How to Keep Brocade Crucian Carp? Detailed Guide to Breeding Methods and Techniques

The brocade crucian carp is a common ornamental fish in our country. Because of its bright body color and ease of keeping, it is deeply loved by fish hobbyists, and some keep a few specially at home. So how do you keep brocade crucian carp?

1. Temperature management: for newly hatched fry, the optimum water temperature is 22°C-24°C, and 25°C-30°C gives the fastest color change. Note that the water temperature must not change by more than 3°C, otherwise the fish will catch a cold and become ill. The water depth must not exceed 50 cm, otherwise in summer the pond water will show thermal stratification and the color change will slow down. If the water temperature exceeds 30°C for a long time, the fish will lose their luster and are prone to scalded-tail disease.

2. Water quality requirements: mainly the pH and hardness of the water. The best pH value during the fish's color-change stage is 7.5-8.5; too alkaline or too acidic will make the fish's color darken. The best water hardness is 4-10°; below 3° or above 15° will harm the survival of goldfish.

3. Oxygen content requirements: the dissolved oxygen level in the water is also very important for the color change of goldfish. The dissolved oxygen content in the water is required to be above 3 mg/L; the higher the dissolved oxygen content, the faster the color change. If it drops to 1 mg/L, the goldfish will gasp at the surface, and the color change will be slow and lackluster. If they live for a long time in an outdoor fish pond with supersaturated dissolved oxygen, the goldfish will again develop gas bubble disease and lose their ornamental value. The water used to keep goldfish is usually well water, river water, lake water and tap water (dechlorinated). These waters are rich in trace elements, which are beneficial to the division and increase of pigment cells on the goldfish's body surface. Keeping goldfish in clear water makes the fry change color faster, but after the color change the goldfish are pale rather than vivid. If new water and green water are used alternately, the color change speeds up and the colors are vivid; this alternating cycle is generally best at about 30 days.

4. Light management: light directly affects the body color change of the fry. Fry kept in indoor aquariums receive light from all sides but the light is weak, which is unfavorable for the color change of goldfish, so lighting equipment must be used. Generally an aquarium can be fitted with a 40-watt to 60-watt fluorescent lamp, turned on for 6-10 hours a day. For outdoor goldfish ponds, the east and west sides should be shaded to avoid direct sunlight and prevent the goldfish's color from turning white.

5. Feed requirements: there are many edible baits for the fry, but plankton is the best. Newly hatched goldfish lose their yolk after 2-3 days and can be fed some cooked egg yolk; after 7-8 days they can be fed rotifers; once they reach a body length of more than 6 cm they can be fed water fleas, bloodworms, tubifex and other zooplankton. Practice has proved that the best bait for color change is chironomid larvae——bloodworms. While feeding bloodworms, add some blood meal, insect meal and multiple vitamins, and red, gold and blue goldfish change color extremely quickly and shine brilliantly. During feeding, their food intake must be controlled, generally to 60%-80% full. If it is below 40% or above 80%, over a long period of feeding there will be nutritional imbalance, causing dysfunction in the mucus secretion on the body surface, and the goldfish will show darkening of body color and become ill

Overall, brocade crucian carp are still very easy to keep; as long as you do a good job with water temperature, water quality, light and feeding management, you can succeed in keeping them. However, if you are keeping them for the first time, you can refer to the methods above.