN as well - at least providing them with greens keeps them away from your plants a little!

HTH