Flower Ranchu

1 Flower Ranchu Overview

The Flower Ranchu is a variety of goldfish. Because the Ranchu belongs to the egg-shaped, tiger-head goldfish group, the Flower Ranchu is one of the more distinctive goldfish varieties. Its most striking feature is a well-developed head growth, which is the key to its appeal.

English name: Flower Ranchu

Type: Goldfish, temperate freshwater fish

Origin: China

Breeding: Egg-laying (oviparous)

Water quality: pH 7.2–7.5

Care level: Easy

Suitable temperature: 10–30°C

2 Appearance

The Flower Ranchu has a very distinctive appearance; its prominent, well-developed head growth is its greatest feature. The Ranchu is itself a characteristic Chinese variety, and the Flower Ranchu’s body color is also unusual, making it popular with goldfish enthusiasts.

The Flower Ranchu grows 10–15 cm long, with a large head and rounded belly and a short caudal fin. The back is smooth and slightly arched in a curved line; the head growth is especially well developed, composed of dozens of strip- or round-shaped small lumps, tightly packed and very thick. The head growth wraps the cheeks, the eyes are half sunk into the growth, and the face is pretty; together with the curved back, the shape is very cute. The Ranchu goldfish is a distinctive Chinese variety and a famous member of the egg-shaped tiger-head goldfish group, widely loved.

3 Habitat

When keeping the Flower Ranchu, always try to keep the water quality stable. Because of its unique head growth, this distinctive feature is also a major cause of the ‘toppling’ problem, so the rearing environment must be carefully managed.

It is best to maintain the water color at a fresh green, with the fish still visible. When the water becomes too dense it harms the fish; overly high green-algae concentration interferes with the Flower Ranchu’s gill respiration. At night algae respire, and too much algae consumes large amounts of oxygen—without attention to dissolved oxygen the fish may suffocate. High algae concentration also causes large amounts of organic deposits (mostly dead algae), raising harmful substances and affecting health. Therefore, when the water turns deep green or the fish can no longer be seen, it is best to change water and lighten the color.

When kept in green water, the water is initially very stable, but once it begins to darken it deteriorates rapidly; when unbreaking bubbles appear on the surface, the water has begun to spoil.

4 Feeding

The Flower Ranchu has a very distinctive appearance and is beloved by hobbyists; its overall form is well balanced and looks beautiful from any angle. How to feed the Flower Ranchu is a concern for many keepers.

Newly hatched fry have underdeveloped organs and rely on the yolk sac for nutrition for about 3 days, after which the fins are well formed and a digestive system has appeared, so they begin taking food from the environment. The period from first feeding to sexual maturity is about one year. The presence of first food determines the survival rate of fry, which eat small, easily digested plankton such as rotifers and paramecia. If such food is lacking, highly buoyant micro-cyprinid food or crushed boiled egg yolk can be used instead.

At the adult stage the Flower Ranchu eats a wide variety of foods: larger plankton, various plant debris, tubifex worms, wheat bran, bean cake, barley, buckwheat and commercial pellets, and also grazes algae on tank walls.