Golden tench approx. 20-30cm

Please note that we do not ship fish by mail. All fish must be picked up at our location in Oberweningen. We will professionally package your fish and ensure sufficient oxygenation. This allows even longer transports to be handled without problems. Our staff will also be happy to advise you on transport and the correct introduction of the fish into your pond.

Origin and Appearance
The golden tench is a cultivated form of the native tench. It is also called "doctor fish" because it is said that other animals do not get sick in its company. Golden tench are orange to light orange and have black spots distributed over their entire body.

They prefer to stay near reed beds, water lily fields, or heavily overgrown areas, where they primarily search for food on the bottom.

Golden tench grow 20 – 65cm long and can live up to 20 years. The terminal mouth is thick-lipped, protrusible and, like the carp, has two barbels. Another typical characteristic is their conspicuously large dorsal fin.

Care and Feeding
Golden tench feed primarily on microorganisms or snails and plants. In domestic garden ponds, we feed golden tench with sinking pellets, as the fish prefer to take their food from the bottom. The light-shy golden tench are rather cautious when foraging and feeding, preferring the night or early morning hours. The golden tench has no teeth in its jaw, but like the carp, it has so-called pharyngeal teeth located deep in the back, with which it can crush the ingested food.

Golden tench are very robust and adaptable fish that can temporarily fall into a cold or heat stupor. This allows them to cope temporarily with very little oxygen. Even smaller bodies of water such as village ponds or overgrown forest ponds are therefore an ideal habitat for golden tench. Thanks to their peaceful nature, golden tench can easily be socialized with other carp-like pond fish.

The spawning season for golden tench takes place between April and June, depending on the water temperature. They need 18 – 20 degrees for successful reproduction. During this time, the female animals lay up to 300,000 eggs on aquatic plants, where they are then fertilized by the males. The female animal does not lay all the eggs at once; the spawning season can extend over two months. The sex of golden tench can be determined by their pectoral fins. Males have large, spoon-shaped fins, while females have longer and more pointed, rather triangular-looking fins.

Good water values are a prerequisite for keeping golden tench; a filter system and oxygenation are therefore essential for the well-being of the animals.

Water Temperatures and Wintering
Golden tench are cold-water fish and can cope with a wide variety of conditions. They can tolerate temperatures between 4 – 28 °C well. Wintering in our domestic garden ponds is therefore not a problem.