VISIT TO TG RANCHU IN BANGKOK, THAILAND - PART I

PART I

Jun Luk, my friend and neighbor ranchu fellow, and I had a privilege of visiting ranchu master Nuttavut Prueksiri (aka Aor) in Bangkok, Thailand. Many thanks to Jun for setting up and coordinating this visit. Aor's ranchu business is known under the name of TG Ranchu (Facebook page - TG Ranchu, YouTube - aortaoaortao). 

Having returned from a long flight the morning of our visit, Aor was very kind to show us around his farm and his work with ranchu. Energetic and with a great sense of humor, Aor is fun to spend time with and have conversation. During a few hours of our visit, we learned and shared a lot about the ranchu.

Aor is posing proudly in front of his trophy wall.
I think, it is time for a bigger wall. Not all of Aor's trophies could fit here.

Jun and I couldn't resist posing next to Aor and his trophies.

My first impression of the place - how perfectly organized everything is. Aor employs a traditional Japanese method for raising and grooming ranchu. Fiberglass tubs of different sizes are used to house his ranchu. The tubs are protected from the sun by the overhead shades and by the net enclosure from the hungry birds and such.

Aor is a mentor and promoter of top view ranchu. It is amazing how readily and eagerly he shares his vast knowledge and experience. He is also a ranchu judge.

Inspecting the quality of one of Aor's nisai ranchu

Hand spawning demonstration

Here are some Q&A with Aor regarding his grooming techniques:

Q: How often do you change water?
A: Every four days.

Q: How does your "new" water get prepared?
A: Tap water is collected in the cistern and aerated for 1-2 days. No chemicals or dechlorinators are used. The fresh water is pumped from the cistern to the tubs.

Q: Do you use "green water" and if you do for what reason?
A: No, In my opinion, temperature in Thailand is not proper to use green water.

Q: What is the feeding regiment for BBR and CBR?
A: To develop funtan and keep up with rapid growth - five feeding per day, three of which with bloodworms and two with pellets.

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

Q: Is there any other supplemental food given to your ranchu?
A: Watermeal, aka Swamp Algae or Wolffia.

Q: Is feeding regiment different for your nisai and oya fish?
A: For younger ranchu I feed more often with high protein food. For nisai and oya the same feeding regiment.

Q: Do you use any prophylactic drugs or treatments for your ranchu?
A: In case they get sick only.

TO BE CONTINUED ... 

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!

A PROPER ATIRE

Finally, I was able to purchase proper enamel bawls for my ranchu, exactly the same bowls that are used for ranchu competitions throughout Japan. Even in Thailand, you have to know where to go to find them. If it was't for Aor's, Thai ranchu master, generously taking us to the right place, I would have not fond them on my own.

It was at the local market on the north side of Bangkok that has a vendor selling them. However, knowing that wasn't enough to locate the bowls without Aor's assistance. There was no way that I would have found these bowls at the small stall stuffed up to the roof with many goods and home utensils.  As we pulled the bowls from the stacks, there were several sizes available. Notice my new enamel bowls in the previous post. Thank you Aor!!

Buying enamel bowls for my ranchu at the Bangkok's local market

QUIET BLOG NO MORE

This blog was quiet for a while, partially due to a fairly uneventful time at the end of winter and partially due to my travels for most of April in South East Asia.

That said, I am anticipating a series of posts about my goldfish findings in Laos and Thailand, including a memorable visit to ranchu master, Mr. Aor in Bangkok.

All this, while my ranchu were left alone for the entire three weeks during my travels! A true test to my set up. During my absence, the automatic feeder was set to one meal of Azayaka Pellets a day, while the rest of their food was algae. This is not the best diet, when you want to condition ranchu for spawning, but I had no choice. Although, I can't tell whether they have been spawning in my absence, from now on I am keeping a close eye. The ranchu diet is back to frozen bloodworms three times a day, one meal of Azayaka Pellets and Wolffia. Water change schedule is back to 90% weekly.

As you may imagine how worried I was during these past three weeks away. To a pleasant surprise, I found my ranchu active, healthy, grown and with increased head growth, and increased appetite too!

QUIET BEFORE THE STORM

Hopefully we had the last snow storm and the spring will now prevail. This year's winter in DC was cold and the water temperature in my indoor pond lingered between 58-62 F (14-17C). The ranchu were slower and were fed only once a day with Azayaka Balance Pellets, free ranging the rest of the time on algae.

It's warming up now and I have increased the feedings to two times a day, with Azayaka Growth Pellets and frozen bloodworms. Occasional Wollfia is added as a supplement. Again there are plenty of algae to eat for the ranchu between the meals, which they graze off of the walls and bottom of the tank. It is noticeable how much more active the ranchu became, especially on sunny days, when the sunlight hits the tank.

There is no display of spawning beheiviour yet. But with a steady warming and longer sunny days it is a matter of time. First spring thunder storm and a water change will assure spawning motion at once.

Looking back after a long break, it seems that I have forgotten how much work it was to raise the fry, BBR and CBR. Despite that, I feel excited about going through this again, but this time with more knowledge and more purpose.

I had enough time to think about my breeding goals and the seed ranchu, creating a plan of action. My choice of ranchu have widened and I have determined a combination I would like to try in producing even better quality ranchu this year. The time will tell soon enough. Patiently awaiting the storm ...

High Ranchu video in slow motion