Contradictions ~ 矛盾

Give the People what they want - and they'll get what they deserve.
~ The Kinks

Lunar New Year decorations in Chinatown

Tomorrow (31st Jan) will be the New Lunar Year of the Horse. Somehow, the festive mood is not felt as much as in previous years. Maybe there were just too many holidays in close proximity as the memories of Christmas and New Year are still very fresh in my mind.

Besides, I am also preoccupied with a big problem this year - how to feed 4 sizable spawns of baby Ranchus over the Lunar New Year holidays, during which, there will be 3 to 4 days without the supply of daphnia. Isn't having bigger TVR spawns what I have always deemed as the biggest hurdle to clear and I finally got it this year? 

Lunar New Year red packet (angpow)
from our lottery outlets
with goldfish designs for
prosperity and luck

Incidentally, this would be one of the most challenging year and a good opportunity to explore and experiment on alternative food sources like pellets or prepared food to supplement daphnia. I have culled the bigger spawns as much as possible to mitigate the limited food supply and control the water quality during the holidays.

No matter what, the Lunar New Year is the most important date in my culture for meeting up relatives, paying respects to the elders and family reunion. Of course, I will behave and spend more time with my family than with my fishes ;-p

May I wish all a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous Lunar New Year!

Feel Factor ~ 感覺

Few are those who see with their own eyes and feel with their own hearts.
~ Albert Einstein

More than a century of intensive linebreeding and inbreeding by the Japanese breeders have produced the consistent and beautiful Japanese Ranchu of today, but also very delicate fishes that are prone to sickness when conditions are not right for them. Thankfully, the Japanese Ranchu are mostly having problems with gill flukes and gill bacterial, which can usually be treated successfully if diagnosed in the early stages. Problems like head and body ulcer, fungus, argulus, anchor worms are not common for the Japanese Ranchu, unless contaminated by fishes from other sources.

Birds that sing the same kind of song may
not be the same type of birds ;-)

Developing a keen "feel factor" for the fishes is fundamental for a successful hobby, especially so for the Japanese Ranchu which are much more sensitive than most other varieties of goldfish. Fishes can't converse with us directly, so if we have a good "feel" for how the fishes are doing, we could preempt for many unnecessary casualties.

Many people who believe that having profound experiences in keeping the Chinese or Thai Ranchu, then keeping the Japanese Ranchu will be a bliss are in for some nasty surprises. On the contrary, experience in this case may be the biggest hindrance - be prepared to unlearn many things that we learned about keeping other varieties of goldfish. 

The previous big spawn in August did not turn up well and I have culled most and kept less than 10 pieces. This is the time of the year again to breed Ranchu with the cooler ambient and higher temperature swings and I have the opportunity to experiment with more parent combinations. I am glad that the spawns size are getting bigger with better quality eggs for the past 2 years, however, my work load is also growing over the years. Hopefully, I can still juggle work and Ranchu breeding this year.