Black and White Oranda 5cm

Black & White Oranda

Black and White Oranda goldfish are amazing because of how they adorably resemble pandas, their colours, chubby body, and clumsy demeanour add to this aesthetic incredibly. These fish are especially great for the goldfish collectors out there since black and white Oranda are not all that common. The contrasting colours are achieved through their unique genetics and these oranda are also a great alternative to the more basic strains like red caps.

Black and White Oranda get their name from the obvious colour distinction through their body. What makes these fish especially unique is that black colour tones almost always fade away in goldfish but remain quite prominent in these fish. When maturing goldfish go through a process called demelanisation which inhibits or removes any dark tones like black but the carefully bred genetics in these fish limit this process. The black colour in these Oranda tends to be most present in the fins and upper half of the body and the white is present everywhere else. Black and White Oranda have a comical round body shape with bubble growths on the face called a wen, overall these are just very adorable and odd-looking fish to keep.

Whilst goldfish are cold water tolerant and can be kept in outdoor ponds, it is better to keep orandas indoors. These fish are not the best swimmers and are bred in tropical countries, they may not be able to hide swiftly from predators outdoors or even tolerate the near-freezing temperatures that comet goldfish can live in. Breeding these fish in captivity however is possible, sexing these goldfish is a difficult task but once males and females reach maturity they can show some chasing behaviours. Females may also appear to be larger when filled with eggs and have clear cheek plates whereas males tend to develop star-shaped bumps.

Tank Recommendations for Black and White Oranda
The Black and White Oranda goldfish can get fairly big at 15 cm meaning that an individual fantail would need around 100 litres but a larger aquarium is always better because what is better than one Black and White Oranda? Two Black and White Oranda of course!

The thing to note however with Black and White Oranda goldfish is, that though they have stunning fins, they are not the best swimmers so a slower flow is better. A sand substrate is best as Oranda will actively sift through the sand, smooth river stones can be added for further decoration. Sharp materials should be avoided in the aquarium like pointy driftwood as Oranda goldfish can easily get injured by them.

Suitable Tank Buddies
Black and White Oranda are great fish as they are not aggressive in the slightest and can be kept with tank mates. Common tank mates they can be kept with are active and small cold water tolerant fish. The goldfish however might eat fry produced by these smaller fish however they will be perfectly fine with adults. Fin nipping species however should be avoided entirely as they will make short work of the flowing fins off the goldfish.

Usually Compatible
Medaka icefish, paradise fish, giant danios, zebra danio, White Cloud Mountain minnows

Sometimes Compatible
Species can be fin nippers like rosy barbs and also tropical species such as angelfish, dwarf cichlids, mollies, and species of a similar sort.

Rarely Compatible
Larger cichlids and fish that have a mouth large such as oscars, jaguar cichlids, and shrimp should also be avoided as fan tails will eat shrimp in an instant.

Feeding your Black and White Oranda
Feeding Black and White Oranda should be a breeze, they should immediately take to any aquarium food practically within 24 hours of being added to their new home. Having other fantails as well will really cost their confidence making them an almost ravenous pack when feeding (all friendly though). Slow-sinking foods would be best as Oranda have been known to at times get swim bladder issues after frantically gulping for food at the surface. Good quality pellets or flakes that are rich in algae or spirulina content are best to suit their herbivorous diet.