NEWS103
13
FemaleGoldenTench.
GoldenTenchmale.Theblackspotsarequite typical for theGoldenTench,and theywerementionedas longagoas theoriginaldescription in1782.
crustaceans,etc form themain foodof the
Tench.
The optimum temperature for the Tench
liesbetween12and26 °C.At temperatures
above28°C feeding stops, theydon’t like it
thathotandatstillhigher temperaturesgo
into a form of aestivation to survive. Food
intake also ceases in winter and the cold
part of the year is spent in hibernation.
From this it can readily be seen that the
Tench prefers to live in still and slow-
flowing waters. Hence the garden pond
and the aquarium suit it very well as
alternativehabitats.
TheTench inEuropeanculture
The flesh of the Tench has been valued
very differently at different times. The
Romans rather despised it andAUSONIUS
wrote that the Tenchwas fit only as food
for the common people. The popular
namesgiven to the fish insomepartsof its
range also demonstrate its low value: in
some parts of eastern and northern
Europe it is known as the shoemaker. The
fish is known simply as the Schleie
throughout the entire German-speaking
area (with slight local differences in
pronunciation suchasSchleihor Schleich),
which derives from the proto-German
word for slippery (slipan) and refers to the
thick layer of mucus on the skinwith the
tinyscalesso typicalof theTench. InFrance
(
Tanche
), inEngland (
Tench
), in Italy (
Tenca
),
andSpain (
Tinca
),bycontrast,variationson
theLatinnameTincahavebeenadopted.
Theextraordinarily thick layerofmucuson
this fishhasalsogiven rise toall sortsof for
superstitions in folklore. The most
widespread is the idea that theTench is the
“fishdoctor”,againstwhosehealing layerof
mucusall injured fishes rub themselves.
Accordingly the predatory Pike and Perch
do not eat the Tench, as they are grateful
for the service itoffersashealer.But this is,
of course, just as much nonsense as the
myth that binding a Tench to the belly
drives away jaundice,alive to the forehead
headaches, to the back of the neck eye
inflammation, and to the soles of the feet
plagueand fever.
Reproduction
TheTench becomes sexuallymature in its
thirdyearof life,when it isnormallyaround
20-30 cm long. If there are very large
numbers of Tench in the water and no
predators, then stuntingoccurs.The fishes
then don’t exceed a total length of 10-15
cm and also become sexually mature at
this small size. Essentially, sexual maturity
in fishes is not amatter of sizebut of age,
andTencharenoexception.
