Golden Orfe (Leuciscus idus)
Current record: 8lb 5oz
Water: Lymm Vale
The golden orfe is not a separate species, it's an ornamental colour variant of the ide (Leuciscus idus), bred specifically for its striking pale gold to silvery colouring rather than the darker, natural wild colouring described on our Ide page. Everything else about the fish, biology, behaviour, habitat, is genuinely the same species underneath.
Golden orfe are a popular choice for garden ponds and larger water features, prized for exactly the reasons that make them work poorly as a "hidden" pond fish: they're active swimmers, shoal readily near the surface, and that pale gold colouring makes them easy to spot and genuinely striking against dark water. They're also hardy, tolerating a wider range of water conditions than many ornamental alternatives, which is part of why they've stayed a popular choice for decades.
Diet and general care match the wild ide: omnivorous, happy on aquatic insects and plant matter in a natural setting, or commercial pellets and flakes in a stocked pond. They do best kept in groups given their natural schooling instinct, a lone orfe in a small pond tends to look restless rather than settled.
If you're after the full biology, habitat, and behaviour of the species, see our Ide page, it's the same fish underneath the colouring.