Golden Tench 6 - 9cm

Please note that we do not ship fish by post. All fish must be collected from us in Oberweningen. We will pack the fish professionally for you and ensure sufficient oxygenation. This means that even longer transports can be handled without problems. Our staff will also be happy to inform you about transport and the correct placement of the fish in 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 all over their body.

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

Golden tench grow to 20 - 65cm 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 strikingly large dorsal fin.

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

Golden tench are very robust and adaptable fish that can temporarily go into a cold or heat coma. Thus, they can temporarily cope 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 be easily socialized with other carp-like pond fish.

Spawning season for golden tench takes place between April and June, depending on water temperature. They require 18 - 20 degrees for successful reproduction. During this time, the females lay up to 300,000 eggs on aquatic plants, where they are then fertilized by the males. The female 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 tolerate temperatures between 4 - 28 °C well. Therefore, overwintering in our domestic garden ponds is not a problem.