Redcap Oranda Goldfish, Main

REDCAP ORANDA

A separate standard for the redcap oranda was published in 2016; previously, it was included as an oranda variety. The standard calls for a square-edged tail like that of the moor and the veiltail; this is difficult to achieve, and a forked tail is allowable but will be downpointed in shows. Far Eastern imports have a deeply-forked, thin-lobed tail and frequently have excellent cap development with good colour depth; all of the redcaps in the pictures below have the Far Eastern style finnage (although the uppermost photos show a fish bred in Britain).

The standard calls for a prominent growth (cap) on the top of the head (cranial region) only, giving the appearance of a hood, and no hood growth on the cheeks and gills (infra-orbital and opercular regions). In practice, it is difficult to avoid some slight fattening of the cheeks and gills, and occasionally one sees a redcap with a round face and red lips which is rather doll like.

In the Far East, fish with the rasberry-like growth covering the entire head are known as tigerheads, whilst the name oranda is reserved for fish with a prominent growth (cap) on the top of the head only, giving the appearance of a hood, and with less well developed growths on the cheeks and gills.

Redcap orandas first appeared around the year 1590.

THE STANDARD

The redcap oranda standard is as follows:

Depth of body to be approximately 65% of body length.
Caudal fin to be divided, well spread and held below the horizontal with the trailing edge having no apparent fork or pointed lobes; minimum length of caudal fin should ideally be 75% of body length.
Dorsal fin to be single, all other fins to be paired with their extremities having a pointed appearance.
Cranial region (cap) to be red and well developed.
Minimum length of body to be 5.5 cm (2¼ inches).
Forked tailed fish are allowable but may be downpointed.
Fantailed type fish, i.e. fish whose caudal fin is held high, will be disqualified.

The fish should be bright and alert. The body should be short and rounded with a smooth outline. The dorsal fin should be carried high and erect, and the caudal fin well divided and flowing gracefully. The hood should be well developed and in the cranial region only (see "Finnage and body plan" on our goldfish information page).

The colour should be metallic with deep red on the cap only, and the rest of the body should be white.

Ideal profiles are illustrated below:

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THE FISH

Mature adults

Redcap oranda shown at both BAS and GSGB 2011.

Redcap orandas photographed in Hong Kong in 2006.

Fish photographed in Hong Kong, December 2003.

Red colouration is confined to the top of the hood, which is enlarged; the growth on the cheeks and gills is less well developed. The body is silver-white (as in the bottom picture; there is a colour cast in the other photographs). Any red on the body or the fins is a fault, although occasional specimens with red lips are reminiscent of circus clowns.

Note the typical Far Eastern finnage.