A WAY TO RAISE RANCHU ● GROOMING KUROKO AND TOSAI

Defining Body Parts

The main body parts are identified as follows: head is from mouth to the edge of the gill cover, body is from gill cover to the vent below tail. The environment and grooming techniques will have a big impact on developing ranchu head, body and tail.

For body part names please refer to this article.

Building Ranchu Foundation

There is an old Japanese saying “Good ranchu head is created before the color change”. For the head-growth to develop properly, it needs a good scull structure, as a foundation. A good foundation must be selected and formed in kuroko before the change of color. During this time it is important to achieve balanced Dragon or Lion Head (more about ranchu standards here). 

If any combination of head-growth below occurs, the head will appear unbalanced:

• growth on the top of the head, no growth on the gill plates 
• growth evenly develops over the entire head  
• growth develops on cheeks and under eyes only 

Delays in water changes help to suppress active fish movement and aids in developing head-growth at an early stage.

To Promote Head-Growth Development

Food is very important in developing head-growth. Feeding protein reach diet is a must. Silkworms, earthworms, bloodworms (can be frozen) are all high in protein and effective. Genetic background is also important.

Suggestions on promoting head-growth development:

• feed plankton, bloodworms, green water 
• reduce water changes to suppress movement 
• make sure the body develops properly 

Pond depth is not known to effect head-growth development. To develop a good ranchu, balancing of the whole body and head must be achieved, and not just the head-growth.

To Promote Funtan (cheeks)

Feeding bloodworm and green algae will help in developing funtan. Suppress movement by extending intervals between the water changes and raising ranchu in green water.

To Promote Body & Head Development

It is important to develop a good skeleton in kuroko before the color change. Good balance between the head and body is very important. Preference should be given to longer bodies with wide back and peduncle, which will balance well with the size of the head.

To make back wider and increase the width between the eyes:

• feed enough 
• use green water 
• slightly increase the stocking density to suppress active movement 

Beware that with increased stocking density vertical body growth will be suppressed.

How to Make Good Back

Water depth is very important in formation of a good back shape in fry. There is an old Japanese saying “Shallow water gives gently curved back, deep water gives round back” makes a good point. 

Water depth at 4 in (10cm) during the fry development produces gently curved back, while water depth around 3.3 ft (1m) gives more rounded shape. Genetics are also important in developing the right back.

Tail Tension

Tail shape is very important and is greatly dependent on grooming technique. However, if you only pursue creating a good tail, you will loose on fish health and overall quality. It is a trade-off to make a good tail and to keep fish health. It is difficult to do and one has to find a balance.

Factors that loosen tail tension:

• weak tail shoulders 
• excessive exercise 
• large pond size
• pond with no shade or over shaded 
• strong aeration 
• often water changes 
• appropriate or slightly lower stocking density 

Factors that improve tail tension:

• strong tail shoulders 
• less exercise 
• small pond size
• pond with sun/shade balance 
• weak aeration 
• use of green water 
• high or low stocking density 

Making a Good Tail Before the Color Change

To create a good tail, you must select kuroko with tail shoulders that are open at 160-180° and have a strong tail core.

                                                          

To make a tail shoulder curve like in a bow (bow and arrow), the fish must swim moderately to finish formation before the color change. If the curve increases it may result in weak tension and possible collapse of the tail shoulders.

Making the Tail Core

Water depth will effect the tail core in fry. The depth at 4 in (10cm) during development is necessary. There is a tendency for the tail core either to fall lower if the water depth is too shallow or rise up if the depth is too deep.

After the tail is formed and the core is established in kuroko stage, it is not effected as much by the water depth. Still, as a general rule, it is a good idea to keep the water depth at 6-8 in (15-20cm) during ranchu development. Also, increased exercise may result in softening of the tail core, as well as loss of the tail tension.

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Links to published chapters:

● INTRODUCTION
● WATER
● NOTES ON GREEN WATER & WATER CHANGE
● WATER TEMPERATURE
● AERATION
● SUNLIGHT AND SHADE
● CONTAINERS FOR RAISING RANCHU
● FOOD
● FEEDING REGIMENT
● BREEDING & SPAWNING
● RAISING & GROOMING FRY
● GROOMING KUROKO AND TOSAI
● CULLING
● SELECTION METHODS
● CULLING ROUND - I
● CULLING ROUND - II
● CULLING ROUND - III
● CULLING ROUND - IV
● CULLING ROUND - V
● FORSEEING RANCHU CHANGES IN THE FUTURE

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A WAY TO RAISE RANCHU ● RAISING AND GROOMING FRY

Keep A Diary

Write down everything that has to do with breeding and progress of your ranchu. Documenting when and what is a good practice and creates an important database for your future reference.

Water Temperature During Hatching

68 F (20°C) is optimal water temperature for developing fertilized eggs. If the temperature is lover, fry will not hatch all at the same time and there will be a high percentage of malformed fish. Temperatures above 68 F (20°C) will induce egg development, resulting in higher percentage of tail regression to original "wild" carp. Controlling water temperature by shading and/or using a heater is necessary.

Water temperature and timing from spawning till hatching:

• 57 F (14°C) - hatching on the 7th day 
• 61 F (16°C) - hatching on the 6th day 
• 64 F (18°C) - hatching in 5 ½ days 
• 68 F (20°C) - hatching on the 5th day 
• 71 F (22°C) - hatching in 4 ½ days 
• 75 F (24°C) - hatching on the 4th day 

Watch the water quality, as it can deteriorate quickly after spawning, due to unfertilized eggs and milt remains. It is best to transfer the eggs or change water right after spawning and keep the temperature constant at 68 F (20°C). In some cases, adding drops of methylene blue helps to prevent fungal growth on ranchu eggs.

Feeding The Fry

The fry are born with a yolk sac that provides them with nutrients for a couple of days. Start feeding the fry on the 2nd day after hatching.

It is very important to provide enough food for the fry to keep up with their high growth rate. When feeding live food, the portion size is not important. The fry must eat as much as they need and any time they want. Digestion time is short. There should be a constant supply of live food, as it gets eaten from morning till evening. One of the most accessible live foods for fry is freshly hatched brine shrimp. Read more on brine shrimp here.

When feeding frozen food or micro pallets, the portion size need to be observed, as overfeeding can spoil the water fast. A single dose should be of what fry can eat in 5 min. Digestion time is longer. Intervals between feedings must reflect digestion times, but feeding must be preformed often.

Water Changes & Fry

It is very important to keep constant temperature during the water changes. Even small temperate fluctuations may weaken or kill very sensitive at this stage fry. Also, watch the aeration. Strong aeration can damage the fry, adequately adjust air pump pressure to minimize any water turbulence. 

Its best not to transfer very young fry during the water change, but scoop as much water as you can and replace it with fresh. When fry has grown a little it will handle the transfer better, still be very carful scooping it during the water change, to prevent any injury. At this time it is best to have two containers and alternate them during the water change.

Filamentous Green Algae & Fry

Due to higher stocking density and/or food left in the water, filamentous green algae or Spirogyra can grow very rapidly. This algae produces long hair-like strings and if eaten by fry will get stuck in their small bodies, coming out through the gills or vent. It can not be removed and will eventually kill the fry.

Adjusting stocking density, regular water changes and cleaning the container will keep it under control.

Growth Rate

Learn to determine proper stocking density. This will insure that the fry doesn’t die and will promote faster development. Balancing the amount of food and stocking density is important for a healthy development of the fry and to prevent a number of diseases.

It is important to make fry growing as fast as possible. For example, for the fish hatched in April, a goal would be to have the fish reaching 4 in (10 cm) in length by the fall. 

Growth rate of the fry indicating its healthy development:

• 1st week - 3/8 in (10mm) 
• 2nd week - 1/2 in (13 mm) 
• 3rd week - 5/8 in (16 mm) 
• 1st month - 6/8 in (20 mm) 
• 7/8 in (22 mm) increase in the 2nd month - 1 5/8 in (42 mm) 
• 1/2 in (13 mm) increase in the 3rd month - 2 1/8 in (55 mm) 
• 5/8 in (15 mm) increase in the 4th month - 2 6/8 in (70 mm) 
• 5/8 in (15 mm) increase in the 5th month - 3 3/8 in (85 mm) 
• 1/2 in (12 mm) increase in the 6th month - 3 2/8 in (97 mm) 
• 5/16 in (8 mm) increase in the 7th month - 4 1/8 in (105 mm) 

If you have achieved the above growth rates, look for more ways to improve. If you are behind these growth rates, increase one or all of the following:

• food amount 
• water changes 
• adjust stocking density

Effect of Stocking Density On Tosai Ranchu

Always pay attention to stocking density for the fry in its first year. High density will cause illness in fish and delays in development. During this period you want for the fish to grow lengthwise and loosen stiffness in their tails. Do regular water changes before water spoils. Regularly remove waist and uneaten food.

High Density:
movement is restricted, high probability of gill disease, growth is slow, rapid water quality deterioration, tail shoulders and core remain hard and make it difficult to swim

Somewhat Low Density:
water quality is maintained, chances of illness are low, growth is higher in width and normal in length, competitive spirit and appetite is good, only tail core softens.

Low Density:
water may deteriorate causing illness even though it looks clean, growth in length is much suppressed, vertical growth is slower. Due to lack of competition between the ranchu, their appetite is lower, they swim less and because of that both tail shoulders and core remains stiff

Appropriate Density:

water quality is maintained, growth is accelerated in both length and width, better appetite and good competitive spirit, swims more. Both tail shoulders and core softening which helps to swim better. Adjust stocking density by culling. It is important to identify quality ranchu as early as possible to maintain appropriate stocking density. 

Appropriate ranchu count per 3.3 ft² (1 m²) container that is 4 in (10 cm) gradually increasing to 10 in (25 cm) deep:

• up to 0.6 in (1.5 cm) long fish - up to 100
• 0.8 in (2 cm) long fish - up to 60
• 1 1/8 in (3 cm) long fish - up to 50
• 1 5/8 in (4 cm) long fish - up to 40
• 2 3/8 in (6 cm) long fish - up to 20
• 4 in (10 cm) long fish - up to 5 

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Links to published chapters:

● INTRODUCTION
● WATER
● NOTES ON GREEN WATER & WATER CHANGE
● WATER TEMPERATURE
● AERATION
● SUNLIGHT AND SHADE
● CONTAINERS FOR RAISING RANCHU
● FOOD
● FEEDING REGIMENT
● BREEDING & SPAWNING
● RAISING & GROOMING FRY
● GROOMING KUROKO AND TOSAI
● CULLING
● SELECTION METHODS
● CULLING ROUND - I
● CULLING ROUND - II
● CULLING ROUND - III
● CULLING ROUND - IV
● CULLING ROUND - V
● FORSEEING RANCHU CHANGES IN THE FUTURE

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A WAY TO RAISE RANCHU ● BREEDING AND SPAWNING

Choosing a Breeder Ranchu

There is on old Japanese saying in ranchu circles “Chose male ranchu for its good tale and female ranchu for its thick body and head”. Another old saying is “Choose ranchu with a good tail from the right environment”. 

A good tail of a first-class ranchu doesn’t only come from its genetic heritage. The environment, where the ranchu was raised will effect the tail quality and strength. The key is to combine a good genetic foundation with the right environment.

Grooming ranchu in the right environment will help to develop a great quality fish. It is not necessary to breed a show champion ranchu to get first-class offsprings. Raising fry with a perfect tail in a poor environment will not yield good results either.

A good tail is considered when the line in the center of the tail or tail core, or midrib (o-shin) is straight and extends outward firmly. Also, tail shoulders (o-gata) should be at 160-180° and not too stiff, but also not too soft. Please refer to "Defining What Is What" to identify ranchu body parts.

Mistakes Made In Selecting Seed Ranchu 

Tail shape is often overlooked and the preference is given to the head shape and overall looks while selecting a breeder fish.

The head shape and proportion to the rest of the body is important, but if you really want to breed a first-class ranchu, great attention must be given to choosing a good tail. That is where true art of ranchu breeding is.

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Links to published chapters:

● INTRODUCTION
● WATER
● NOTES ON GREEN WATER & WATER CHANGE
● WATER TEMPERATURE
● AERATION
● SUNLIGHT AND SHADE
● CONTAINERS FOR RAISING RANCHU
● FOOD
● FEEDING REGIMENT
● BREEDING & SPAWNING
● RAISING & GROOMING FRY
● GROOMING KUROKO AND TOSAI
● CULLING
● SELECTION METHODS
● CULLING ROUND - I
● CULLING ROUND - II
● CULLING ROUND - III
● CULLING ROUND - IV
● CULLING ROUND - V
● FORSEEING RANCHU CHANGES IN THE FUTURE

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A WAY TO RAISE RANCHU ● FOOD

Ranchu are omnivores and prefer a wide variety of foods. To insure health and reduce obesity, their diet has to be balanced with proteins, carbohydrates, minerals and vitamins.

Foods high in protein:

• live or frozen brine shrimp
• daphnia
• bloodworm
• pellets

Foods high in vitamins and minerals:

• algae
• duckweed
• chlorella and phytoplankton
• spirulina
• pumpkin
• spinach
• wolffia

Food Types And Digestion Times

Food with less moisture content takes longer to digest. A safe interval between feedings can be placed at 2 hours, however digestion time will change depending on the amount of food given. Approximate digestion times:

• daphnia, brine shrimp, wolffia, duckweed - 1 hr
• bloodworm - 1 ½ hr
• pellets - 2 hrs. 

Daphnia

One of the foods that is central to ranchu development. Easily digestible and highly absorbent, daphnia is high in nutrients and contributes to a maximum fry growth potentials.

Bloodworm

Another food that is very important to ranchu. It has superior digestion and absorption rate. High in protein, it promotes head-growth and overall development.

Brine Shrimp

With excellent absorption rate and nutritional value it is a good alternative to daphnia. Newly hatched brine shrimp is excellent for feeding fry.

Vegetables

Low in fat and protein, vegetables are rich in vitamins, minerals and organic pigments, and are very important supplement. They promote colors and overall health, especially at young stages. Most used vegetables are: phytoplankton, green algae, chlorerlla, spirulina, duckweed, pumpkin, wolffia and spinach among others.

Commercial Pellets

Due to low moisture content, digestion rate is the slowest, up to 2 hrs and more. Best if pellets are alternated with easily digestible foods, e.g. bloodworm. Due to high nutritional value and longer digestion times, feeding only with pellets may cause obesity and requires carful observation. There are many brands that offer ranchu pellets. However, not all of them are equal in quality and value. My own preference is Azayaka Brand ranchu pellets. Here is my article on different brands of pellets, their comparison and analyzes.

Pigments

Organic pigments or carotenoids like luteins (for yellows) and astaxanthin (for reds) are very important for developing fish coloration. Incorporating spinach, pumpkin, duckweed, wolffia and color enhancing pellets is beneficial.

Wolffia

Wolffia is the world’s smallest flowering plant that belongs to a group of duckweeds. It is easily digestible, contributes to color development (especially yellow) and overall health of a young fish. It also helps to maintain a slim belly. Wolffia can be easily substituted with duckweed.

Benefits of Wolffia or Duckweed:

• promotes head-growth development
• promotes slim belly and good physical shape
• easily digestible
• rich in vitamins and minerals
• high in protein
• positively effects color development
• shades the water and helps to lower water temperature
• removes access of oxygen and supplies carbon dioxide
• utilizes ammonia 

Cultivating Wolffia or Duckweed:

• requires a lot of sunlight
• tap water can be used
• provide light aeration
• will propagate very rapidly in 86 F (30°C)
• keep water temperature under 97 F (36°C)
• in winter, if temperatures are low, will go dormant and will sink to the bottom

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Links to published chapters:

● INTRODUCTION
● WATER
● NOTES ON GREEN WATER & WATER CHANGE
● WATER TEMPERATURE
● AERATION
● SUNLIGHT AND SHADE
● CONTAINERS FOR RAISING RANCHU
● FOOD
● FEEDING REGIMENT
● BREEDING & SPAWNING
● RAISING & GROOMING FRY
● GROOMING KUROKO AND TOSAI
● CULLING
● SELECTION METHODS
● CULLING ROUND - I
● CULLING ROUND - II
● CULLING ROUND - III
● CULLING ROUND - IV
● CULLING ROUND - V
● FORSEEING RANCHU CHANGES IN THE FUTURE

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A WAY TO RAISE RANCHU ● AERATION

Adequate aeration is important in supplying water with oxygen. It also aids in better water circulation and equalizes temperature between different layers in the pond.

However, vigorous aeration can have a negative impact on developing ranchu, especially their tale formation. It is very important to bring aeration to its minimum or avoid it all together during eggs hatching and fry development and, when the tail starts to form and open.

Advantages of aeration:

• supply of oxygen to the water 
• release of carbon dioxide from the water 
• mixes water for more uniform water temperature 
• delays deterioration of the water quality 

Drawbacks of aeration:

• too much aeration loosens the tail tension and effects its shape 

Oxygenation And Water Surface 

Pond surface is important for oxygenation. If covering or shading the pond, attention should be paid not to obstruct the airflow and gas exchange. It is necessary to provide good ventilation if the pond is inside or when air temperatures are high.

The Amount of Dissolved Oxygen And Water Temperature

There are two factors that effect how much oxygen is dissolved in the water: temperature and pressure.

With shallow pond used for ranchu, water pressure does not have much effect. The amount of dissolved oxygen will primarily depend on increase or decrease in temperature. As a rule, with temperature increase the amount of dissolved oxygen will proportionally decrease:

• 32 F (0°C) - 14.16 ml/L 
• 34 F (1°C) - 13.77 ml/L 
• 41 F (5°C) - 12.37 ml/L 
• 50 F (10°C) - 10.92 ml/L 
• 59 F (15°C) - 9.76 ml/L 
• 64 F (18°C) - 9.18 ml/L 
• 68 F (20°C) - 8.84 ml/L 
• 77 F (25°C) - 8.11 ml/L 
• 86 F (30°C) - 7.53 ml/L 

In the summer, due to higher temperatures water oxygen levels are at their lowest. Ranchu requires more oxygen in the summer, as it is most active. If there is a lack of oxygen in the water, ranchu will be swimming “nose up” at the surface gasping for air. Sufficient aeration is required, as well as the appropriate stocking density.

Oxygenation And Green Water

Phytoplankton in green water photosynthesizes and supplies oxygen to the water. When water gets over saturated with dissolved oxygen, it starts to escape in the form of gas. So called “gas bubble disease” may occur, when oxygen gas bubbles appear in the fish bloodstream and become visible on gills, fins and eyes. It can cause a secondary infection or even be fatal.

When using green water, additional aeration may not be necessary. Still, keep an eye on oxygen level becoming too low.

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Links to published chapters:

● INTRODUCTION
● WATER
● NOTES ON GREEN WATER & WATER CHANGE
● WATER TEMPERATURE
● AERATION
● SUNLIGHT AND SHADE
● CONTAINERS FOR RAISING RANCHU
● FOOD
● FEEDING REGIMENT
● BREEDING & SPAWNING
● RAISING & GROOMING FRY
● GROOMING KUROKO AND TOSAI
● CULLING
● SELECTION METHODS
● CULLING ROUND - I
● CULLING ROUND - II
● CULLING ROUND - III
● CULLING ROUND - IV
● CULLING ROUND - V
● FORSEEING RANCHU CHANGES IN THE FUTURE

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ATTEMPT AT CLONING RANCHU

I have stumbled upon a very interesting paper published in Zygote, Volume 20, Issue 1, February, 2012, pp.79-85, Cambridge University Press.

Attempt at cloning high-quality goldfish breed ‘Ranchu’ by fin-cultured cell nuclear transplantation

Daisuke Tanaka, Akito Takahashi, Akinori Takai, Hiromi Ohta and Koichi Ueno

Summary:

The viability of ornamental fish culture relies on the maintenance of high-quality breeds. To improve the profitability of culture operations we attempted to produce cloned fish from the somatic nucleus of the high-quality Japanese goldfish (Carassius auratus auratus) breed ‘Ranchu’. We transplanted the nucleus of a cultured fin-cell from an adult Ranchu into the non-enucleated egg of the original goldfish breed ‘Wakin’. Of the 2323 eggs we treated, 802 underwent cleavage, 321 reached the blastula stage, and 51 reached the gastrula stage. Two of the gastrulas developed until the hatching stage. A considerable number of nuclear transplants retained only the donor nucleus. Some of these had only a 2n nucleus derived from the same donor fish. Our results provide insights into the process of somatic cell nuclear transplantation in teleosts, and the cloning of Ranchu.

Vocabulary:

Cleavage - is the division of cells in the early embryo.

Blastula stage - is a hollow sphere of cells, referred to as blastomeres, surrounding an inner fluid-filled cavity called the blastocoele formed during an early stage of embryonic development in animals.

Gastrula stage - early stage during which the single-layered blastula is reorganized into a multilayered structure.

Teleost - a large group comprising all ray-finned fishes.

2017 © Alexander Vasiljev

THOMPSON'S RANCHU

For some time, I have wanted to do an interview with my good friend Jeff Thompson (Ranchu Notes). Finally, we got around to it and despite our busy schedules made it happened.

Jeff Thompson of Oregon

Jeff is a professional TVR (top view ranchu) breeder from Oregon. What strikes me most about him, is his total devotion to this amazing breed of goldfish. For over a decade Jeff has groomed and bred TVR, employing traditional Japanese method, to become one among the most respected ranchu experts in the USA.

Successful ranchu breeding and keeping isn't something that you can achieve all at once. The more you devote yourself to this craft, the more you will find yourself presented with the shear complexity of ranchu! A perfect ranchu, in my opinion, is a mythical fish. There is always more to improve in the fish quality! Thus the entire pleasure of ranchu keeping is in chasing a dream, a journey. Jeff is quite successful in his journey. He has become more determined in his culling and his results are more consistent. Pictures below are a testament to that.

Breeder ranchu, 2015

Thompson's tosai, 2016

Thompson's tosai, 2016

Sorting tosai, 2015

Here are Q&A with Jeff Thompson:

Q: How often do you change water?

A: There is no hard and fast rule for exactly when to perform a 100% water change. Based on the season, stocking density and feeding levels and the age of the ranchu we must learn to 'read' the water quality by looking at, smelling and touching the water. If the ranchu have been in the pond for 2 days and the water begins to look too thick I will go ahead and perform the change. Typically the range is 4 to 7 days between water changes. During the late fall and winter it may be several weeks between changes as the ranchu hibernate.


Q: How does your "new" water get prepared

A: My process is simplicity itself due to the high quality of water I get here in the High Desert of Oregon: After moving the ranchu to their fresh pond I drain the old water and scrub the pond walls and floor, being sure to leave a bit of wall algae behind to seed the new wall algae. I refill the pond and allow the water to 'rest' for several days. It is now ready for the ranchu. Other keepers may need to modify this regiment by adding water conditioner to the fresh water.


Q: Do you use "green water" and if you do for what reason?

A: I never seek to cultivate green water but it sometimes develops on its own. When I transfer the ranchu into their fresh pond I will just drain away the green water.


Q: What is the feeding regiment for BBR and CBR?

A: BBR are fed buckets and buckets of freshly hatched brineshrimp. It is a full time job feeding BBR as they need to eat every 4 hours. Once they have grown a bit I will add a fry food such as Golden Pearls into their diet of brineshrimp, but it is still mostly brineshrimp. Once they are around a half-inch long I will add frozen bloodworms to the mix. CBR are fed a high quality pellet and lots of high quality frozen bloodworms.


Q: What brand(s) of pellets do you use?

A: All my best quality ranchu receive the Azayaka pellet. I also like the Japan Ranchu Lord pellet. For my retired breeders and other various ranchu I will feed them the Omega 1 Goldfish pellet.


Q: Is there any other supplemental food given to your ranchu?

A: The single most important food for my ranchu is the algae that grows on the walls and floor of the ponds. They will graze on this food all day long. Algae helps keep the dense pellet foods moving thru the gut and it also provides beautiful colors in the ranchu.


Q: Is feeding regiment different for your nisai and oya fish?

A: Yes, different ages of ranchu will require feeding regiments. We must always observe and react to what the ranchu are telling us and vary our husbandry accordingly.


Q: Do you use any prophylactic drugs or treatments for your ranchu?

A: Yes, twice per year I will treat all my ranchu with prazi. Flukes are present in both healthy and sick populations of goldfish and prazi is a very safe way to address the flukes.


Q: How many spawns do you collect per year?

A: I have learned that with my current set-up I am limited to four spawns per year. Any more than this and the fry suffer. I would rather have four great quality spawns that a bunch of bad quality spawns.


Q: How often do you cull?

A: I cull as often as I can. The first cull will typically be around 2 weeks. After that I will cull whenever I perform a water change. Culling as soon as possible, as often as possible, and culling vigorously gives a huge huge HUGE! boost to the remaining fry. It is so important to do everything within our power to boost the growth rate of the good fry. It is like a race: The moment the fry begin to eat it is a race to get the fry grown up as big and strong as we possibly can. This is how you get strong beautiful bodies and a good foundation for head growth.


Q: What is an outcome from one of your average spawns? How many final keepers do you end up with on average?

A: It varies a lot. The quality of the eggs and the quality of the milt.... the skill of my pairings..... the quality of my husbandry of the fry..... there are so many factors that affect the outcome of a spawn. I feel lucky if I get 50 good quality BBR from a spawn. I try to keep 8 to 12 top-quality ranchu from a spawn to potentially use as breeders in following years.


Q: Do you hand spawn?

A: Yes, only hand spawning. Hand spawning can only occur after the female has already begun to release the eggs on her own.


Q: How often do you introduce seed ranchu from other breeders to continue working on your line?

A: I try to create parallel lines with cousins to use for my own outcrosses. I may import some new ranchu from Japan in 2017 or 2018 to increase my gene pool.


Q: How close are you to establishing your own line?

A: This is tricky because as soon as a ranchu keeper has bred the ranchu the offspring can no longer be called by the original bloodline. This is because only when raised by the hand of the Master may the ranchu be called by the Master's name. For example, I have used ranchu directly from the hand of Mr. Kashino for some of my 2016 spawns. Can I call these BBR that I created 'Kashino ranchu'? No, I can not call them Kashino ranchu because the eggs and fry were raised under my hand.


Q: What are the main characteristics of your line of ranchu that sets them apart?

A: Above all I seek a powerful and graceful movement as my ranchu swim. I hope they exhibit this feature.


Q: What are the main qualities that you try to preserve or develop in your future ranchu?

A: After a powerful and graceful movement I look for a thick peduncle, thick backbone, beautiful and wide tail spread, thick and strong body and of course a dynamic head. Also I need ranchu that can survive a rather long and cold hibernation period during the winter.


Q: What suggestion(s) will you give to a beginner ranchu keeper?

A: Ranchu are a Japanese fish and must be kept according to traditional Japanese methods to express their full potential. Japanese ranchu are kept in large shallow ponds with NO filtration, only an airstone and 100% water changes (performed by moving the ranchu into a fresh pond). With ranchu the water quality is one of our grooming tools: In fresh water the ranchu grows it's body and as the water becomes older the ranchu then puts on headgrowth. This is the fundamental process of ranchu that is being ruined by Americans using sponge filters, uv filters and other bits of technology. Remember that the Japanese have invented and shared with the rest of the world all of the most cutting edge technologies from medical, electronics, robotics, automotive, etc...... if there was a better way for raising ranchu would not the Japanese have developed it? The fastest path to success with ranchu is to follow the path laid before us by the true ranchu masters. Use the internet to research how the Japanese ranchu masters keep their ranchu and then emulate that.


Q: Do you have the ability to sell/ship your ranchu outside of USA?

A: No I only ship domestically right now.

**All photos used in this article are by Jeff Thompson

HIGH RANCHU RELOCATION REPORT

At the end of February, the "Big Move" was approaching fast. To prepare my ranchu for a two day journey, I purchased two plastic storage containers with snap on lids. After drilling several venting holes through the lids, I filled each with about 15 gal (57 L) of water, added Prime de-chlorinator and aeration, and transferred the ranchu into them. We where planning to drive late afternoon on Friday, so I had my fish in containers by Thursday morning. No food was given, to purge the fish from excrements. This helps to keep the water clean and with less ammonia build up. Since goldfish will eat back their excrements (read my earlier post "Poopie Monster") I periodically syphoned any derbies.

After the U-Haul truck was loaded and ready to depart, I combined my eight ranchu into one of the two plastic containers and filled it less than 3/4 of its high with fresh dechlorinated water. Container with fish was placed into another container for strength. Lid on. I had it set up on the middle seat of the driver's cabin.

You really become a good driver, when traveling with fish. Quickly you learn to brake and accelerate smoothly. Still, have a couple of towels on hand if the lid isn't airtight.

We did stopped midway for the night and I brought my ranchu inside the motel room and set it with a couple of airstones for the night. Still no food was given! Saturday early morning we were on the road, arriving to our new home in the evening. I had my friend fill a couple of children's pools with the well water from the property and let it sit for a day.

About the well water that I am going to be using. Some of the parameters are

pH - 7.5-7.8
Hardiness - 55 grains per gallon
TD Solids - 985-1000
Iron - 0.5 per million

A month prior to bringing my ranchu to Florida, I made an experiment to hard test my well water. I bought several goldfish from a local Petsmart and kept them for a two weeks in the well water. The fish were doing great! As I was feeling guilty for using these fishes as an experiment, I fed them well and they grew noticeably.

So, here I was, on Saturday night letting my precious ranchu in the water where they will be living and breeding. I set up their original 8 x 2 ft (2.4 x 0.6 m) fiberglass pond and it has been a week since they are in the well water. The ranchu are doing great! As the day temperatures in Florida are warmer than they were in my Washington DC apartment, ranchu's appetite has doubled.

With all this, I have to get used to one thing - NO WATER CONDITIONERS!!! I no longer have to use any de-chlorinators. The well water gets aerated as soon as it is pumped out and can be used straight as is.

First big step is taken, lot's more work ahead.

Storage containers for transporting my ranchu.

Venting holes on the lid.

High Ranchu purging before the trip.

Necessary equipment while traveling: dozing syringe, water conditioner, digital infrared thermometer, air pump, airstone (not shown).

Storage container with ranchu in U-Haul cabin.

Finally, High Ranchu arrived. Temporary home, before their pond is set up.

HIGH RANCHU IS ON THE MOVE!

There has been a silence on my blog. The only explanation I can find, is because ...

I AM MOVING TO FLORIDA !!!

Yes, a dream come true! I am very excited about the move and the new challenges and possibilities in raising my ranchu in a completely different environment. It's outdoors, it's with the use of well water, it's with employing more traditional techniques.

The climate where I am going to live is similar to southern Japan, with some cooler winter days, averaging daytime 71F (22C) and nighttime 52F (11C). Summers are hot and humid, but proximity to the ocean makes it a bit cooler and breezier.

I have big plants for building my display pond and a small ranchu fishery, where I can continue working on a High Ranchu bloodline. This spring/summer for sure, will be a busy time for me!

Time permitting, I will be posting updates and notes of the progress. In month and a half my ranchu should be swimming outdoors!

High Ranchu on the move

KEEPING THE TRADITION - Q & A

From time to time, l receive questions from fellow ranchu enthusiasts regarding various aspects of ranchu keeping. Some of the questions bring up interesting topics and spark interesting thought and conversations. I will be posting here what I think is worth sharing and learn from. Here is a great question I received from Doug followed by my answer.

Q

Hi Alexander- First I would like to thank you for writing and sharing information on top view ranchu husbandry through your blog. From what you mentioned in your blog you raised tvr with filtration and i'm raising my ranchus with filtration as well. However, a lot of tvr breeders put emphasis on how important it is to follow the traditional Japanese 100% water change method with NO filtration.

I have done some research about this traditional method. I'm aware that it is done for grooming purposes. It is my understanding that with 100% new water, ranchus are more active and will put on muscles and body growth and as the water fouls, ranchus will be less active and put on head growth. However, why is it that side view ranchu or lionchu or lion head still put on head growth despite being raised in aquariums with filtration? The claim for using traditional methods seems to be based on inconsistent evidence, and might be more due to strict adherence to tradition rather than fact.

What is your view on this topic?

Thanks, Doug (USA)

A

Doug- Thank you for reading my blog and your question. As you probably noticed I use bio and uv filtration on top of 100% weekly water changes. It's more what a traditional method requires, but with my often busy schedule and traveling it is necessary. Good biological filtration paired with uv and good water circulation and aeration is quite important, when water is not going to be changed for 3 weeks, while I am away. The choice I made marrying ranchu keeping with my schedule.

Much like bonsai, you create and maintain TVR. It is not all about the headgrowth and its size. The essence of a great TVR is in its BALANCED appearance and powerful yet elegant swim, very different from other goldfish with headgrowth. TVR are the most standardized among goldfish. To achieve this balance, besides breeding, we employ different techniques based on food, water quality, water depth, amount of exercise, etc. The beauty of raising ranchu is in improvisation, when various techniques are implemented to achieve breeder's / keeper's personal goals and to materialize their vision. Everyone's approach is slightly different and some even protected with trade secrets.

I try to adhere to a traditional Japanese method as much as I can. Besides, it is an honor to continue this over 100 years old tradition.

UPDATE

It has been a while since I posted a video of my ranchu. Here is one I made yesterday during the water change. All are nisai age, all happy and growing, but ...

As sad as, I gave up on having any spawns this year. Instead, I will be concentrating on grooming and conditioning my "lazy" ranchu for the next year. I will be working on their feeding schedule and diet and keeping their water in the top shape condition.

For now my fishing net remains dry and my baby ranchu food is sealed and stored in refrigerator. Once more, I have the proof of how unpredictable and uneasy raising ranchu can be.

PROVOCATIVE RANCHU

While in Vientiane, Laos, I stumbled upon a great find. A little antique shop filled with odds and ends got my attention. As I looked through shelf after shelf of stuff, my eye got caught on a stone carved ranchu sculpture. Yes, not just a goldfish, so common in Asian art and crafts, but ranchu! I grabbed it from the shelf and in my hand it separated in two halves, revealing something unexpected inside. An erotic ranchu?!

The owner of the shop couldn't tell me anything other than this is an old stone carving from China. Well, I haven't seen anything like it and I definitely haven't thought of ranchu being associated with erotic art. But why not! Ranchu are fertile and might have inspired the artist. Here are some photos of this provocative ranchu!

VISION OF A PERFECT RANCHU

As I learn about ranchu standards and grooming techniques, I train my eye to recognize qualities of a good ranchu. In Japan, each ranchu master works on its own line (bloodline) that will ultimately reflect the master's vision for a "perfect" ranchu. Through a scrupulous process of selection, the breeder seeks fish that carries one or several desired qualities. By carefully selecting parent fish with such qualities and breeding them, followed by many years of selection, the goal can be reached. It truly is a "living sculpture".

A preference for my own "perfect" ranchu is now more clear. My vision is shaped by studying the many looks of ranchu and recognizing what is most pleasing to my eye. These are as follows (looking at the ranchu from above):

• long rectangular body outline
• rectangular head outline with funtan slightly protruding on the right and left of the head (I call it a hammer shark look)
• not much headgrowth development on top of the head
• thick tail peduncle and bracelet
• triangle shaped tail with supportive shoulders, that are only gently curved, with side lobe tips curved slightly more
• when swimming the tail must take a rounder shape and return to its original shape when fish isn't moving
• small uniform scales
• bright reds

Early bloomers might not look as good at an older age, with their headgrowth overdeveloped, ruining the overall balance. Vise versa, those not fully developed tosai can turn into a beautiful fish when older.

All of the above must be in balance. Proportions between head, body and tail are very important and rely on personal perception. I am very interested in creating a ranchu that blossoms slowly, reaching its desired shape by the end of nisai and maintaining that look through its oya years. This, in my opinion helps to raise a healthier fish, that can live longer. In most cases, ranchu that are judged at the All Japan Ranchu Show, are groomed for a specific age category - tosai, nisai or oya. In all of the competition's history, it is very rare that a single ranchu is able to win the grand prize in all three categories tosai, nisai and oya in three consecutive years.

Ultimately, my "perfect" ranchu must be a great swimmer, projecting calm, power, strength and balance.

Through digital manipulation, I have created an oya ranchu of the shape and proportions I desire. To make this composite, I took various parts from several of my ranchu and exaggerated the parts that I still need to work on. Hope one day, I can match my drawing board fantasy with an actual ranchu in my pond. The vision in the making.

IT IS BETTER TO TRAVEL WELL, THAN TO ARRIVE

Today is exactly one year since starting "High Ranchu" blog. First and most of all, I would like to thank all of you readers for following. Thank you for your kind words, encouragement and questions that I have received. Today, the blog is approaching 28.000 page views, thanks to all of you! I hope to continue to write and illustrate my journey with ranchu, keeping the blog fresh, educational, fun and visual.

Although, I have been interested in ranchu for a long time, I only started to seriously pursue this endeavor since October, 2013, when I purchased my group of fish. As you can tell, it has been an exciting year for me, packed with activity. I made mistakes and corrected them, I have adopted others' great ideas and came up with my own solutions. I learned a great deal to only realize how much there is still to learn.

Original artwork by A.Vasiljev © 2014

                       

Thus ranchu became my teachers and not just for ranchu keeping sake, but in a broader sense. Patience is what may have been the most important lesson that I learned from them; and am still learning. It is a great quality that I often lack. Not only rearing ranchu requires patience, the ranchu themselves are unhurried and measured animals, with a demeanor that will unavoidably effect the keeper. In my instance, they offered me calm, thoughtfulness and the need to be patient.

Another important lesson I learned is to focus on appreciating anything positive, instead of focusing on the negative. I could have easily accepted that there is no perfect ranchu, and be automatically dragged into finding what's "wrong" to be never satisfied with ranchu appearance, looking for that "greener grass on the other side" instead of enjoying them and myself. That however, shouldn't take away the urge for improvement. Traditional ranchu keeping is founded on this principle. While enjoying ranchu looks, we have to constantly work on improving our grooming techniques. Apart from genetics, it is all about grooming that shapes the ranchu the way we desire and maintains them the way we want. This process echoes with a quote from Buddha's teachings: "It is better to travel well than to arrive". With this in mind ranchu keeping can become very rewarding. Each fish will "blossom" at its own time, some when they are tosai or nisai, and some when oya. Once ranchu reached its peak, it becomes even more chalenging to maintain.

Being considered a "living sculpture", ranchu keeping is very similar to bonsai in terms of required determination and discipline. To keep ranchu as ranchu and bonsai as bonsai, constant training and improvement is needed. It also requires improvisation and ability to recognize and uncover the subject's potentials.

Cotyledon tomentosa ("Bear's Paws") as a year old bonsai, trained by A.Vasiljev

Suiseki, by A.Vasiljev 

My tosai are now seven months old. They have presented me with a chance to observe how a fish egg turns into a beautiful ranchu. But figuratively speaking, my train has only begun to move and my final destination has not yet been announced. I am settling in for "traveling well".

POOPIE MONSTER.

I came across some interesting information and thought it would be suitable to share on Halloween. Many of us have see our goldfish eating their excrement. As appalling as it sounds or looks, it has its explanation and purpose.

Goldfish have no true stomachs, instead part of their gastrointestinal tract has a slight widening. The food doesn't held long enough for the nutrients to become complete absorbed, unlike in animals with true stomachs like us. Therefore goldfish poop still has some nutrients left. I have read that it could take up to three times for the food/excrement to pass through goldfish' gut to be fully digested. Also, sharing their poop with each other helps them to share their beneficial bacteria. Obviously, parasites, bad bacteria and viruses use this as well, but that is entirely different subject.

Original artwork by A.Vasiljev © 2014

This is not an uncommon phenomenon in nature. For example, female koala feeds their newborn with her own excrement containing a cocktail of beneficial bacteria, to prepare their babies to digest toxic eucalyptus leaves.

Happy Halloween everybody!!

RANCHU FOOD - SOFT VS. HARD VS. FLAKY

There is a great verity of commercially manufactured goldfish food that is found in three main forms: gel, dry flakes and pellets.

First off, I would like to say that I reject any flake food as the main diet for goldfish. Although, specialty flake could be given on occasion, as a supplement, in general flake food isn't best for goldfish and can cloud water in the tank, and often contributes to development of swim bladder disorder (SBD). As a side note, SBD is most common in round bodied fancy goldfish verities.

Now, gel food vs. dry pellets, specifically sinking dry pallets. I would leave off floating pellets, as they might also contribute to SBD. Both types are good for goldfish and provide necessary nutrition, but each has its own pros and cons. There are many goldfish keepers that would swear by gel food, both commercially manufactured and homemade. And there are others that would recommend specifically sinking pellets. At one point, I had to make my own choice and I tried both to make up my mind. Here are my thoughts about what, why and why not.

Gel food PROS

• is a great preventive of SBD or helps to regress SBD symptoms
• easily digestible 
• if stored and used properly is always fresh
• can be homemade
• nutritional

Gel Food CONS

• hard to tell nutritional analyses if homemade
• not a large variety of commercially produced gel foods are available
• if homemade and nutritionally unbalanced may contribute to obesity
• requires time to prepare
• extra care to store, requires refrigeration or freezing
• spoils quick, short shelf life
• you always have to be present to feed
• depending on the formula, can cloud water if left in the tank uneaten

Dry Sinking Pellets PROS

• select brands will not cause SBD
• have long standing expiration date
• no time needed to prepare
• nutritional
• can be dispensed by an automatic feeder
• usually won't cloud water
• great variety of commercially produced pellets

Dry Sinking Pellets CONS

• select brands can promote developing of SBD
• hard to tell when spoiled 
• feeding some brands of dry pellets can contribute to obesity

My final verdict was to stay with dry sinking pellets. As I am not always home to feed my ranchu on schedule, I can leave worry free, knowing that they will be fed on time with no compromise. If feeding a properly selected formula for the fish age and observing your fish for any physical changes, pellets are a great choose. If pellets are chosen as a main staple food, it is very important to select only high quality pellets for raising healthy fish. I am very happy to have found Azayaka Ranchu Pellets and being able to offer this fine product for sale outside of Japan. 

In conclusion, still remember, no matter how great your staple food is, whether it is gel or pellets, one of the keys to having a healthy and resistant goldfish is using a variety of different foods including vegetables and algae. In the end, there is nothing wrong with alternating gel food and dry pellets depending on what and when is more convenient.