goin' goldfish hunting in Nara

[matt]

Going to hop on a night bus tomorrow from Niigata to Kansai for a quick visit to Osaka,Kyoto, and Nara for the first time since i breifely visited them as a teenager.

I'm setting my last day aside to go to Koriyama city on the outskirts of Nara city, which is supposed to be Japan's biggest producer of Goldfish. Hopefully I can find a some choice young ranchu and tosakin within my budget.

Just wondering if any of you have and contacts there or specific breeder recomendations. I've been scourging the net for good info on picking these varieties, but I could certainly use some more advice if anyone has any.

It may be to early in the year for the best selection anyways, I guess that like koi the early fall after the harvest is the time to make the best picks, but even if this is the first of a few trips over the year, I doubt I'll be able to resist bringing home a few.

[aquitori]

Matt post alot of pics...I want to see Jumbo Size Ranchus if they have any...

[MikeM]

O.K., I give up. Have to ask: What is the big deal about Ranchu ? Every issue of electronic Rinko has articles on Ranchu ... in a koi magazine!! Have Ranchus become a fad or something?

[matt]

I`ve always liked nice ranchu. Not that i have seen a lot of great ones in the flesh, but ever since i saw the great picture on the hikari sinking pellet bag, i have always wanted some nice ones.

Also I'm moving from my small house this summer and as much as I plan to stay in the koi hobby I have to face facts that I am not going to be able to maintain a pond big enought for koi for a while, years even. So I think I want tor play arround with goldfish for a while. I'm really getting excited abuot Tosakin recently thought. Never saw any at home and had even heard that the breed had all but died out. However I have seen lots of nice ones in magazines in Japan and on the net of late, and dont feel i can resist them if i can afford them.

[aquitori]

Quote: Originally Posted by MikeM O.K., I give up. Have to ask: What is the big deal about Ranchu ? Every issue of electronic Rinko has articles on Ranchu ... in a koi magazine!! Have Ranchus become a fad or something?

E-San, got me into them, never seen something so ugly yet so cute....

[bekko]

Some types of Ranchu, plus Tosakin, Jikin and Wakin are bred to be viewed from the top like koi.

-steve

[matt]

ya, i'm going to keep them all in tubs and tanks on the floor or on low shelves for exactly that reason. Like minni ponds. Should be able to keep them utlra over filtered much more affordably than my koi pond.

Tosakin and Ranchu also need to be kept in shallow water to reach thier full potential, but interestly, for different reasons. If the water too deep, the water pressure will inhibit good lionhead growth on ranchu. And with tosakin a shallow pond/tank trains them to hold the thier tail up, so the look luke they are swimming arround in a big billowing kimono or ballroom dress.

I have seen a lot of big healthy ryukin in deeper ponds, often living quite happily with koi, kind of a neat sight.

[bekko]

Matt, I have been looking for a good goldfish forum - the goldfish equivalent of Koi Bito. There seems to be lots of goldfish forums, but the quality of the information is very weak and nothing like what we find here. Do you have any suggestions?

-steve

[gregbickal]

We saw some goldfish in Japan. Even saw them culling which was really fun to watch. Little flick of the wrist and the goldfish flew out of the net into a specific bowl. So cool.

[B.Scott]

So how does the price of these goldfish compare to that of Koi?