red cap oranda question

[ChristyLynn]

I have this red cap oranda for about three years now. When it was very
young it had the red brains on the outside of the head look to it. After I
had it a few months it lost this feature, and to this day it still has the
red head, but it is flat. Every picture I see of them, they are like he was
when he was young. Is there a nutrient that keeps this feature that I'm
missing.

[carlrs]

ChristyLynn wrote:
> I have this red cap oranda for about three years now. When it was very
> young it had the red brains on the outside of the head look to it. After I
> had it a few months it lost this feature, and to this day it still has the
> red head, but it is flat. Every picture I see of them, they are like he was
> when he was young. Is there a nutrient that keeps this feature that I'm
> missing.

You need the amino acid; DL-methionine in your orandas diet to produce
the "cap" or lionhead feature.
Vegetable proteins contain this and Hikari Lionhead food has this amino
acid as an added ingredient.

Carl
http://americanaquariumproducts.com/Quality_Fish_Food.html

[ChristyLynn]

"carlrs" > wrote
> You need the amino acid; DL-methionine in your orandas diet to produce
> the "cap" or lionhead feature.
> Vegetable proteins contain this and Hikari Lionhead food has this amino
> acid as an added ingredient.


Can other fish live in a tank being treated with the amino acid? The one
oranda is in a community tank with cherry barbs and tetras.

[carlrs]

ChristyLynn wrote:
> "carlrs" > wrote
> > You need the amino acid; DL-methionine in your orandas diet to produce
> > the "cap" or lionhead feature.
> > Vegetable proteins contain this and Hikari Lionhead food has this amino
> > acid as an added ingredient.
>
>
> Can other fish live in a tank being treated with the amino acid? The one
> oranda is in a community tank with cherry barbs and tetras.

I would not use the word "treated" as this is not a medication but a
building block of protein.
DL-methionine is not harmful to other fish, but i do not recommend
goldfish with barbs and tetras for other reasons such as water
conditions, potential fin nipping, and other different dietary
requirements. That said, I do not mean to give you a lecture.

Since you have other fish besides your Oranda you will have to feed a
diet that is better for your Oranda, but not necessarily the best for
your other fish at your discretion. The Oranda has a slower metabolism
and is less efficient at digestion of food than the other fish.
I the Hikari Lionhead food has the highest amount of DL-methionine of
any food know, although many goldfish diets such as Hikari oranda Gold
and Sanyu Gold also contain it, party due to their content of vegetable
proteins and Quality Fish Meal.

Good luck, Carl

[ChristyLynn]

"carlrs" > wrote
> DL-methionine is not harmful to other fish, but i do not recommend
> goldfish with barbs and tetras for other reasons such as water
> conditions, potential fin nipping, and other different dietary
> requirements. That said, I do not mean to give you a lecture.


Well, I must have a mighty docile one, because the tetras and barbs have
been with him for the better part of three years. Granted they are the size
of one of his side fins, he could care less about them, and them of him. :)

Thank you for your other information. One last question. If I get the
lionhead food and also put in some regular flake food for the smaller fish,
would this be okay? The oranda is a pig and usually gets to the food first,
with the smaller fish catching what is floating down. Is the lionhead a
floating food? And just how long can an oranda live considering he is
already 3 years old?

Thanks.

[carlrs]

ChristyLynn wrote:
> "carlrs" > wrote
> > DL-methionine is not harmful to other fish, but i do not recommend
> > goldfish with barbs and tetras for other reasons such as water
> > conditions, potential fin nipping, and other different dietary
> > requirements. That said, I do not mean to give you a lecture.
>
>
> Well, I must have a mighty docile one, because the tetras and barbs have
> been with him for the better part of three years. Granted they are the size
> of one of his side fins, he could care less about them, and them of him. :)
>
> Thank you for your other information. One last question. If I get the
> lionhead food and also put in some regular flake food for the smaller fish,
> would this be okay? The oranda is a pig and usually gets to the food first,
> with the smaller fish catching what is floating down. Is the lionhead a
> floating food? And just how long can an oranda live considering he is
> already 3 years old?
>
> Thanks.

You will probably do fine there. I would recommend a food such as
Spirulina 1 for your flake food, as this food is alos beneficial to
your oranda.
The Lionhead food is a sinking pellet.
As for longevity, there are a lot of factors that go into this,
including tank size, feeding, even chemistry. But in general Orandas
live a while as fish go, about 15-20 years in well cared for aquariums
(sometimes much longer in ponds).

Carl
http://groups.msn.com/EverythingAquatic/

[swarvegorilla]

"ChristyLynn" > wrote in message
...
> "carlrs" > wrote
>> DL-methionine is not harmful to other fish, but i do not recommend
>> goldfish with barbs and tetras for other reasons such as water
>> conditions, potential fin nipping, and other different dietary
>> requirements. That said, I do not mean to give you a lecture.
>
>
> Well, I must have a mighty docile one, because the tetras and barbs have
> been with him for the better part of three years. Granted they are the
> size of one of his side fins, he could care less about them, and them of
> him. :)
>
> Thank you for your other information. One last question. If I get the
> lionhead food and also put in some regular flake food for the smaller
> fish, would this be okay? The oranda is a pig and usually gets to the
> food first, with the smaller fish catching what is floating down. Is the
> lionhead a floating food? And just how long can an oranda live
> considering he is already 3 years old?
>
> Thanks.
>

I feed my oranda a home made blend of shelled peas and a bit of zuccini or
yellow squash or cucumber, a few tablespoons of powdered spirulina, some
chopped prawn and non oily fish fillet....... blend it up and mix in some
geletin (or agar agar) disolved in hot water. Then set the goop in ice cube
trays, when hard tip them into an old icecream container or something and
store in freezer. They make a wicked addition to the goldfish pellets or
flakes. Plain shelled green frozen peas are a champion goldfish food for
keeping them regular LOL and mine like a handful of duckweed in their tank
every now and again. Duckweed has lots of vitamin C so helps prevent a lot
of diseases. I throw my goldys almost any bug from my garden, no sprays or
anything used... have to be careful of pesticides and stuff. But I mind a
coupla mangy cabbage and lettuce plants grow me heaps of these green
catapilla's. Earth worms are very popular. Feed live or freeze and chop up
with scissors in a cup.
I recon goldys do great on a basic aquaculture protien pellet of around 52%
protien!!! BUT YOU HAVE TO KEEP THE VEGE'S/WATER CHANGES and filter cleans
up!!
To get your goldy to 20 years old..... clean it's filter in a bucket of
aquarium water. This will keep your living filter alive and it will keep the
goldy alive!
I feed a 21 year old goldfish for someone every now and again. I shell heaps
of frozen peas, blend them and then dehydrate the paste in a dehydrator, you
end up with a green leather like stuff.
Perfect to use as an 'algae wafer' substitute. Not sure who came up with
that one but it's quite good.
Really with a bit of thought, cooking up stuff for goldys is easy peasy.

[Köi-Lö]

"ChristyLynn" > wrote in message
...
And just how long can an oranda live considering he is
> already 3 years old?
====================
My Orandas keep their "caps" without special diet items, but they do get a
variety of foods including fresh Orange slices and frozen goodies from the
pet shop. Goldfish can live 20 years or more when well cared for and can
get quite large.
--
KL....
Frugal ponding since 1995.
My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
http://tinyurl.com/9do58
~~~~ }<((((*> ~~~ }<{{{{(ö> ~~~~ }<((((({*>

[swarvegorilla]

"Köi-Lö" > wrote in message
...
>
> "ChristyLynn" > wrote in message
> ...
> And just how long can an oranda live considering he is
>> already 3 years old?
> ====================
> My Orandas keep their "caps" without special diet items, but they do get a
> variety of foods including fresh Orange slices and frozen goodies from the
> pet shop. Goldfish can live 20 years or more when well cared for and can
> get quite large.
> --
> KL....
> Frugal ponding since 1995.
> My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
> http://tinyurl.com/9do58
> ~~~~ }<((((*> ~~~ }<{{{{(ö> ~~~~ }<((((({*>
>
>
>
>

variety is the key indeed the spice for long life