A WAY TO RAISE RANCHU ● FORESEEING RANCHU CHANGES IN TIME

Choosing and grooming ranchu with balance between head, body and tail is very important and will produce a great fish. Please refer to diagrams in the right column on this page for ranchu body parts explanation.

The Head

Ranchu body has a tendency to develop in width with age. If the head is short it will become disproportionate to the body in tosai age. It is necessary to select the fish with longer head to achieve better balance in the future.

Head-Growth

It is good if tosai ranchu has only Dragon Head and not too much growth on gill plates. By the time they become nisai age (two-year-old) they develop more growth on gill plates, forming a Lion Head and creating a more balance wen. However, if the Dragon Head remains with no growth on gill plates by nisai age, it will not balance well with the rest of the body.

If strong head-growth develops at an early stage, it will become overdeveloped by oya age (two years) and the fish will loose its balance. Generally, the ranchu with modestly developed head-growth will have more balanced look by the second year.

Back Line Profile

Choose ranchu with flatter, longer back similar to Japanese long boxwood comb (pic on the left), instead of rounder, like in Japanese short boxwood comb (pic on the right). The back has a tendency to grow muscles and becomes smooth and more round. It is not a problem if the back is dented but long, it will get fuller with time.

 

The fish with the round back like in short Japanese comb will become even rounder with age.

Tail Peduncle

If the tail peduncle is too thick in tosai age, it may not balance well with the tail shoulders (ogata). In the future this fish may not swim well and may lose its overall balance. On the other hand, if the tail peduncle is thinner in tosai age, it has a chance to becoming thicker and more balanced with the tail in the future.

Stomach

Again, it is important to keep the overall balance between the head, body and the tail. Belly is supported by the ribs that develop earlier. As belly fat accumulates it may throw the balance off. Overfeeding may cause to unbalanced ranchu.

If there is no round belly during the first year, expect it to appear on the second year.

Tail Plate - Osara

Osara that is surrounded by the outer circle of scales is ideal. If the tail plate didn't developed enough, the tail tension will eventually be loosen up. There is an observation that the white ranchu often doesn’t develop good osara.

In young fish osara is not very noticeable yet, but the preference should be given as much as possible to the fish with most scales on the tail plate. The tail plate should have right and left shoulders, and if developed well is an indication of a strong back.

Tail Core - Ogata (okata)

It is better to have tail core or midrib stiffer during tosai age, as it has a tendency to soften with age. It is also impossible to achieve strong and supportive midrib if the tail core was originally soft.

Even with the perfect tail core by nisai age, you will have to keep the right grooming technique to maintain it that way.

Anal Fins

Defected anal fins will affect swimming and overall development of the tail peduncle. However, even if defected, they will cause less problem if they are symmetrical.

In case that only one anal fin has developed either on the left or right, it will cause the tail peduncle to twist and will cause poor swimming in the future.

In either case of two anal fins or one, it has to be positioned symmetrically and along the center body line for a good swimming performance.

Scales

In the first year, it is possible to see several scales on the back shimmer as the fish swims. It will gradually disappear as the back becomes thicker and the scales get repositioned.

Scale color change from white to red or orange is irreversible. White fish has potential of changing color.

Swimming

With a lot of swimming the fish will develop in width and will have a tendency to swim heavy and wag its head left and right as it swims. If concerned about swimming, pay attention to the fish growing too wide. It is possible to bring it back and achieve lighter swimming pattern with the right grooming and fish density in the pond.

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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 ● CULLING ROUND - V

Fifth Culling Round - Past Four Month After Hatching

The ranchu size should be reaching 3 3/8 in (85 mm). During this final round the attention is focused on the future purpose of the fish, whether it will be a breeder, competing fish or purely for esthetic pleasure. This selection is also influenced by the owner's individual preferences. Anything that was overlooked previously will have to be considered now.

You will notice that each fish has its own personality even though all fish has properly developed in shape and health. Usually, during this round the fish is selected to someone’s personal taste.

Fish that is going to be selected for breeding must be healthy and strong. Fish for competition must have some outstanding qualities and balance between width, length, shape of its head, back and tail and the way it swims. Selecting a competition fish requires most experience and knowledge.

_________________________________________________________________________________

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 ● CULLING ROUND - IV

Fourth Culling Round - Three And A Half Month After Hatching

The ranchu size should be reaching 2 6/8 in (70 mm). During this round look for overall quality of the ranchu. All faults previously not noticed will be obvious now. Tail tension that looked good before could have weakened. Tail peduncle plate (osara) must be strong and fully developed at this time to support the tail tension.

Physical strength in some fish might have faded and will be recognized during this round.

Previous selections where made to recognize faults and deformities that could be harmful or fatal to the fish in one way or the other. This round is to recognize fish potentials for the future. Big attention is given to the tail tension, right and left symmetry of the body, swimming ability and overall development. Preparing the fish for its 5th last and most demanding round. The number is reduced from 2/3 to up to a half.

_________________________________________________________________________________

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 ● CULLING ROUND - III

Third Culling Round - Thee Month After Hatching

The ranchu size should be at around 2 1/8 in (55 mm). This culling is done by looking at the side of the fish. On the third month the back and the tail peduncle has taken a shape and can be clearly evaluated.

The focus of this round of culling is on the position of the tail towards the tail peduncle, and the shape of the back. This will influence the way the ranchu swims.

The fish should be selected for their smooth curved backs similar to a long Japanese boxwood comb. 

The tail core (midrib) should stand up and form an angle of 90° to 120° in relation to the tail peduncle. While looking for a smooth curved back, do not overlook the fish charm. If the center of the back is raised, it will flatten with time, as the back thickens in older ranchu.

Standard to follow:

Negative Points To Look For From the Side:

1. tail core is dropped below 120°
2. tail core is less than 90°
3. pinched tail core or has a bump (a), tail side lobes are positioned too forward (b)
4. Tail peduncle is too flat (a) and has a bump (b)
5. tail peduncle is crunched, no smooth curve

 

During the Their Round 

This time attention is on the side view of the tail core (midrib) and the back profile. The number is reduced to about half or 2/3rds. Again, while looking for a smooth back, do not overlook the fish charm. Flatter or rounder backs can be overlooked if a tail core looks right and the fish looks and swims good from above.

_________________________________________________________________________________

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 ● CULLING ROUND - II

Second Culling Round - One Month After Hatching

The fry size should be around 6/8 in (20 mm). The selection is performed by looking from above. Tail is opened very clearly and tail core can be easily determined.

Main objective during the second round of culling is still the tail shape and the tail core. Tail core effects future development of the tail and must be payed special attention. During this round the fish number can be reduced from one third to one half.

Basic tail standard to follow:

Negative Points To Look For From Above:

1. tail bracelet comes to a point
2. tail core is rigid and thick (a), no tail shoulders (b) 
3. peduncle is not curved (a), tail tip is deformed (b) 
4. tail core is not in the middle
5. tail core overlaps (a), tail shoulders are not symmetrical (b)
6. tail shoulders indented, not open (a), tail core is pinched (b), bump on peduncle (c)

 

During the Second Round

The focus must be on the tail core. It requires a 100% screening. Usually the number is reduced from one third to a half.

_________________________________________________________________________________

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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