Red Cap Oranda Question...Help!!

[katierae]

Hello, work at a small family owned pet store and about 4 months ago we got in a shipment of goldfish which included several orandas, each about 2 inches long. about 2 months ago i got the last one and he has grown about twice his size since then and is quite happy, anyway...back onto subject...my question is about his "cap"... Orandas caps are supposed to be big and bulging right? well mine's is almost flush to the rest of his body... it always has been....will it grow?!! i am concerned about it and i haven't been able to find much information on this anywhere. any tips or info would be greatly appreciated. thanks!

 

[jacblades]

do you have a picture? i have heard of people getting "orandas" (if thats what theyre really getting) and being told the wen will grow with time but it never does. if you cant get a good answer here, try koko-s goldfish forum there are tonds of goldfish experts there.

 

[silentskream]

i have heard that it depends on size, and health. i have a 1 inch long now, and she is like you were saying, her wen is hardly sticking out at all. but she's small still, and hopefully it will pop up eventually.

another possibility is that the wen only grows during certain seasons, but since an aquarium doesnt really have "seasons" the wen may not know its time to grow! one option is to change the tank temp (VERY SLOWLY MIND YOU only a few degrees over several weeks, they cant handle temp changes very well) and then, taking about the same amount of time, "unchange" the temperature, back to the original. i'm not positive this will work, but it would make sense.

 

[aquariumfishguy]

I believe you already asked this question in another forum (somewhere) and I told you that the Wen grows after 1-3 years. It might not be fully grown until 3 years or more. Yes, it is normal not to see much of the Wen at a young age. When the fish are still small and have not matured, it usually means you can count on the wen being minimal if apparent at all. Just give it time...

 

[critterluv]

Oranda's head peeling?

I have had my Oranda for about 6 months now, he's getting very large,
(which I expected) and this past month, the cap on his head is peeling off as it has grown, almost altogether, and there is a paler yellower cap there now. Normal as they grow,...(shed's like snake does as it grows?) or something else wrong? He is perfectly healthy, eats like there is no tomarrow!

Also, is the Oranda strickly coldwater, or have any done ok in freshwater tank?
Please let me know