The Oranda Goldfish is an Oddball
by Talulah
The oranda goldfish was first bred in the 1590s when a red capped oranda was first found. The oranda is one of the most bred goldfish and are commonly found in pet stores under the name of lionhead but true lionheads lack a dorsal fin. It is widely appreciated by western and eastern goldfish keeper for it’s charm and availability.
The oranda is most known for it’s raspberry like growth on it’s head know as a wen. There are 6 types of oranda classified by their wen or lack thereof. The first type that pops up when you look for oranda goldfish is likely to be the red capped. It has a bright red high head wen set at op a white head and body. They can have red patches on their body though all white is most desirable to breeders. The second is another classic. A full head growth that will cover the head and may require trimming. Fish with this wen can come in any color and the wen size can become very large or very slight, hardly notice able and the wen is usually the same color as the fishes body.
A mix of the previous types is the high head wen oranda. The wen is high on the top of the head like a crown or the red capped oranda but the wen matches the color of the fishes body. There is also a highly desirable oranda coming around. The pom pom. It has the wen only near the nostrils like pom poms that can grow quite large without trimming. The color can match the fish but like Tallulah’s fish Billy, they can also come in striking contrast. The most recent type of oranda is the Tiger head. It’s wen is similar to the classic oranda but much larger. The wen will need trimmed regularly to keep it from over crowding the fish. The last type of oranda is the wenless. It looks much like a fantail with only slight differences to the body shape.