Hi, there,

Let me first out inform you that it is best to keep TVRs where they get some sunshine daily. I keep mine in the sun with a bit of shade on the pond (mandatory). The sun is vital towards the proper development of ranchu particularly for the colour and shine. In the old days, I will be very staunch against keeping fish indoor, but technology has kind of made my point mute over the years.

These days with proper knowledge and diet selection and with the the additional tools such as vitamin Goldawick, I believe that it is now very possible for indoor keepers to pursue excellence in their ranchu keeping as well. I can safely say this because I have seen friends in BKK keeping their fish indoor but in quite excellent conditions, nonetheless.

The size of your tank will depend on how many fish you want to keep and how well. If you are keeping for hobby then you should keep as few as possible since TVRs tend to grow very large with the proper regiment and the more space you have the more the fish will grow. You can use filtration or just change water. The fish will require additional air pump because ranchu uses quite a lot of air. Ranchu is also quite a robust eater thus water condition is the most important key towards success. I personally use the sponge filter (clean twice daily of course) and change water 100% every 4 days. I set a pond overnight to adjust the water and never wait around to fill the pond or tank while the fish are sitting in small bowls. This is the sure way of making your fish sick. Drastic change in water temperature and condition is a very cause that will make your fish sick or go into shock. If you are serious about keeping fish, you should invest in water filtration and a proper storage tank for the water that you will use with the fish. Any how, how serious you get will depends on you.

I suggest that you read up on the fish prior to buying any fish or tanks. Look around your house and see where is the best location that you could spare to place the fish. Think about how much time you have to feed the fish and take care of the tanks. Work out a good regiment before even going out to buy the tank. The bigger the tank the bigger the responsibilities and work. Fish lives about 3 - 5 years, how much are you willing to do during such time. Are you still going to be interested in changing water every 5-6 days for the next three years? This will put you on the proper road towards attaining a good work ethics in keeping fish and think about your hobby. Hobbies are different from people to people. Some likes trophies, and some like fish and some just like to see things grow. You will have to try to figure out why you are keeping the fish, and then work towards that goal and that should keep you pretty happy, I think.

For most small apartments I suggest that keeping TVR in tanks will be the easiest way but it makes it quite difficult to enjoy the fish the proper way from the top. But no matter, I think that if you have proper water management skill, you can keep ranchu in any tanks that you find convenient. The key to keeping ranchu is not equipments, but the willingness to put in the time and efforts. That is all. Sounds easy, but it is harder that you think. To do excactly the same thing day in and day out without fail, now that's the secret to success.

I hope that my answer has not confused you further. Keeping ranchu is not a science. It is an art in which you will have to make suit your own life style and habitat.

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