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.