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.