Update On: Cow Ranchu & Tricolor Ranchu Projects

For friends who follow my Cow Ranchu projects and anticipate much (like myself), I must inform two bad news. First, all the offspring from both the Cow x Black and Cow x Sakura result in 100% male fish! That is a disaster for a breeder. Before I finish lamenting, there was an outbreak in my farm that cost me almost all of them. The Cow x Sakura line was totally wiped out. Fortunately, I managed to save few from the Cow x Black line.

These three patterns from the Cow x Black survived:

My main plan was to cross the first pattern type (the left picture) with the black colored sibling. But it was not possible since all were male. As a change of plan, I buy another female Cow Ranchu and cross it with the first type. Too bad the female cow died after delivering her first offspring before I took any documentary of her. I might post the result later on. But for now I can report that there is no single black in the offspring. After this mating, I sell all the first type pattern since I do not think I need them for my project anymore. I still keep the second type pattern and the black. And here the interesting news comes!

The black offspring turn into two handsome princes!

I kept two best of them. One of them turn into a black gold, and another one into tricolor pattern!

Aren’t they handsome?

I find that the black color is so persistent in them. It makes me full of hope. At least, not for my Cow Project, but for my Tricolor Ranchu Project! It is like getting a lottery!

Of course, I know that the stability of the pattern here is under question. Will they stay? Well, I am still observing. And when I cross them with fish from my Tricolor Project, how is the compatibility knowing that they come from Cow lineage?

Now, let me update on my Tricolor Project.

The project had shown a good progress. My latest offspring consists of some male and female shark ranchu (bad body form) with strong tricolor pattern. I highlight the strong pattern here. After I achieve that, the rest of the project becomes easier. I just need to improve on the body formation.

But when the outbreak kills lots of my fish, I am left with one female only! I was heartbroken. If this single fish died, then I must restart this project that I have done for several years. So sad.

This is the survivor:

I mated this female with the two male Ranchu above. Frankly, it is hard for me to make a prediction of what will the offspring be. My hope is to have Tricolor Ranchu, of course.

First try, all the eggs cannot hatch.

Second try, no luck. I begin to suspect this female is infertile.

But I still try.

Third attempt, same result. Not even a single offspring. Actually, at this time I also mated this female with a ryukin just to make sure that the infertile ones were not the male. Same result, The possibility of the female being infertile is high!

Yet, I still try.

In the fourth attempt, I mated the female with the two princes above, with a ryukin, and with a tricolor Oranda! And guess what? All hatched perfectly!

If you ask me how come, I do not know.

Now, I am raising all of them. They are 3 cm in length right now.

Then, I try again to mate the female with the two princes for the fifth, and sixth time, and nothing hatched. The female resumes her infertility.

Well, I have no explanation for this. But I thank God for the one successful shot (the fourth attempt).

And let’s see the results in several months to come.