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
A thick-set fish with a deep tail root, a squarish tail and rounded fins. Its tiny scales sit deep in a thick, slimy skin that feels almost as smooth as an eel. The thick-lipped mouth has two short barbels.32
Personality what they are like
Shy and peaceful. It keeps a low profile among plants and on the bottom, and gets on well with other calm pond fish.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
Suits a mature, planted pond with a soft bottom where it can root about and rest through winter. Because it hides a lot, expect to see it mainly around dusk.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
Carl Linnaeus described the tench scientifically in 1758, and the genus name Tinca followed in 1764. In Britain it became known as the 'doctor fish' through an old belief that other fish rubbing against its slime would be healed. It is also farmed and fished for food across Europe.231
Fun facts for the dinner table
- 1
Its old nickname 'doctor fish' comes from folklore about the healing power of its slime.3
- 2
A female can lay as many as 300,000 sticky green eggs, spread over many weeks in summer.1
- 3
Unlike carp, tench spend the winter in a near-dormant rest in the mud.2
- 4
The British rod-caught record, set in 2001, was a fish of about 6.9 kg.3
- 5
It was named Fish of the Year in Austria twice, in 2007 and again in 2024.2
Recognised by the official bits
- IUCN Red List
- Assessed as Least Concern (2022)1
- Fish of the Year (Germany / Austria)
- 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 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, spawning, IUCN status
- Wikipedia (de): Schleie de.wikipedia.orgused for description, size, temperature, winter rest, history, Fish of the Year
- Wikipedia: Tench en.wikipedia.orgused for appearance, weights, record, folklore, behaviour
Checked 2026-09-30. Text is written in our own words from these sources.