Water Change ~ 水換

精工慢養
Slower Growth for Refinement
~ An idiom in Chinese Goldfish aquaculture

Spawn C

Mandatory water change everyday is a misconception of keeping the Japanese Ranchu for as far as I can remember.  If grooming Ranchus means feeding them heavily and performing water changes everyday to stimulate growth and upkeep the water quality, then we are better off keeping commercial food fishes.  

Spawn C 2014

Even for young Ranchus that require ample feeding to grow and develop into strong adults, sometimes, we have to slow down to regulate their development so as to achieve overall balance of head, body and tail.

Skilled Chinese Goldfish masters also embarked on the technique of slower paced growth at certain juncture to fine tune the development of their fishes. The technique is called 蹲魚 (dun yu) which literally means "squat the fish". 

A hobby is meant to relax and should not become a chore. At times, there maybe no choice but to do more frequent water changes, but it should not be a normal routine. Control feeding and stocking to achieve good development of Ranchu with a manageable water change regime becomes more relaxing both for us and the fishes. Another good reason, especially for our local hobbyists now is to conserve water in the midst of this horrible dry spell.

Stress Reliever ~ 緩解壓力

It is not how much we have, but how much we enjoy that makes happiness.
~ Charles Sprugeon

Youngest spawn from 13th Jan 2014
Photo: 1st March 2014

The daily lunch-time ferrying to and fro from work place and home to feed the baby Ranchus becomes very tiring in this extreme heat and humidity. Singapore has not been spared from drastic climatic changes that is also happening elsewhere in the world. Little rain has fallen in Singapore since 13th January and the prolong dry spell is the worst recorded in 50 years!

I was quite fortunate to collect one more spawn when the temperature was still not too warm for the breeder Ranchus. The spawn hatched healthily on 13th February and completed the first major culling over last weekend. I have since stopped attempting any new spawns as the weather condition is not conducive for the female Ranchus to nurture good quality eggs. Hopefully, it will be cooler in March as we expect some wet showers towards the Qing Ming Festival in the first week of April.

2014 Spawn B

It can be quite dismaying to think that there may only be hope for more rain in another month to cool down the daytime temperature. Nevertheless, the baby Ranchus made me forget about my problems and fatigue every time I watch them swim. The hard work commuting all the way to feed them is definitely worthwhile for they are my best stress reliever :))