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

_________________________________________________________________________________

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

_________________________________________________________________________________

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

_________________________________________________________________________________

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

_________________________________________________________________________________

A WAY TO RAISE RANCHU ● CULLING ROUND - I

First Culling Round - Two Weeks After Hatching

The fry size should be around 1/2 in (13 mm). The tail by now is clearly open and it is time to make first culling round. The selection is performed looking from above.

Main concern during this time is to look for the straight body line and open degree of tail shoulders, as well as open tail shape, as indicated in the picture below. Every other concern must be left for the next round.

The number of fish during the first round will be greatly reduces. First remove fish with obvious defects, then do more precise selection until the appropriate stocking density is reached. Once the needed stocking density reached you can only take out fish with obvious defects. Usually, the overall fry number should be reduced down to 10-15% after the first culling round is complete.


Negative Points To Look For (blue line shows defect):

1. Wild carp tail regression, very easy to recognize
2. The tail is not fully open; red line indicates desired angle of 160°-170° (ideally 180°), sometimes difficult to recognize, questionable cases can be left for round two 
3. The tail in not open, left and right sides irregular 
4. Twisted body or tail peduncle line (often happens when hatched in low water temperature) 
5. Tail core forms a dark line continuing into the tail peduncle, if clearly visible 
6. Tail split more then 1/2 of the center line length 
7. No tail split. Although, not a fault 
8. Asymmetrical tail shoulders 

Also look for:

• fish that can’t swim straight
• fish with poor growth rate
• fish with any other obvious defects

During the First Round

Leave the fish with symmetrical tail, that is open no less then 160°-170° (ideally 180°, as in picture #2). Examine the tail tension. Keep in mind that tail tension has tendency to soften with time.


_________________________________________________________________________________

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

_________________________________________________________________________________

A WAY TO RAISE RANCHU ● SELECTION METHODS

The ability to recognize strengths and weaknesses in fast growing ranchu fry is very important. However, no matter how good the quality of a ranchu is, there will always be some fault.

It is wrong to look for all imperfections at once, when performing culling. The best is to seek out major drawbacks and leave off minor imperfections and not to overlook the fish's charm and overall appearance.

It takes years of experience and training to start recognizing of what is important and being able to balance between good traits and faults for achieving the iconic ranchu look.

Selecting Between the Good & the Poor Fish

During culling, skilled person will search for a good fish, while novice will often look for a bad fish. Partly, because it is easier to identify the bad fish first, especially when you have a little experience as what to look for. However, there are advantages and disadvantages in both methods.

Looking for a good fish:

• culling must start early 
• by selecting only good fish, the number is drastically reduced 
• promising fish can be overlooked 
• moderate to high experience is necessary 

Looking for a bad fish:

• promising fish can not be overlooked  
• time consuming 
• hard to dramatically reduce the number of fish
• suitable for a novice

_________________________________________________________________________________

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

_________________________________________________________________________________

A WAY TO RAISE RANCHU ● CULLING

The Purpose of Culling

It is absolutely necessary to perform selection and culling to keep up and improve upon ranchu quality. In one spawn, ranchu can produce a lot of fish with undesirable characteristics. Strict selection of the fish with true ranchu qualities will assure that ranchu breed stays alive and continues its high quality traits.

During Ranchu Culling

Choose shady and well ventilated place during culling process. Sudden water temperature change will kill the fry. It is outmost important to keep the temperature as even as possible during selection and transfers of the fry from one container to another.

Choose large enough container size for culling and do not overstock. Overstocking and too small container will result in lack of oxygen. Also, water temperature in small container tends to fluctuate more freely in response to the air temperature.

To prevent water temperature change and lack of oxygen, floating box with netted bottom can be used to house the fry. The box floats in the pond, keeping the water parameters stable.

Culling Mistakes 

Often, a novice tends to keep most of the fish and performs selection and culling much later then required. The culling rounds must be performed on schedule. Overstocking may result in underdeveloped and lower quality fish.

During the early fry stages it is easier to identify many defects and major imperfections. That's why first culling round is performed drastically. The following rounds require more mastery and training, as one searches for the fish with superior qualities.

_________________________________________________________________________________

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

_________________________________________________________________________________

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

CULLING NET - STEP BY STEP DIY

I made some traditional culling nets. They are quite a necessity during the ranchu culls. The nylon mesh is gentle on the fish and the net allows you to pick the fish up and observe it from the side.

Materials:

1. bamboo stick of ½ to ⅝ inches diameter cut to 11-12 inches length 
2. galvanized utility wire, 14 gauge 
3. nylon mesh with fine weave
4. twine
5. nylon thread for sewing

Equipment:

1. mold - any cylinder object of desired diameter (ex. coffee mug)
2. drill with a drill bit 
3. pliers
4. scissors
5. sewing needle

Bend the wire around a cylinder object of desired diameter to make a wire loop. Use pliers to bend the wire ends as shown

Drill two holes of the same diameter as wire in the bamboo handle

Place wire loop over the bamboo handle and insert bent wire ends into the drilled holes

Use twine to wrap over the wire firmly affixing it to the bamboo handle

Cut a circle from a nylon mesh that is ⅜ inches larger than the wire loop and sew it to the wire with a sewing needle, wrapping the mesh over the wire. Make sure that the mesh is not stretched too tight.

Finished culling net

Culling net detail

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.

SECOND CULL - THE TAIL IS STILL IN FOCUS

On their 24th day since hatching the ranchu fry are 6/8 inches (20 mm) long, demonstrating excellent growth rate. The tails are now much more developed, with more recognizable traits. This round I was trying to determine six more types of tail and body deformities, in addition to five that I was seeking out during my first cull ("First Cull - It's All About The Tail"). I had to pay maximum attention, since this time there were so many criteria to adhere to. For the first cull I had to go through approximately 600 fry of which I kept 40%. After the second cull I kept only 60%, which left me with 130 individuals but fairly nice looking so far. The next cull will happen sometimes next month. Below, are the diagrams of tail's defects outlined in blue for cull #2.

DESIRED tail shape and
degree of openness

Curved spine line and
misaligned tail

Tail has no split in
the middle

Tail core is too thick
and rigid

Tail is open but
asymmetrical

Tail is split all the
way to peduncle

Tail is not open and
is asymmetrical

Tail side lobe tip
is deformed

Tail is not open. Red line
indicate desired angle

Tail core edges
overlap

Single,
regressed tail

Tail is not open, side lobes
extend too far back

FIRST CULL - IT'S ALL ABOUT THE TAIL

Since the eggs hatched, I was culling any fry with deformed body as soon as I can identify it. But today, two weeks from hatching, I went through a major cull, ending up keeping only 40%.

The fry is now half an inch (13 mm) long. Even though the tail is now more or less defined, still, it is hard to detect its details and asymmetry between the tail lobes and shoulders, and the tail split. Today my goal was to select the fry with a straight body line and with the most open tail, which ideally should be 180 degrees, but not narrower than 160 degrees. The culling was done through looking from above. Below, I put together a few diagrams to illustrate what tail shape and development I was looking for. Misshaped tail is outlined in blue and should be the reason for disqualification. The photos are not of my actual fry and are used only for illustration purposes.

The next cull should be carried in about two weeks or when the fry reaches 6/8th of an inch (20 mm), and the tail is further developed with more details visible. I anticipate even greater reduction in numbers then.

Desired tail shape and
degree of openness 

Tail has no split in the middle

Single, regressed tail

Tail is not open. Red line indicates
degree of desired openness

Tail is not open and
is asymmetrical

Tail is open but asymmetrical