Nagate oranda is a breed of goldfish whose most notable characteristic is its ability to regrow a tail. These fish are so fascinating because they change their appearance depending on how they are fed.
Fish who have been fed an acidic diet will produce venomous spikes along the edges of their fins and scales, while fish who have been fed a more balanced diet will remain rather docile with smooth scales and no spines.
Although the fish is named after a mythological creature, it is not a monster. The Nagate oranda is a Japanese goldfish that was bred in the United States. In Japanese mythology, nagas are serpentine creatures with scaly skin and the ability to regenerate lost body parts. They are said to possess magical abilities and live for thousands of years.
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How to identify Nagate oranda?
The Nagate oranda is usually a light orange color with dusky markings on its body. The fish is about 5 inches in length except for its tail, which can be one to two inches long. It has blue-green eyes with bright red pupils and no dark rings around them. Each scale on the fish’s body will alternate between a dark spot and a lighter color, much like the teeth of a shark.
It has a V-shaped dorsal fin on the back of its head, and the tail will have a white tip. Its scales are smooth and do not have any spikes or spines. With proper feeding, this fish can live for up to 20 years. The male Nagate oranda has a blue color while females tend to be yellow with dark brown dusky markings on their bodies.
How to care for Nagate oranda?
The Nagate oranda requires a fairly easy-to-care-for goldfish. It is easy to feed and it does well with a plant-based diet. Feed it crushed flakes, fruit flies, earthworms, or brine shrimp. It is advisable to keep the fish in a large tank so that it can swim around freely without being limited. The fish needs a tank that has a pH of 6 to 7 and a temperature between 72°F and 79°F. A filter is essential for the fish’s health, so providing air movement is important as well.
Feed materials:
Fish food – brine shrimp, earthworms, vampire shrimps, fly larvae, millipedes, mealworms, tubifex worms, and waxworms.
- Vegetables – Carrots, peas, spinach, beefsteak, and red leaf lettuce.
- Insects – crickets, grasshoppers, and cockroaches.
- Fruits – kiwi fruit and papaya.
Nagate oranda can grow to be 5 inches long but the tail may be a couple of inches longer than the body.
Water conditioner:
Soft water for salt-water fish; not soft enough for puffers. Use a brand that contains no dissolved salt. Most fish stores carry soft water conditioners. Soft water will also help to reduce the chance of the goldfish’s scales becoming damaged and even injuries due to rocks or other sharp objects in the tank.
Feeding process:
- Pour the prepared food into a clean container and serve it in an area of the tank where the goldfish will not be scared away by larger fish.
- If you are feeding fruit flies or brine shrimp, keep the container next to the tank. The fish will smell the food and swim over to eat it.
- If you are feeding earthworms or other live foods, place them in a feeding tube made from a plastic bottle lid with holes punched in it. You can attach it to a piece of fishing line that you can dangle at the bottom of the tank.
- The goldfish will see the food and swim over to eat it. The best way to feed earthworms or other live foods is to place them in a feeding tube made from a plastic bottle lid with holes punched in it. You can attach it to a piece of fishing line that you can dangle at the bottom of the tank so that the fish will be able to swim over and eat them.
Breeding:
- The eggs will usually hatch within 24 to 36 hours.
- When the baby goldfish are still very small, you can feed them powdered flake food mixed with egg yolk or even a tiny bit of finely chopped shrimp or frozen brine shrimp.
A toothpick dipped in the mixture works well for this purpose.
- The baby goldfish will not be able to eat solid foods for the first couple of weeks, so you will have to feed them smaller quantities of food at a time.
- The baby goldfish can be fed a diet that includes a few pieces of meaty fish food as well as flakes.
When giving them any protein, do not put it in their mouths but rather push it through the feeding tube and let the fish suck it up through its gills.
- The baby goldfish should be fed every other day for about a month and then maybe allowed to eat every day for about another month.
Uses:
This fish is best used as a pet due to its unique ability to regenerate. This can be done by feeding the fish correctly and keeping it well-fed. It is also best to keep it well-fed so the fish can heal itself if it ruptures any of its fins or scales.
They are not recommended to be kept with larger goldfish because they do not do well with any other fish. They are very active in the tank and will want to roam around while goldfish stay still at the bottom of the tank.
In summary:
These fish are very hardy, with the ability to regenerate if they lose their scales and even parts of their body. Only keep with other small fish. The goldfish is a freshwater fish that has been around for over 1,500 years.
More than 100 varieties of goldfish have been bred by humans for competitive purposes. They have no scales and are red or orange. Their bodies range in size from just a few inches to over 12 inches long.
