At a glance the quick version
Males rarely exceed about 3 kg; females can reach around 7 kg, with 7.5 kg the largest documented. A 4 kg fish is already considered big.
Looks how to spot one
Small-scaled, slippery-skinned fish (ornamental colour form)
Built just like the wild tench, with a sturdy body, rounded fins, a squarish tail and two small barbels, but bred for a warm golden colour that makes it easy to spot in a pond. Its skin is thick and smooth with very small embedded scales.32
Personality what they are like
Gentle and unhurried. Like wild tench it likes to stay near the bottom and among plants, but its colour means you see it more often.23
Daily activity how busy a day looks
Mostly active at night or in dull weather, spending bright days tucked into plants. In winter it rests on or in the mud and stays largely inactive until spring.23
Grooming and care the hands-on bits
A good choice for ornamental and garden ponds with plants and a soft bottom. Give it hiding places and somewhere to rest through the winter months.23
Home where they are happiest
Still or slow water with a soft muddy or clay bottom and lots of plants, such as a well-planted pond. FishBase lists 4 to 24 °C; German sources give about 12 to 26 °C as the preferred range. Copes well with lower oxygen levels.123
Food basics what goes in the bowl
Omnivorous bottom feeder. Eats small invertebrates such as insect larvae and snails, plus detritus and some plant matter and algae; it prefers animal food.123
The story where it all began
The golden tench is a colour form of the European tench that has been bred on purpose for ornamental ponds. It shares the wild fish's biology and long European history, including its 'doctor fish' nickname.32
Fun facts for the dinner table
- 1
Golden tench range from pale gold to deep red, and some individuals are dotted with black or red spots.3
- 2
Tench skin has very small scales sunk into a thick, slick skin, so the fish feels almost like an eel.3
- 3
Tench rest through winter in the mud instead of staying active like carp.2
- 4
A single female tench can produce up to around 300,000 eggs.2
Recognised by the official bits
- IUCN Red List
- Wild species Tinca tinca assessed as Least Concern (2022)1
- Fish of the Year (Germany / Austria)
- The tench species was Fish of the Year in Germany 2007 and Austria 2007 and 20242
The care rhythm Furry Diary remembers it for you
A typical home-care rhythm for a Golden Tench. It is our own starting plan, not a vet's advice, and you can change every line in the app.
- FeedingOnly in the warm seasonevery day
- Pond checkevery day
- Water testevery 2 weeks
- Filter cleanevery month
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Where this comes from
Every breed page shows where each fact comes from. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are pet people, not a science magazine. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
- FishBase: Tinca tinca fishbase.seused for range, size, weight, environment, diet, IUCN status
- Wikipedia (de): Schleie de.wikipedia.orgused for Goldschleie as ornamental pond form, size, temperature, winter rest, Fish of the Year
- Wikipedia: Tench en.wikipedia.orgused for golden variety colours, appearance, weights, behaviour
Checked 2026-09-30. Text is written in our own words from these sources.