Common rudd up to 10cm

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 any problems. Our staff will also be happy to advise you on transport and the correct placement of the fish in your pond.

Origin and Appearance
The common rudd, also known as rötel or röteli, is a native small fish species belonging to the carp family. They are found in Europe from the Urals to the Pyrenees. Rudd can also tolerate a relatively high concentration of salt in the water and are therefore often found in brackish water.

Rudd are deep-bodied and laterally flattened. The back and top of the head are brown to grey-green, the sides are lighter and golden to brass-coloured. As the name suggests, the most typical feature of the rudd is its almost blood-red coloured ventral, anal, and dorsal fins.

On average, rudd grow to between 20 - 30cm and weigh 250 - 300g. There are exceptional specimens of 50cm and up to 2 kg. Under optimal conditions, rudd can live for up to 20 years.

Rudd are often confused with roach, and various hybrid forms also exist, as the animals can interbreed due to their similar genetics. They can be distinguished by the shape of their mouth: the rudd has an upturned mouth, while the roach has a terminal mouth. The eye colour can also be used to distinguish the animals. The iris of the rudd is yellow to orange, while that of the roach is red.

Care and Feeding
Rudd prefer to feed on algae and aquatic plants, and occasionally on small organisms in the bank area. In domestic garden ponds, we feed the animals with special mini-pellets, which they readily accept.

They are schooling fish that prefer to live in still or slow-flowing waters with muddy bottoms. Here they prefer to swim in the overgrown, shallower areas and reed fringes.

Rudd are robust and adaptable fish that are rarely ill and do not have high demands on oxygen saturation or elevated water temperatures. Therefore, they are excellently suited for stocking in biotopes or smaller garden ponds.

Rudd become sexually mature from the age of 2 - 3 years. Their spawning season is between April and July at water temperatures of 18 degrees and above. During this phase, the animals seek out the shallow and overgrown bank areas and lay their eggs on the aquatic plants there. Since rudd often spawn with other carp-like fish, cross-breeding of species can occur, leading to the formation of so-called hybrid forms.

They are peaceful and social, so they can easily be kept with other carp-like fish. However, rudd are rather timid and react sensitively to changes in the pond.

Good water values are a prerequisite for keeping rudd, so a filter system is essential for the well-being of the animals.

Water Temperatures and Wintering
Rudd are native 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.