Ranchu breeding tubercles and conditioning

In the last couple if weeks we've enjoyed mild conditions and the pond now comfortably climbs well above 18 degrees C on a bright day, falling back down to a controlled 18 degrees C during the night.

Looking at the blog from last year, it appears that chasing behavior occurred when temperatures were in the 21-24C range. It would suggest we could be close to these conditions very soon. I may push the base pond temperature up a little further as i am getting itchy to see some spawning behaviour. I will just ensure the pond can drop back down a little further than i let it last year.

I have increased the number of bloodworm feeds per day where possible  and the ranchu are looking in good condition. One of the males in particular is showing very good vigour, seemingly swimming with real purpose and presence (if that's possible!). The females all appear to be filling out nicely, with breeding tubercles becoming more prominent on the males, which is good to see.

The Ranchu enjoy sun on the Pond

This month we have continued to see massive amounts of rain across the UK and recently very strong winds. Today the weather has been much nicer, calm and bright. Birds have been singing like spring has arrived, and the sun increased the ranchu pond temperature past 14 degrees C. 

I have been observing the ranchu closely and have noticed that a couple appear to have ulcers developing. Whilst i haven't  been feeding them, the ranchu have still been able to graze on algae and anything else foraged on the bottom, due to their increasing activity levels. Because they are back in the eat/poop cycle, i imagine the water quality us deteriorating. I must now get back into the regular water change routine without delay, to ensure water quality is pristine, allowing any infections to be cleared up.

With that in mind, i decided today, to give the ranchu their first serving of bloodworm. They all ate eagerly and as the temperatures continue to climb i will increase the number of feeds gradually. 

Spare ponds were cleaned and filled allowing the water to age, with the intention of moving the ranchu into it on wednesday.

Frozen nights but warm Ranchu!

I have pushed on with my plans to start warming the ranchu gradually and things are going well. We have had a run of nights with temperatures below freezing recently. The lids and just a single 300w heater in each pond has kept the water above 9 degrees C, which was a surprise and also a great relief.

As the temperature continued to increase and went past 10 degrees C, the ranchu have began to respond to the change. Each fish appearing a little less lethargic and labored when moving.

Within the next 14 days i expect the temperature to be between 12 and15 degrees C. I will then observe the ranchu and expect feeding and water changing routines to begin again soon after. 

This spring,instead of warming the ponds up to summer temperatures in one continuous process,I intend to hold the ranchu ponds heaters around 15-18 degrees C for a while, allowing the spring sunshine (when it comes!) to increase the pond temperatures further at times, more naturally.

Let me know how your winter has been.

Time to start warming things up!

The ranchu have now been at winter temperatures and unfed for several weeks. I now intend to begin very gradually warming them. I expect this process to take a further 3 or 4 weeks, before the ranchu ponds reach a temperature that i am happy to feed them at once again.

I had hoped we would have seen some snow and winter lows by now, but so far our winter has been mild, with only one sub zero night to memory. I expect this will mean snow and ice will arrive in the next few weeks, mid warm-up, meaning the heaters and pond lids will be put to the test once more, aswell as my wallet. 

In the last couple of weeks, i have made some modifications to the pond lids. We have had high winds recently, uprooting trees, and unfortunately the pond lids were also tossed about. Thankfully the ranchu were not injured. The lids have had more robust hinges fitted and also a latch and lock which i hope will mean i can rest more easy, regardless of the forecast. 

A mild day today saw the pond increase to 8 degrees C. All the ranchu look well, but i must admit im looking forward to cleaning ponds, warming and feeding the ranchu once again. 

4 Weeks of Winter Rest, So Far

Another week has passed and there has been nothing notable to report regarding the ranchu. They all continue to rest, and look well, with water temperatures dropping to a controlled 6.8 degrees C at night and rising to about 7.5C on milder days.

Today, just out of interest, i decided to run a couple of pond water tests. Given that the ranchu are in unfiltered ponds and have now been in the same water for for a few weeks, i was keen to see if my confidence in their current condition was valid. I wasnt disappointed, nitrite and ammonia tests both returned negative readings which was reassuring.

Today i also spent time studying the development that each of my ranchu went through this year, comparing the same fish as tosai and nisai. There were obvious noticable changes in size but also interestingly real improvements and noticable changes in (what i believe to be) important areas of the ranchu's form. 

Whether the changes be genetic or through grooming it will certainly give me something to consider when selecting spawning pairings and sorting fry next year.

Wrap up Ranchu, Arctic Blast Incoming!

A day at home today gave me the opportunity to check the pond and the ranchu over in the daylight. A little wall algae waste had accumalated but this was syphoned out easily.

The activity inspired the ranchu into investigating what was occurring. Whilst not ideal, it did give me the opportunity to get a closer look at the condition of each of them. They all look well, which is reassuring, given that they have now spent a couple of full weeks below 10 degrees C, with the ranchu barely moving at all, which is still a little weird as at any other time it would signal an issue.

The pond has been sitting at around 7c, with the current outside conditions and the lid keeping temperatures just above what the thermostat is set to. We have colder conditions forecast and i may lower the thermostat a little further. 

The Freeze Begins for the Ranchu

Just a quick update today. As you can see from the picture above of my old pond, freezing night time conditions have now arrived. Temperatures in the last couple of nights have dropped to -2 C, which has been the first real test of the ponds setup and a good indicator as to how the pond temperatures may be affected.

Things look positive. Thankfully, everything seems to have stood up to the challenge, with the thermostat reading the desired set temperature (7.5 C) late last night and again early this morning. 

No change to speak of with the ranchu, although a couple do appear a little more active than i would expect. One female is very inactive, which i must get my head around as being normal given the conditions, but it is still a little unnerving. I'm sure when my ranchu numbers increase i will be less fearful of losses at this time if year. 

When the bubble wrap arrives (tomorrow) they will be wrapped up and shaded, which should help reduce activity levels.

Time to put my feet up?

Today i made some final preparations to the ponds, with the upcoming winter in mind. I finished cleaning out the other ponds and made some repairs to the lids that were needed. I have some rolls of bubble wrap ordered that i intend to throw across all the ponds to help insulate them further. 

I've been sneaking a peak at the ranchu to check on their condition, although its important not to disturb them too much during the resting period. It is somewhat unnerving, the thought of not attending to, changing water, or feeding the ranchu for several weeks. Todays inspection reassured me though, as the water conditions appear to be fine with no waste visible. Plus, with no further food going in, in theory, there is no reason water quality should deteriorate significantly.

I have been studying ranchu a lot recently, and will continue to during the winter, as i begin making plans for the upcoming season. The "perfect" ranchu is made up of many elements and the winter provides a great opportunity to think about ways in which the development of each element could be optimised through grooming. 

Although this season resulted in no spawning i have learnt a great deal about my ranchu. I have been able to see more about the genetics of each fish, as they grew and developed as Nisai, which will be valuable when selecting fry. I am very confident this year will be more successful.

The Winter Resting Period Begins

As hoped, the ponds have continued to cool nicely this week and have now dropped below 10 degrees C (50F). This week i will get them down a little further (below 8 degrees C) and will aim to hold them there for several weeks. 

The ranchu are now less active, particularly after dark, although all appear well. The winter period provides a great opportunity to study the ranchu. They are motionless for long periods and in lots of water, making it a good opportunity to assess the ranchus structure and balance clearly.

I hope that there will be very little to write about for several weeks as the ranchu go through their resting period. Rumours are that we could see snow next week, and that we could have the worst winter for 60 years, with snow right through to March. 

All Japan Ranchu Show 2013 (AJRS 2013)

The hurricane force winds that we were expecting moved across the country about 30 miles south of us here in the Midlands. Thankfully, the worst we saw was a few gusts and lots of rain.

The temperature is now quite cold, particularly at night, with temperatures around 5 degrees C. The ranchu ponds are continuing to cool-down and the fish are on reduced feeds but continue to look well and active.

This weekend sees the 58th All Japan Ranchu Show 2013 arrive at Tokyo Park. Some of the best show ranchu in the world will be shown.

I look forward to studying the best of Japans ranchu for 2013.

Batten Down the Hatches!

If we are to believe the forecasts the UK is set to see some stormy weather over the weekend and into monday, with very high winds expected. This could reak havoc in the garden but hopefully the lids will stay on the ponds and will protect the ranchu from a free flying fence panel!

Temperature has been quite mild for the tine of year and the ranchu ponds are still sitting at around 14 degrees C. It is rumoured that we are meant to be dye a winter from hell this year, with snow and freezing conditions possible from November through to February. It is certainly time for me to begin lowering the pond temperatures. 

The ranchu have remained active and look really well, even though the temperature is a good 8 degrees C lower than it was only a couple of months ago. 

It has been interesting to see how the ranchu have all developed this year as Nisai. One of my least favourite fish when i first got them has grown on me considerably and i am excited to see how it develops as an Oya. 

Ranchu heading into Winter '13

In the last few days the weather in the UK has cooled considerably and we've consistently had daytime temperatures of 10-15 degrees, with night time temperatures below 10 degrees C.

The pond has kept the ranchu at a steady temperature of around 15 degrees C.

The ranchu are all looking really well and even in the cooler water, they are still very active. I have observed that recent conditions in the ponds appear to have resulted in increased wen growth on all ranchu. 

There are many factors to consider, but it is the first time that i have seen obvious wen growth across the whole group at the same time. I guess with all the ranchu nearing Oya age, and perhaps maturity, natural development may become less extreme and changes through grooming become more obvious.

I will now begin the slow process if reducing the pond temperature for the wintering that the ranchu will endure. The cool down will take at least a month and so by starting now, the ranchu should be at the winter temperature by mid/end november. I will hope to keep them at 6 degrees C until at least late Jan, when i will start warming them very slowly once again.