Goldfish Evolution 金魚的演化

Change is the very core of evolution and without it, all creatures will look alike and behave in the same way.
~ Martin Dansky

Check out 2 informative goldfish documentaries about the origins and evolution of the fancy goldfish. The videos are produced in Hong Kong and narrated in Cantonese. However, in most scenes, pictures speak louder than words :)

Enjoy!


Part 1:




Part 2:

Plan to Rush

A good plan today is better than a perfect plan tomorrow.
~ George Patton

Life is getting very busy with my day job ramping up, ranchu breeding and family commitments for the pass weeks. A typical day for me starts at 4.30 ~ 5.00am to check for spawning, culling fries, routine pond maintenance, driving to collect and sieve the daphnia, feed the fries and than rushing to work in time. After work, it is another round of pond maintenance, culling and hatching brine shrimp to backup the daphnia supply. Not to forget the bigger ranchus and pearlscales to take care of. Finally, I will contemplate and write down my day plan for the following day. By 10~11pm, it become too physically and mentally tired for me to stay awake. Sometimes, I will fall asleep while reading long stories to my kids, much to their bewilderment.

Proper planning is important in this mad and tiring schedule as any unforseened circumstances would usually cause a domino effect on the day plan. In which case, a plan ensures priorities for the day are clear so that I can react to any situations efficiently.

The oldest batch of fries are 37 days old and left with about 44 pieces. They will be changing their baby colour very soon. Due to the warm waters of the tropical climate, baby goldfish change colour about 3 to 5 weeks faster than in temperate climates. While it is important to grow black baby ranchu slowly at this stage, I am also wary that colour change will happen when they are still too small in size. Most will not develop well if they change colour too fast.

Video:
Taken when fries are 35 days old.

Picture:
Water change and culling at 5:00am with a spotlight.

子日: 學而不思則惘; 思而不學則怠

He who learns but does not think is lost! He who thinks but does not learn is in great danger.
~ Conficius

Like any field of learning, it is important for the avid goldfish hobbyist to keep improving on knowledge and techniques. The most common sources of information are from the books and the Internet. In many literature, the author’s experience, skill level, cultural background and environmental conditions are very different from the reader's context. Nevertheless, it provides much valuable information for learning and reference. Understanding the principles of why some things are done in certain ways enables us to adapt the techniques suitable for one’s lifestyle and environment as the saying goes:

"Learn all the rules so that you know how to break them properly". Ethical issues aside, it underscores the importance of flexible adaptation in the quest for knowledge.

However, adaption does not mean taking short cuts as many people have failed to understand the importance of hygiene and proper quarantine. There is a universal rule about this hobby that one should not even think of breaking – proper quarantine. Believe me, this is one sin with a long shadow that will definitely catch up with the culprit :)

I have a few batches of fries to keep me very busy now. With the use of live feeds, it is more crucial than ever to observe strict hygiene rules to prevent any epidemic outbreak. One careless act could mean restarting the game all over from square one again!

Video:
27 days old


Picture:
30 days old