The Ranchu GoldfishThe Ranchu is a popular goldfish species and is especially popular in Japan for its unique appearance and resemblance to a small puppy , Ranchu’s can be very friendly and some people are actually able to pat there ranchu’s or even train them to do little tricks. The ranchu goldfish is the work of breeding by the Japanese, breeding different types of lionhead goldfish.
The ranchu has a quite fat egg shaped body and when is fully grown can look quite strange but this is the attraction for goldfish enthusiasts. The ranchu also has very beautiful head growths which are prized by goldfish breeders.
Tank Size & ConditionsLike all goldfish they require a decent size tank and the most important factor when choosing the tank is the surface area of the water, this ensures enough oxyen for your fish, so when choosing a tank a long rectangular tank is preferred over a tall tank.
The ranchu goldfish is a very slow swimmer and because of its body shape does not cope with strong current so make sure that you have a good filter that is not too strong or is being pointed at a rock or some plants to reduce the strength of the current.
FoodThe best thing to feed your ranchu is any type of sinking pellet. It is also beneficial to include easily digestible plant foods such as duckweed, algae, and wheat germ to aid digestion.
For a treat Ranchu’s enjoy oranges, mandarins, live food, worms, and shrimp. I currently use a specially formulated ranchu food made by hikari fish food to produce strong colourful and healthy ranchu.
Remember normal rules apply when feeding your goldfish depending on the temperature, at temperatures above 20 degrees celcius goldfish digestive system work very well at cold temperatures overfeeding can make them bloated and sometimes when they unable to digest it can die from it. So take care when feeding your ranchu.
Common Ranchu ProblemsThe most common ranchu problem I have seen is swim bladder where the ranchu will swallow too much oxygen and eventually keep floating up to the top of the tank and then eventually flipping over. This condition can be avoided by feeding your ranchu sinking pellets so they don’t have to come up to the water level to get the food, Feeding your ranchu easily digestible food such as duckweed and plants can help relieve swim bladder problems. The other problem I have seen is that your ranchu may suck on pebbles and often accidentally swallow them so its very important to ensure the pebbles in your tank if you have any are small enough pass through the ranchu’s body. Sand could be a great alternative to pebbles and can give your fish tank a nice beachy look.
Ranchu Price $$$When ranchu’s are fully grown they can fetch very high prices for example a five year old pure bred ranchu can set you back around $100 US and even higher depending on the size and vibrant colors of your ranchu.Most pet shops I have looked at you are able to buy a ranchu for around $20 US for a6 -7 cm ranchu which is a very reasonable price. Look for a similar price otherwise you may be getting ripped off.
Where to get your RanchuRanchu’s are not a very common fish specieis found in most pet stores so it may take a bit of fish hunting to find it but if you are unable to find a ranchu in your local fish shop the next option is an online fish shop as the number of online fish shops has increased dramatically so doing a quick search on google should come up with some great results. I’ve previously ordered all my fish online even the tropical fish.
PS
Just as a side note, in the picture you can see the white spots on the front of his pectoral fins. This means the fish is a MALE. It's hard to tell with goldfish so I just wanted to point that out.
