Orfe, or Ide, are closely related to the carp family and are found across Northern Europe and Asia. They are a shoaling predatory fish, in the wild they eat insects, crustaceans, mollusks and small fish, but will happily accept pond food.There are golden and blue varieties of orfe, the blue have being selectively bred.

Because of their predatory nature, many pond keepers introduce a shoal of orfe to their pond to keep insect populations to a minimum, however care must be taken if other fish are breeding, as they will eat the fry.Because orfe should be kept in a shoal will need to be housed in a medium to large pond. They are less hardy with chemical treatments than some other pond fish varieties, so extra care must be taken not to overdose. They also require more oxygen in the water.

Species Information

Maximum Length: 85cm

Common Length: 30cm

Max. Published Weight: 4Kg

Max Published Age: 18 years

Ideal pH Range: 7.0 – 7.5

Preferred Temperature Range: 4°C - 20°C