Harmony ~ 和諧

藝術是與自然並行的和諧。

Art is a harmony parallel with nature.
~ Paul Cezanne

Having the water temperature ranging from 26˚C to 30˚C means that the Goldfish is in constant metabolic overdrive. The growth comparing the videos shot within a few days is exemplary of how fast the BBRs can grow in the tropical climate when given ample food.

The black-baby stage is a very critical stage because the foundations for resilience to diseases, future development of head wen and body structure, etc are established during this stage. After they changed colour, it may be too late to reinforce. The tropical warmth also expedite the process of colour changes for the BBR raised in tropical climates compared to BBRs in the cooler climates. As such, I am racing with time to push them very hard before their colour change.

Breeders residing in different climatic regions should not benchmark their growth rate too closely with each other. Making use of the "feel" from our experiences to develop grooming techniques that gel harmoniously with mother nature, things should not go too wrong.

Expectations ~ 期待

金玉其外，敗絮其中。
All that glitters is not gold.
~ a quote from the Merchant of Venice by Shakespeare

The BBRs are nearly a month old. This is a critical stage where they will be undergoing dramatic changes over the next few months. The experienced breeder knows better than to jump to conclusion too early, for the changes that ensues could make one highly motivated one day and downright demoralized another day. Though higher expectations equate to higher disappointments, nevertheless, fishes seldom disappoint as humans do... 


Much of the pains of breeding the TVR can be alleviated by being humble and respectful, and be constantly appraising ourselves.

BBR Spawned in 27th FebruaryVideo taken on 25th March 

Looking for Consistency ~ 追求一致

如果不迷失，那就有可能永遠不會被發現。 

If you don't get lost,
there's a chance you may never be found.

~ Unknown author

BBR 2012: 27 February Spawn - photo taken on 22nd March

I wondered how I had managed to survive the past weeks. Work had been hell, but domestic matters just happened altogether. Nevertheless, I had squeezed in time to do the necessary culling and water changes for the BBR, usually late at night or in the wee hours of the morning. It's tiring but it's also how I keep my sanity in check amid the hustle and bustle of life.

Though there are more spawns this year, unfortunately, the fertility is not up to expectation. Perhaps the abrupt weather condition after the New Year messed up the biological clock of the seed fishes, inadvertently affecting the quality of the eggs. Until the reasons for successes/failures are known, I consider myself still in the stage of exploration as my results can never be consistent...

The next few weeks can be very busy again, depending on how things goes in the work place. Time permitting, I would embark on some experiments to collect more eggs. Otherwise, I would just make the best out of what I have and try do better next year.