Full moons and frisky ranchu!

Saturday evening the ranchu were moved into a new pond. A male fish (previously mentioned for showing a bit of dominance) began the first chasing ive seen this year soon after, but stopped a little while later.

Sunday we had a really nice, bright day, the pond temperature rose well once again and i prevented it dropping back beneath 20 degrees C this time. Breeding tubercles have become even more obvious on all fish. I've also fed smaller quantities each feeding. As darkness fell, i looked in on the ranchu and all were very active, almost oblivious to my presence. I always think this is a good sign that they have something else more primal on their mind! All ranchu were either chasing or being nudged around, which was promising. Early Monday morning i checked on them but all were as round as they were the night before. *Sigh*

We are forcast to have a couple of weeks of similar warm weather. Rather than continue to raise the base temp, as i did last year, i will now hold it at around 20/21C. We are also due a full moon tonight (i believe), and i know lots of breeders who believe this to be a big factor in encouraging spawning. We shall see....

It is widely acknowledged that the first spawning is often of low quality, with many breeders preferring to disregard it entirely and wait for the next. Whilst i accept this may well be good practice and best use of time, i intend to get some practice with the first spawn. Whilst the overall quality may ultimately be llimited, i have the resources and time, and am keen to practice my pond management and a few grooming ideas on any fry. 

Spring has sprung and the sun is shining

As we enter April, the worst of the winter now looks to be behind us. Just as the pond was increasing in temperature nicely, last week we had a handful of days close to freezing. It seems the lids and heaters finally hit their limit, and the pond simply couldn't be kept at the temperature it had risen to in days previous (somewhere around 19 degrees) during sub zero nights. The pond came down to around 15C but the ranchu took it in their stride and seemed unaffected.

Since then, We have had a number of days with temperatures close to 20 degrees C and temperatures through the night around 10 degrees, which looks set to continue in the coming week.

The pond is sitting around 19C generally, brighter days seem to have more heat behind then now and the pond has warmed up to beyond 21C at times. The ranchu look well and are very active. I hope that mild evenings for the next couple of weeks will allow me to keep the ponds warmer, and may trigger some chasing.

Ive made even more changes to my spawning mops having tried various different materials i think im now settled on the style of the one above. The ranchu have seemed very cautious of anything that wasnt super soft, and havent interacted as confidently with previous mops as i would like. They seem very happy to interact with this one, which must be a good thing.

Ranchu Eggs and Hatching Fry!

Just teasing, sadly theyre not mine! Ranchu goldfish are being spawned across Japan though it appears as the breeding season gets well underway for Japanese hobbyists. 

I have been watching the weather in areas of Japan and it has been very similar to conditions here in the UK, which has been 10 degrees C above the average for the time of the year. 

Today, we have enjoyed the sunniest, warmest day of he year, with barbecues fired up all around us. The ranchu pond rose to 17 degrees C earlier, and we are set for a week of high pressure and warm(ish) weather. The ponds were cleaned up and refilled yesterday and the ranchu were moved today.

The ranchu have been enjoying good quantities of bloodworm and I am looking forward to observing the ranchus behaviour this week, if conditions continue to be bright and mild in their new pond.

Shiny Happy Ranchu

In the last few days we have had milder weather and seen a little more sun. At times the ranchu ponds have gone above 15 degrees C. I have also been feeding bloodworm in small quantities. The fish really seem to be responding well to the changes, which is reassuring.

With the recent change of pond, introduction of food, and warmer conditions, i decided to add my new artificial spawning mop/grass to see how the ranchu like it. It seems to have gone down well and they are all very comfortable with it, brushing themselves along its soft strands confidently.

I aim to keep the ponds somewhere in the 15-18 degrees C range now. The ranchu are looking and swimming about very confidently and im hopeful spawning activity could be just round the corner. 

During March of the 2013 breeding season the temperature jumped up to 20 degrees C within a couple days, fingers crossed for similar (or better) weather this year.

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.

First Water Change of the Year for Ranchu!

As February arrives the ranchu have now been resting for around 11 weeks. Over the last couple of weeks the pond temperatures have slowly crept up to, and past, 12 degrees C.

Today, i decided to move the ranchu into a new pond for the first this year. If i had any confidence in our weather improving soon, i would have kept the ranchu in the pond they were in for a little longer. However, last year saw freezing temperatures right through to the middle of March. This would make getting the spare fresh ponds water up to temperature with each water change quite a challenge, aswell as expensive. I'm also not sure im comfortable leaving them in the same water for several more weeks (totaling around 19 weeks!). The water quality has definately been deteriorating.

The pond that the ranchu have been moved into, has been aged for a couple of weeks, and i plan to hold off feeding the ranchu until i feel more confident temps and water changes can be carried out again regularly and relatively trouble free.

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. 

Frosty Weather Hits the UK Ranchu

In recent days the UK has had colder weather including the first frosts of the autumn/winter. The ranchu are beginning to slow down a little i think, although i've not had as much time to observe them during the daytime recently, due to work commitments.  

Feeding has continued to be reduced as the pond temperature slowly drops. The digital thermostat is reading around 12 degrees C. By the end of next week, i hope to have the pond down to below 10 degrees C, by which time the ranchu will no longer be being fed. Very soon the ranchu will be moved into the pond that they will spend the winter period in. Before then i will be giving the ponds a thorough going over to ensure they will be insulated as best possible.

The all japan ranchu show 2013 has now passed and the quality of ranchu on show was incredible. Winners can be seen in full glory below, enjoy!!

Oya class

http://youtu.be/QAl85Yllum0

Nisai class

http://youtu.be/3ALMVzHIZqM

Tosai class

http://youtu.be/-SwW3C_Ci9U

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. 

Japanese Ranchu for sale UK

For anyone in the UK interested in the traditional ranchu culture, finding ranchu for sale, of Japanese lineage, can seem challenging. I wanted to run through a few options available to you.

Firstly it is almost guaranteed that your local pet store will not sell them. You may find ranchu for sale in better equipped aquatics shops, but they are likely to have been bred to a very different (commercial) standard. If you have ambitions to breed or show quality "top view" ranchu then you should look elsewhere. By acquiring a knowledge of the characteristics expected in good ranchu, you will soon be able to see the important structural differences between "top view" quality and commercial fish.

Joining a goldfish club, or one of the few ranchu clubs in the UK, may offer a way of acquiring fish, as well as gaining useful knowledge from other ranchu enthusiasts, though some clubs have strict rules regarding the distribution of fish among its members.

Previously, clubs were the only route, or a private import costing thousands of pounds. Thankfully, for the lone ranger out there that would rather find there own path, like i did, ranchu can now be found for sale in the UK more easily. At the right times of the year (often spring and autumn), independent ranchu enthusiasts and breeders, like myself, have ranchu for sale. This offers an affordable way for anyone to get involved in the traditional ranchu culture.

Assuming this winter goes to plan, i expect to have ranchu available early next year. All spawns will go through a very strict selection process from as early as 2 weeks post spawn. This ensures the best fry have the optimum conditions to develop in, asap. It is therefor wise to express an interest with any breeder well before the start of the upcoming breeding season if you are interested in buying ranchu from particular breeders.

Autumn is upon the ranchu

I recently finished making some minor modifications to the ponds, most notably creating more level bases to the ranchu ponds. Doing this has improved the drainage and cleaning procedure for me when the ponds are syphoned. The liners all came out and 50mm polystyrene sheets were placed across the bases. The soil beneath the sheets was levelled, with a minor slope created from back to front, which now pushes water to one end of the pond when emptying. At that end a small, deeper, drainage section was cut out of the polystyrene. The results have been great.

The weather is meant to turn colder over the next few days, with daytime temps set to go from around 18 degrees C to around 10 degrees C. The reds of autumn have come out in plants around the garden in the last couple of days and i'm now thinking this might be a good trigger for beginning the wintering process of my ranchu.

Today i learnt something promising about the effectiveness of my ranchu pond lids. I have two ponds full of water, the one the fish are in, with a heater, has sat with the lid open today. It has been a cool overcast day, the unheated pond (without fish) has had the lid shut and when tested was 3 degrees higher than the pond with ranchu in. The heater has also been on at times to maintain the set temp meaning the lids are adding at least 3 degrees C to the ambient water temperature.

An Overdue UK Ranchu Post

It has been many weeks since my last post when i was in the process of building my outdoor ranchu ponds. They are now pretty much complete. As you may expect there have been a number of modifications and improvements already made to them and I still a few more planned. On the whole though, they are performing tremendously and my small group of ranchu are looking well.

Temperatures have been far easier to control, particularly during brighter days when the ponds haven't warmed up like they did in the conservatory. The lids also appear to be doing a reasonable job preventing heat loss with a single 200 watt heater currently all that is required during the night intermittently to keep temperatures stable, even with evening temperatures below 10 degrees C at times, which is promising for the  approaching winter. The ranchu have been kept between 15 and 20 degrees C, are feeding well, active, deeper in colour and looking healthy.

With the winter fast approaching it will very soon be time to start the gradual cool down. I hope to make it a very gradual process this year, and expect to have lowering temperatures well on their way by November. With the extra ponds now available i also intend to separate the sexes over the winter this year.