ON THE WHITE SIDE

As my BBR have transitioned into CBR, their color patterns are becoming important in overall appreciation. The color itself is slowly developing from yellows and pale orange to brighter tones and reds. I am lucky to have the pond in a location where it receives a good amount of morning and late afternoon sun. That, combined with feeding them Wolffia and Saki Hikari Red promotes deeper reds and oranges.

As ranchu colors become more pronounced, I will be posting a series of articles illustrating their patters. After all, selecting ranchu based on a set of very strict standards until now was done in "black and white" (BBR). Our individual preferences of colors and patterns are now added to an already complicated selection process. It makes that "perfect" ranchu, we all are looking for, even more elusive. It is the time to start compromising between some physical imperfections (only few left however after several culls) and likable color patterns, already noticeable personalities and swimming tendencies of the young ranchu. 

In the spawn, I got quite a few sarasaaka (red motled with white) and sarasashiro (white mottled with red) patterns, but only one individual with a completely white body and yellow head ( kiatama), a nice contrast to the rest dominating red colored ranchu. As a reassurance of this prized color combination, two white bodied ranchu with yellow heads won first and second prizes in oya category at the 53rd All Japan Ranchu Show in 2013.

I hope with little time, the orange-red markings on the pectoral fins and tail of the below pictured ranchu will intensify for a stunning contrast against its pearl-white body and yellow head, creating this unique pattern.

CBR bred by High Ranchu, 75 days old

Another ranchu from the spawn carries white body, or almost white, with only tiny orange mark right before its yellow head. The fins turned out the most beautiful, colored in orange with even markings on the tail.

CBR bred by High ranchu

(BLOODWORMS + GREEN ALGAE) X BBR = GOOD HEAD

During the ranchu's early development, active feeding with a variety of foods is essential. Among the many, two foods are of most importance: fresh or frozen bloodworms and green algae. That is what directly effects the overall head growth, including funtan. While frozen bloodworms are readily available at the pet stores, green algae needs to be "cultivated" on the tank's walls and floor. Sufficient light and fish waste will do the trick. Soon enough, every surface in the tank will start getting covered with one of the best food supplements for ranchu - an assortment of algae.

But the job of "building" impressive head growth doesn't end after the ranchu pass through their BBR stage. As I have mentioned in my earlier posts, the head growth continues to develop throughout the ranchu life and can get rather big. It is necessary to foresee what the baby ranchu will look like when they are older by evaluating their head growth and feeding it bloodworms accordingly. For some, the head growth development needs to be slowed down and for some accelerated, by changing the feeding pattern.

Below is an example of one of my female ranchu with lack of proper head growth at three months. Despite her smaller and narrower head shape it was still possible to increase the head growth quite considerably by eleven months. Feeding her bloodworms and high protein pellets did the job. More work is needed. I hope by the oya age she will have a nice and balanced head.

Female at three months old.

The same female at eleven months old.

In the case of my eleven months old ranchu male below,  I might not want to stimulate his head growth from now on, as I would rather see it develop slower and not become unbalanced with his body in his oya age. We will see what happens in a year, but for now that is what I am hoping for.

Eleven months old male.

ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK

Baby ranchu are now 65 days old and are continuing with their color change. Some have almost finished and graduated to CBR, and some haven't started yet. I have been so focused on studying their structural qualities including tail shape and head development, that it is so great for a change to attune to colors. It is fascinating to watch color patterns appear, as black fades away. So far, I have some very cool orange and white combinations.

The BBR and CBR diet now consists of mainly frozen bloodworms with supplement of Japan Ranchu Lord and Saki-Red pellets and what makes me happy, a lot of green algae to forage on the bottom and the walls of the tank. Big changes are on the way, as color baby ranchu will be turning into tosai and start looking more like their parents. But for now, "orange is the new black".

AN ODD CASE

I recently identified an odd "pearlscale" ranchu among the rest. Not uncommon, "pearlscale" ranchu appear in offspring once in a while. They are prone to develop more or less rounded body. I will keep this fish and post more on its development.

55 DAYS OF AGE AND COUNTING

Every day is something different to observe among growing baby ranchu. At the age of two month without a week and between 1 ½ and 1 ¾ inches long, some BBR are still dark colored, while others soon to be named CBR. Despite lacking of color intensity for the moment, the whites and reds are already recognizable.

As Japanese ranchu masters say "The head is made before the color change",  it is important to achieve that characteristic rectangular head shape and noticeable funtan now. Although, some BBR are showing more and some less developed head, I heavily feed them with frozen bloodworms and supplement of other high on protein foods.

Below are some examples of transitional color stage.

Due to fish constant movement, it is hard to photograph young ranchu in a straight line. The baby ranchu pictured above all have straight and symmetrical bodies and tails. Their bellies are full with food.

THE BEST IN SHOW

At a month and a half, my BBR are going through color change. At this time some of the fish are showing signs of future red and white patterns. An important inspection is due in about a month, when I will be looking at the back and peduncle curve, as well as side view placement and shape of the tail. By that time, BBR will turn into CBR with their coloration in place, which will add another dimension in the selection process.

The ranchu are starting to demonstrate their personalities and swimming styles. Observe, observe, learn and observe!

Some of the best BBR from the April spawn

The BBR pictured above might appear not straight or symmetrical. It is only because they are constantly in motion and it is hard to photograph and freeze their body in exactly straight line. All the ranchu I am left with are with straight and symmetrical bodies and tails. All three tail types are present: yotsuo, sakurao and mitsuo (see my earlier post "Variations, Inclinations and Acceptance"). Also, all of the BBR have double anal fins, which is very important for becoming good swimmers.

51 DAYS OLD BBR

Reached 1.5 to 1.7 inches at fifty one days, BBR are growing fast and now are entering their color change stage. Each day, I notice more and more lighter or yellowing spots and streaks on their bodies.  Feeding is five times a day consisting of frozen bloodworms, frozen brine shrimp, Wolffia, BSD Freshwater Slow Sinking Pellets and Saki Hikari "Red" Pellets.

SEVEN WEEKS OF AGE

At 47 days from hatch, the BBR (kurroko) are growing strong. The tail peduncle (otsutsu) and scale bracelet (otsuke) are taking a great shape. The tail shoulders (ogata) are firm and holding the tail's shape well. At this stage, still barely noticeable, cheek protrusions (funtan) are starting to show. After previous culls I am left with 61 BBR. All BBR are now on a frozen bloodworm and brine shrimp diet, supplemented with Wolffia and algae growth. Soon enough I will start adding Saki Hikari purple pellets. For identifying ranchu body parts please see "Defining What Is What"

47 days old BBR

A TOUCH OF COLOR

Today is the 46th day since my ranchu hatched. And today, I have noticed the first signs of color change. One of the ranchu has a patch of lighter golden scales appeared on its back and side. As BBR will start to transition into CBR, it will be exciting to see what color patters will appear. Read about ranchu color patterns in my future post.

BLOSSOMING

While studying and working with orchids in my past career, I was fascinated to watch how orchid flowering buds develop into one of the most structurally complex flowers in nature. Under favorable conditions, each orchid will take its time to open their flowers until reaching perfection.

Phalaenopsis flowers at different stages of development

During raising ranchu fry, I noticed similar tendency in developing tails. At first the tail is narrow and small, opening slowly into that desired shape. It is true, not every fry will have that "perfect" tail, but with little or no experience it is easy to overlook what is good, while culling at an early stage.

Tail development in ranchu fry. From left to right: 11, 16, 21 and 35 days from hatch

For me these were the first culls and despite of a lot of reading and studying many photos, I was hesitant. One thing I learned is NOT to look for all imperfections at once. Each stage of ranchu development will open to more strength or weaknesses. As a novice, I used a method of choosing and culling poor fish, instead of seeking out fish with high quality and leaving the rest behind. This method is more forgiving and I had a better chance of keeping good quality fish and not overlooking it. However, with this method it is harder to keep the quantity down and it is very easy to overstock. The fry is growing fast and more culls must be performed. It is a must to maintain the right stocking density! As the number of BBR is reduced, I will be able to implement the reverse selection method and choose the best quality ranchu out of the rest.

Looking ahead, I think it might become more difficult to select, when BBR will start transitioning into CBR. Besides the physical standards one must seek perfect swimmers that ranchu are famous for and don't forget to pay attention to each fish personality.

THIRD CULL IS COMPLETED - DOWN TO 89

Third cull is done with only 89 ranchu remaining from nearly 600 initial fry number. The focus is still on the tail shape. Now it is more or less easy to spot any imperfections, still looking from above.

After the baby ranchu reached one month of age since hatching, I stopped feeding newly hatched brine shrimp and switched them to TDO Chroma Boost B2 granules, supplementing it with Wolffia and a grounded mixture of Ranchu Lord and Hikari Purple pellets. I have also started to give them frozen brine shrimp and soon frozen bloodworms. BBR are growing very fast and need most nutritious diet to develop a good foundation.

35 days old ranchu, 1.2 inches (3 cm) long with perfectly developing tail