Japanese Ranchu Spring (laughs) Update

Well Spring has arrived (supposedly!), but the Japanese ranchu continue to be surrounded by snow and the freezing night time conditions here in the UK. The ranchu are feeding strongly, growing and looking well. In particular i have observed good headgrowth on most of the ranchu over the winter. A couple of them have also grown significantly in length, in comparison with others that were bigger when i received them.

With each water change there is a little chasing occurring, but nothing much more appears to be developing from it throughout the night or early mornings. I'm hopeful that some sun and milder evenings may keep them more active. I'm watching each day as the suns trajectory changes ever so slightly, getting closer and closer to hitting the pond. I also gave the conservatory roof its first clean in 5 years, which is now letting in a ton of more light.

The pond is currently sitting at around 19.5-20 degrees C, with the ranchu being fed a mixture of pellet and bloodworm 2 or 3 times per day.

The Ranchu See More Snow!

Well another two weeks have passed and the ranchu continue to endure cold, dark days, and even colder nights. In the last couple of days we have even seen more snow fall. The heaters are working hard to keep conditions relatively stable during the night. With temperatures no higher than 5 degrees C and more cloudy days forecast for the next week, a potential spawn before the end of the month is looking doubtful. It appears the season could start much later than last year, assuming it gets started at all.

It appears that other UK ranchu hobbyists are also encountering similar challenges, with current conditions not apparently inspiring much breeding activity. I am still confident that slightly milder conditions, particularly during night will get things going.

The ranchu are currently looking healthy, all filling out well, with a couple of individuals now showing more obvious female-like anal vents. They are currently receiving a couple of controlled bloodworm feedings each day.Water temperature is currently at around 19 degrees C during the day, dropping a little through the night.

The recent conditions have led me to re assess my methods for future winters and my plans for my new ranchu facility, which will be outside. The current pond contains 200-300 litres with a good surface area, is in a conservatory with a radiator and has 2 x 200W heaters, yet still struggle to keep the temperature up (and costing me ££££ in heating). Whilst more efficient heaters may help, my initial thoughts are that next year i will need to be more patient, increasing temperatures even more gradually than this year to cater for extended cold periods.

Japanese Ranchu Season Update

It's been a few days since my last Japanese ranchu entry and to be honest not a lot different has been happening. We have more snow predicted and below freezing conditions forecast yet again incredibly and so the warm day and mild nights that i've been awaiting have not come yet. The ranchu continue to chase, particularly for the first 48 hours or so after a water change.

Another water change was carried out today and the ranchu chased energetically. Spawning mops are in the ranchu pond and I hope that more chasing occurs through the night and perhaps into tomorrow when I can monitor them more closely.

The pond is holding at around 18.5 degrees C, with the ranchu being fed 2/3 times per day.

I'm keeping in mind the time of year that spawning has occurred previously. Those were the last weeks in March and with generally warmer conditions throughout the whole month. I will remain patient.