Ranchu breeding and appreciation

Hi!

This thread was created with the purpose of connecting all serious ranchu fanciers in the country. I have added a brief description of the ranchu for those of you who are unfamiliar with this rare and valuable Japanese pond fish:

The ranchu is a hooded variety of fancy goldfish developed in Japan. It is referred to as the "king of goldfish" by the Japanese. The modern-day ranchu is a Japanese development of the lionhead. They are the direct outcome of crossbreeding experiments of different Chinese lionhead specimens.

The ranchu is a highly regarded fancy goldfish in Japan. Compared to lionheads, ranchus have a more downturned tail and tail fin. Although similar to lionheads, ranchus have more-arched backs and have much shorter tails that are tucked-in at a sharp angle.

A ranchu has an egg-shaped body with a deep belly that is between 5/8 to 3/4 the length of the fish. This goldfish does not have a dorsal fin and breeding standards require that the back should not have any vestiges of the dorsal fin on it. The back should be rounded and not flat, as in the case of lionheads. The area of the caudal peduncle should curve sharply downwards to meet the tail. The caudal peduncle itself should be broad and neither lengthy or too short (a properly formed caudal peduncle avoids swimming motion impairments to this type of goldfish). The ranchu's tail meets the caudal peduncle at a forty-five degree angle, giving the fish a unique swimming motion. Furthermore, the tail lobes are rounded, and all other finnage are paired.

The most prominent feature of the ranchu is its head. There must be sufficient space between the eyes, and also from the eyes to the front of the head. The gill cover should figuratively extend quite far towards the tail. The headgrowth should seem to begin from the bottom of the gill cover and move upward. The headgrowths of young ranchu fry may take at least a year to develop. Young ranchus possessing broad foreheads and square noses generally produce better headgrowths. Mature ranchus can reach between 6 to 8 inches (15 to 20 centimeters) in length.

Ranchus may come in orange, red, white, red-and-white, blue, black, black-and-white, black-and-red, natural, and chocolate coloration. Scalation may either be metallic, nacreous (calico) or matte. Ranchus with a pale-yellow bodies and bright red heads are rare. Ranchus are well-adapted to water quality and ph fluctuations.

Japanese, Thai, American and British ranchu breeders, as well as many prestigious goldfish-keeping societies, all adhere to two strict viewing classifications of the ranchu, namely: the top-view ranchu comportment and the side-view selection criteria. But Japanese aesthetic standards for ranchus are more exacting. Ranchus are often compared to sumo wrestlers, as the ranchu is a rounded fish with a headgrowth, also known as a "bramble-head". However, traditional Japanese culture, aesthetics and concepts regard these attributes of both ranchu and sumo wrestler as an imposing and solid figure composed of massive circles and squares, which are abstract representations of balance, proportion, dignity, graceful movement and power.

The Japanese are firm believers that the best view of the ranchu is from the top. The ideal ranchu is described (when seen from above, not from the side) as similar to the koban, an elongated and oval-shaped (almost rectangular but with rounded corners) old Japanese coin.

A ranchu's back (seen from the side) is compared to a traditional Japanese comb, which comes in two shapes. The first comb-shape (the nagate or long style) is long with rounded corners and is similar to the koban coin. While the second comb-shape (the marute or the round style) is shorter, round and is similar to a round coin viewed from the side, but still not as round as any modern-day circular coins. Both comb shapes are acceptable in ranchu exhibitions and competitions.

Most goldfish shows and competitions judge ranchus in an aquarium setting, and judges view the fish from the side and the top, taking note of the fish's comportment and conformation to physical standards, motion and movements. The attachment of the tail to the caudal peduncle are also meticulously evaluated. True Japanese Ranchu are judged from above in shallow bowls and definitely not in glass tanks, although the overall shape of the Ranchu is taken into account it is the top view that is the most important. Western goldfish societies still tend to use glass tanks for judging but a number of societies based on Japanese methods are now operational and try to follow the traditional way the Ranchu are bred, kept and Judged. True Japanese Ranchu enthusiasts do not keep their Ranchu in glass tanks but in shallow ponds or vats (courtesy of Wikipedia).

 

Photos might help as well...as all goldfish look alike to me

 

I'll be sure to post some pics for you JAX

 

They are beautiful -do you show them?

 

My ponds in which I raise my ranchu. I practice the traditional Japanese method of raising ranchu i.e. outdoor ponds, shallow water, an air stone, no filtration, 100% weekly water changes. These are my juveniles which I am hoping to breed with this coming Spring.

 

Wow, after reading this I had to google Ranchu, they are really nice looking goldies, same with lionhead goldfish. I have an empty 60L tank will this be big enough for goldfish?

 

I'm sure your 60 L tank will be fine for 2 goldfish, as long as your filtration is good and you do water changes weekly

 

do u have any u would sell?

 

@Saturn a 60 liter should be fine temporarily, but those guys get pretty big ( about 15cm I think) so you would have to upgrade at some stage - get a 4 foot and 4 fish 60 =liters per fish sounds better, just my opinion

 

So good to see coldwater enthusiast .. ranchu/oranda/lionhead and other fancy goldfish can be so cool ... I currently have a tank in my kids room where each have an oranda .. tank is plain and simple ..These fish get extremely tame and make awesome pets ..

 

That is a nice looking tank @Fuzzy

 

I agree with GaryG, when it comes to goldfish, tank upgrades are inevitable. I keep my 3 orandas in a 3 foot and I still need to do weekly water changes.

 

I will hopefully be selling from next year Gazoh. Will keep you updated.

 

For those of you who are interested in goldfish and/or koi, please feel free to join my facebook page: South African Koi and Fancy Goldfish Group.

 

Setting up 3ft today, looking to get 2 fancy goldfish or would 3 be OK? Never kept goldfish in a tank before.

 

2 or 3 goldfish in a 3 foot is fine, as long as your filtration is good and you do regular water changes. Also, remember that goldfish such as commons, comets and shubunkins are unsuitable for most tanks as they grow too large. Keep us updated with some pics Vis!

 

Yeah it would be lionhead, veiltail or redcap. Will see what they have that I like. Will make it 2.

 

Hi guys, check out the blog of Jeff Thompson, one of USA's top ranchu breeders, very interesting:

Ranchu Notes: Article I wrote for the American Goldfish Association Newsletter

 

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