Welcome to the House of Ranchus

An Introduction

The Ranchu (Carassius Auratus) is a Japanese variety of the Lionhead. It has a more rounded body shape, curvier back which ends in an acute angle to an upright tail (45° is the ideal angle between the tail the caudal peduncle). It has no dorsal fin but its swimming is not affected. In Japan it's called the King of Goldfish.

The Ranchu can be kept with other Goldfish varieties as it is a compatible fish, and unlike Celestials and Bubble Eyes competes well with other fish where food is concerned. It does not thrive well in temperatures below 55 degrees fahrenheit. It comes in several different colour mixtures, the most common is the orange/red-white, although lately other colours such as black, chocolate and blue are becoming more and more popular.

It is notably larger than the similar Lionhead, growing to a maximum length of 6 - 7 inches.

Types of Ranchu
Ranchu are commonly classified into two categories, depending on how the fish was bred to be viewed from.


Top View Ranchu (TVR)
Ranchu were bred in Japan traditionally as a pond fish, hence it's supposed to be viewed from above. This kind of ranchu has a more elongated body, often referred as similar to a japanese koi or koban. The older variety, it has been bred for decades by dedicated breeders and follows the standard very closely. It is said that a good Top View Ranchu (TVR) must be like a sumo wrestler, with an imposing, solid build made up of massed circles & squares. The ranchu, as with a sumo wrestler, is supposed to comport themselves with dignity, and move with grace and power (Hunter, 2001). In Japan, top-view ranchu (TVR) has a devout following and each year there are many TVR competitions held by smaller local clubs (kai) and also bigger competitions like the All Japan Ranchu Show (AJRS).


Side View Ranchu (SVR)
This type of ranchu is bred to be viewed from the side, mostly because more and more hobbyists now have tanks instead of ponds. The side view ranchu (SVR) has a deeper, more rounded body than Top View Ranchu (TVR) when seen from the side, and is more bulky when seen from the top. With SVR, the smoothness of the backbone and the angle of the tail tuck is much more important than in TVR.

Different Gradings for Ranchu

1. Show Class with Title:
Fishes under this classification are the ones that have won title in a contest in Thailand or in Japan.

2. Show Class I:
Fishes under this classification have no defect and are ready for participation in a contest. They are considered as the highest class in our stock.

3. Show Class II:
Fishes under this classification have no defect and are ready for participation in a contest.

4. Show Class III (Standard Show Class)
Fishes under this classification have no defect and are ready for participation in a contest. However, the fishes are considered lower quality compared with the Show Class I and II, according to the ranchu standard.

5. AAA:
Fishes under this classification have got some minor defects that can be seen but no major defects. Fishes under this classification are not suitable for contest

6. AA:
Fishes under this classification have both minor and major defect that, but there are no severe defects seen from the fish.