If you can, continue to feed your ranchu as long as you can with daphnia. If feeding live is too troublesome and too expensive, you can always buy the frozen ones manufactured by "Hikari". I think by now you should be able to suppliment it with frozen blood worm. I find that "Hikari" blood worm is better and you can hardly see any "dead before frozen" bloodworm in them. The "Hikari" bloodworms are also cleaner.

My preference is for high protein (over 50%) pellets. Feed small amounts and more frequently. Using an auto-feeder is good as however busy you may be, you will not miss your feeding schedule. I always adjust my feeding quantity such that my ranchu finishes its food within 3 minutes.

As for BBRs, it is always good for you to keep about 10 pieces or more so that they will be more lively and rushing for food every time you come to the tub. Also it is very difficult to set your auto-feeder if you have too little BBR to feed.

There are no hard and fast rule to feeding and you should adjust your feeding pattern and type of food to suit your needs.

The basic rules are:
1. Dried is good. (Just make sure that it is quality food)
2. Frozen is better.
3. Live is best.
4. The stomach should never be wider than its head.