How to choose a TVR & SVR?

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To begin with, let's explore the difference between "Top-view" Ranchu and "Side-view" Ranchu. There truly is a big difference between the two, in not only appearance, but the purity of the bloodlines as well.

Top-view vs Side-view Ranchu

We are often asked about the difference (if there are any) between top-view and side-view Ranchu. We will try to explain this as simply as possible. If you ask the Japanese if there is a difference, most would simply say "No," there is only 1 type of Ranchu. This is true. So why do we (in the West) use these terms? It is to differentiate between Ranchu that are bred to be raised in ponds (and seen from the top) from those that are bred to be kept is aquariums (and seen from the side). Traditionally, the Japanese have kept their Ranchu is ponds, so all Ranchu were what we would call "Top-view." But, more and more people, in Japan and elsewhere around the world, have increasingly been using aquariums to keep their fish. So, breeders have begun to select fish that look particularly good from the side to be sold and exported to customers who want the best looking possible fish in their aquariums. As a result, most breeders will specialize in breeding Ranchu specifically for ponds or aquariums. While this is a complex issue, in general, top-view fish tend to be a bit longer and more rectangular shaped - all characteristics that make them attractive when viewed from the top. Side-view Ranchu tend to be a bit shorter with a deeper tail tuck than most top-view Ranchu. There is also one other significant difference. Virtually all top-view Ranchu breeders keep their bloodlines pure and do not out cross them with any other Ranchu bloodlines. Side-view breeders, on the other hand, often hybridize their Ranchu in order to get the best head growth, body shape, etc. possible. Many of the Top-view bloodlines have been stabilized for 40 years or more and are carefully cultured by the breeders and Kai that keep them. As a result, Top-view Ranchu are quite rare (small numbers), very desierable in Japan and other parts of Asia, and are extremely difficult to purchase by those outside Japan.

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HISTORY OF JAPANESE RANCHU

The Ranchu is a dorsal-less goldfish with a relatively short body and short fins, Wen or headgrowth, and a strongly curved back. The Ranchu is a descendant of the original dorsal-less, twin-tailed goldfish variety which was developed in China. The variety was first imported to Japan in the early 1600s. This short-bodied fish lacked headgrowth and was called Maruko, or literally “Korean Goldfish,” which implies it was brought to Japan through Korea. By the early 1800s, Japanese paintings show the Maruko developed small amounts of headgrowth and that the Japanese had started to selectively breed for specific characteristics. The first show for Maruko was held in the town of Osaka in 1831. The Japanese developed and recognized the fish that we today call Ranchu in 1895. The fish was developed around Tokyo and known as the Ishikawa line. Modern Ranchu are decendants from this Ranchu line. The Japanese continued to breed Ranchu into the 1900s, but most had straight backs. By 1925, however, breeders began to produce fish with the strongly curved backs for which they are known today.

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JAPANESE RANCHU KEEPING AND APPRECIATION ? TO THE TOP

Ranchu are kept almost exclusively in ponds in Japan. As a result, they are specifically bred to be viewed and appreciated from a top-view perspective. Traditionally, Ranchu are raised in concrete ponds known as tataki. The two most common sizes for these ponds are 9X6 feet and 6X6 feet. The water depth is kept quite shallow, often between 8-10 inches, with a maximum depth of some 12 inches. Because space is becoming a more and more precious commodity in much of Japan today, many Ranchu hobbyists are switching from concrete ponds to fibreglass tubs. While aquariums are sometimes used in city apartments, most large city-dwellers still prefer placing tubs on their balconies.

Ranchu are generally kept without any filtration. Sometimes, especially in summer, Ranchu keepers will add a small airstone for aeration. Rather than using filters, most Japanese hobbyists complete 70-90% water changes every 5-7 days during much of the year.

In addition, some Japanese Ranchu enthusaists will keep their Ranchu in slightly green water, or water high in algae and other phytoplankton. Hobbyists that use this method, therefore, never do complete 100% changes, instead they keep a small portion of the old water to keep the algae culture going.

Water changes are stopped when the fish go dormant in the winter and do not begin them again until the temperature rises the following spring. In the winter, heaters are occasionally used to prevent the temperature from falling too low, depending in which part of Japan the Ranchu keeper lives.

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Ranchu are often kept separated by age and purpose. Fish which are considered top-quality are kept to exhibit at shows. Ranchu that have some very strong characteristics but do not meet the standard perfectly are often used as seed or breeder Ranchu. Ranchu stocking densities are kept low. Only 2 or 3 show class Ranchu would be kept in a 9X6 pond. While ten or fifteen seed Ranchu might be kept in a similarly sized pond. These stocking densities are often implemented when the Ranchu are quite young - at three or four months of age - to ensure they can grow to their optimum potential. Some keepers will primarily feed live food for msot of the Ranchu's life. Live foods include brine shrimp, bloodworms, daphnia, and mosquito larvae. Various dry foods are also fed, including home-made paste food and some prepared dried foods. Some Ranchu keepers swear by commerically prepared dry food mainly because there is no chance of introducting disease vectors as there is in live food.

There are few commercial Ranchu farms in Japan. Most Ranchu are bred by hobbyists who sometimes sell small numbers of their fish during culling season (A few weeks after the Ranchu hatched through the beginning of Ranchu show compeitions from September through November.

Depending on the local climate, breeding begins in Feburary in southern Japan through April or even into May in cooler northern portions of the country. But, many breeders will use heaters to end the dormant period and begin spawning as early as January. Many breeders do not handspawn their fish. Rather, they use a variety of live plants and spawning mops/mats. As a result, breeders generally keep their male and female seed Ranchu separate until they are ready to spawn. Then, they place a female and one or two males into a specially prepared pond with the spawning material added. Other breeders believe that females when not develop eggs if they are not housed with males (male pheromones may induce egg production in females).

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After the fish spawn, the egg laden medium is removed to a new pond where the fry hatch out. The water in the hatch pond is kept quite shallow, often no more than 4 inches. The fry are generally collected every 4-6 days and moved to a new pond. Breeders generally use large flat nets (which prevent the fry from getting entangled and injured) or siphon them through a hose to move the fry into white bowls for transport to the new pond. During these moves, the breeders will begin to cull the fry. As they grow, the water depth is slowly raised. By the end of the summer, the tosai are kept in the standard 8-10 inches of water. Most breeders feed the fry massive quantities of brine shrimp or daphnia. Once the uncolored or kuroko fry color up, various prepared foods are added to their diet. Bloodworms, however, a main staple. Many breeders say that starting fry on bloodworms as early as possible will help the Ranchu develop their headgrowth to its fullest potential. Japanese breeders begin to sell early culls in late May and through June. Fry that are seriously defective are often released into nearby rivers and lakes. The breeders grow on the remaining fry until late summer or early fall. They then select their show quality fish and fish that have potential for future breeders and will grow those on. The remainder are sold.

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JAPANESE RANCHU COMPETITION AND JUDGING ?

Many Japanese hobbyists, however do not breed their own fish. Rather, serious students of Ranchu join local “schools” of appreciation or Kai. There are literally hundreds of Kai, or clubs, in Japan which have members dedicated to learning about and studying the proper form of Ranchu. Each Kai has a master or teacher who leads the group. The master is often the only member of the Kai who breeds Ranchu. Each spring, he will pass fry to all the members. The members then grow the Ranchu. Since most are local clubs, the members meet several times a year and will bring their fish for the master to evaluate. Early summer meetings often focus on issues such as culling and Ranchu keeping skills. Later meetings stress judging and proper Ranchu form issues. More casual hobbyists can purchase Ranchu directly from local pet stores or department stores in larger cities. These fish tend to be lower quality but are quite expensive. The Japan Ranchu Association (JRA) is the largest Kai and is made up of some fifty-five local affiliated clubs. Each club has a year end competition for all of its members in September or October. The JRA also has an All Japan Ranchu Show (AJRS) the first weekend of November at which highly ranked fish from each of its affiliated clubs compete.

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Ranchu competitions are highly organized events in which all Ranchu are judged in 3 categories - this year’s fish - tosai, two year olds - nisai, and three years and older - oya. The fish are displayed in white enamelware or ceramic bowls that measure approximately 22 inches wide and 6 inches deep. This size allows the judges to evaluate how the fish swims and the motion of its tail. These are two extremely important judging standards.

Since Ranchu are often compared to sumo wrestlers, Ranchu are ranked based on sumo wrestling tournament rankings. There are twenty-eight ranks (or prizes) for each category. So in total, 84 fish win prizes at the competitions. First place is known as East Ozeki or literally “the East Gate.” The second place fish is designated as West Ozeki – “the West Gate.” In the sumo ranking, East is always ranked higher than West fish. In all, the first five fish (East and West Ozeki, Tachi Gyoji, and East and West Torishimari) are considered “grand prize” winners. There are also six first prize winners (East and West Sekiwake, Komusubi, and Kanjinmoto), five second place winners (first, second and third place Gyoji, as well as East and West Wakegyoji). Finally, there are up to twelve third place Ranchu. A Ranchu that wins the East Ozeki rank is each age category (tosai, nisai, and oya) may be honored with the term Yokozuna - but this is rare since Ranchu change considerably overtime.

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True Japanese Ranchu are (and have been) line bred for generations. Related to the large number of Ranchu Kai (since many Kai keep only one bloodline), there are hundreds of recognized bloodlines. Bloodlines are named either after the breeder who stabilized the form or for the region where it is bred. For example, the Ishikawa bloodline is named after the Ishikawa family which first established their line in the late 1800s. The Matsuyama bloodline is named after the region around Okayama, Japan where that line was perfected.

Finally, Ranchu are often called the “King” of goldfish in Japan. They are highly prized and fish. Top quality Ranchu will often sell for upwards of $10,000 or more. In addition, they have a life-span of seven years or more, making them sought after pets.

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Some pics shown on different types of TVR. Just in case you don't know what is TVR, it stand for Top-view ranchu :big_smile:

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SOME KEY JAPANESE TERMINOLOGY

CHUUZUN - Medium sized body.

DOU - Body.

ERABUTA - Wen growth above gills.

ERASHITA - Wen growth below gills.

FUNTAN - Forward projecting head growth (next to mouth).

HARA - Stomach.

HARA JIMA - Posterior of stomach.

JISHI - Head shape.

KOBAN - Rectangular shape of Ranchu when viewed from above (also a Japanese Coin of the same shape).

KASHIRA - Head.

KARADATSUKI - Body-shape.

KUROKO - Baby ranchu (prior to color change).

KOSHIORE - Waist curvature

KOSHI - Waist.

O - Tail.

OGATA - Balance of form.

OSAKI - Tip of tail lobes.

OSHIN - Central tail core.

OSHIA - Tail shoulder.

OKATA -

OYA - Three year or older fish.

OYABONE -

OZA - Bracelet, upper base of caudal peduncle where it meets the tail.

OZARA - Base of tail pan (underside of the bracelet).

OZUKE - Tail joint where the peduncle joins the body.

MARUTE - Short body shape.

MEHABA - Distance between the eyes.

MESAKI - Distance between the eyes and the mouth.

NAGATE - Long body size.

NISAI - Fish in their second year (having passed one winter).

PON KAJI - Single anal fin.

SASHIKHOMI - When the tail core is inserted into the bracelet – a major flaw.

SAKURAO - Tail form known as the cherry blossom.

SHISHIGASHIRA - Lionhead shaped headgrowth.

SE - Shoulder/back.

SEKOSHI - Back of fish.

SESAGALI - Curvature of latter section of peduncle.

SHOJO - All red fish.

TATSUGASHIRA - Rectangular shaped head or Dragon-head shape.

TOSAI - Fish in their first year.

TSUTSU - Tail-pipe or caudal peduncle.

WEN - Headgrowth.

YOTSOU - Fully divided tail.

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Some pics to guide how to choose a good SVR (Side-view ranchu).