HIGHRANCHU TIMELINE - ONE FISH'S JOURNEY - PART I

It was hard for me to find photos of ranchu development timeline to see how a particular ranchu changes over time. So, I have decided to periodically photograph four of my fish, which hatched on April 14, 2014.

It is a great way to study and see the grooming faults and successes through the years. It is also a way to observe aging tendencies in a particular bloodline if you are concerned with how your ranchu will look in late OYA age.

So here is the female fish study from CBR to current OYA, since 2014.

Little under 3 months old. Photographed on July 8, 2014

Little over 3 months old. Photographed on July 28, 2014

Little over 5 months old. Photographed on September 27, 2014

Little under 10 months old. Photographed on February 6, 2015

Little under 1 years and 7 months old. Photographed on November 2, 2015

Little under 3 years and 3 months old. Photographed on July 5, 2017

COMMENTS

For me, this is a remarkable OYA fish of 6 in (15.25 cm) long. The body didn't change much and retained its elongated shape and good outline. The tail has no visible changes and maintains a good outline and placement. The head, on the other hand, is changing. Its become wider, but kept its overall shape without an overgrown wen. Also, the coloration and pattern are stable, with very minimal changes.

Please feel free to post your own comments.

RED IS THE COLOR

Solid red or red-orange is the "official" ranchu color. The brighter and deeper the color, the more beautiful the ranchu gets. Solid red is one of my favorite. In my opinion, deep red color makes ranchu's shape and form better appreciated, without any obstruction by the color pattern. Japanese character used to describe red ranchu is 猩々 and means orangutan, solid color.

Pictured below CBR have just completed transitioning from black to red. Melanophore, a black pigment, was replaced with carotinoid pigment, producing red and orange color. At first baby ranchu appears yellow, further developing deeper orange and red. With a proper grooming these baby ranchu will reach that desired red fairly soon.

CBR bred by High Ranchu

CBR bred by High Ranchu

Development of deep red color in ranchu can be affected in a few ways. One is the sun. The ranchu that receives several hours of sunlight will develop a desirable color depth. If sunlight is unavailable, artificial lighting with a daylight spectrum will be a good substitute. Also, the darker the walls and the bottom of the tank the better the color will show. Goldfish can lighten or darken its color depending on the surrounding. This ability to camouflage comes from their wild ancestors, although have lost its survival function in goldfish, it effects decorative quality.

Food is another important component for producing rich color. Literally - "ranchu is what ranchu eat". Foods reach in carotenoids, a group of organic pigments, where astaxanthin (red) and lutein (yellow) are major contributors to ranchu color. There are a number of pellet foods with these pigments added. One is Saki Hikari brand (purple and red packaging) with its color enhancing diets. Also, introducing spinach, pumpkin, duckweeds and algae in the ranchu diet will assure their bright color.  

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

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".

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.

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.