top of page
Top of Page

ECR BEGINNINGS

I was driving home from work the night of April 13, 2012. It was a beautiful spring Friday, I just finished filming at Times Square with my crew and couldn't wait to get home. All day long I'd been super excited about a new spawn of Thai Ranchus that just hatched that week. It was the biggest batch I've had since I started giving away goldfish on Craigslist in 2009.

 

I knew I didn't wanna keep dipping in to my savings maintaining so many goldfish. I was already spending a lot on food, utilities, equipment and even a "fish-sitter" whenever I'm out of the country. So that night as I was going through traffic I decided I'd start selling them online in June or July when they're a little bigger and the funds would go towards their upkeep. I wanted a brandname that had easy recall. Something that immediately gave the audience an idea what it's about (ranchu/goldfish) and where the source is from (east coast). The next day April 14, 2012 I set up a Facebook page, an eBay store, a YouTube channel, and a PayPal account. On April 19th I bought the domain eastcoastranchu.com.

​

I wake up everyday doing something I love and enjoy and it's the coolest thing. 

 

With the advent of Social Media sharing platforms like YouTube, Facebook and Instagram, I've stepped away from the old-school methods of goldfish selling and implemented a slightly different approach to an otherwise faceless, and more often impersonal online audience. I know there's a price to pay for doing things differently and pushing the boundaries. Some people won't like it but East Coast Ranchu has done well despite being distinct from other online goldfish stores. I owe all that to 2 diverse generations of goldfishkeepers. 

ECR FIRSTS

  • Why Not Just Diagnose From A Picture?
    I have an idea that filling out the form below is 10th on the list of things you have to do today but I don't want to kill your fish with the wrong diagnosis. Photos/videos are critical visual aids however it's not enough. I can't determine an illness without evaluating circumstances and related data that only you can provide. I've formulated the questionnaire below to allow me a better overview of what's going on. So please - if you care about your goldfish kindly refrain from giving me vague answers or skipping questions. It just prolongs the process if I have to ask you to redo the form all over again. If you're not into it, or have an excuse not to fill out the form - I can't help you. Forget for a moment that I'm an annoying Type-A control freak. I'm here to help. I'll give you my time if you give me the courtesy of yours and respect my process.
  • Issues I Can't Help You With
    Please ONLY submit this form if this is a real and actual issue with substantial and apparent manifestations of illness or infection. I can't help with imaginary non-issues: I think its sad and lonely I think it can't breathe I think it's scared It's very "skittish" It's acting weird when I'm in the room It's trying to jump out How can I possibly diagnose this? If you're an experienced fishkeeper - you understand exactly what I'm talking about. If you're not seeing clinical signs - let's not waste each others time. Thankyouverymuch.
  • Regarding Water Parameters
    As long as you're aware of your tank's parameters, I don't need to know the ammonia, nitrites, and nitrate levels. Majority of illnesses in goldfish are almost always caused by unstable or deteriorating water conditions and/or poorly maintained filter media. In the many years I've been consulted on sick fish - nearly everyone has claimed they have EXCELLENT WATER PARAMETERS. There's no way for me to assess the veracity of this info whether this is true prior to the onset of the illness, throughout the past week, the past month and so on and so forth. Some fishkeepers have a tendency to distort, fabricate and/or omit information for fear of being judged/lectured or the need to present oneself in a positive light. Anytime there's an attempt to preempt my diagnosis with a claim that the water conditions have always been excellent and so "don't even go there Cynthia" but the fish is presenting characteristics and symptoms contradictory to those perfect parameters - then it's a moot point. So we'll just skip this counterintuitive exercise, you go ahead and enjoy your water test kit. I'll stick to the science that's consistent with the symptoms along with the variable data provided on the form. I'll give you my recommendations after. The main goal is to help your fish heal. Regardless of the TRUE parameters at the onset of illness, please be mindful of the fundamentals of the Nitrogen Cycle and the importance of regular water changes along with careful filter maintenance.
  • Differences in Opinion
    I understand that when a fish is sick some fishkeepers can get a little touchy, emotions can run high specially if my assessment is something you don't want to hear. ​​The insights I provide are there for you to use as a guide. If an issue is within my knowledge and experience I will always give it to you straight. But if you're already consulting with a BOOK, another website or another fishkeeper and all you're looking for is to debate with me, question the validity of my analysis or "educate me" with your own research​ in some kind of self-serving bias - then it's no longer about the sick fish. When that line is crossed there's no need to proceed with a consultation. I'm not trying to win a prize, all I want is for your fish to get better. I don't want to confuse you or complicate the situation with ​my interpretation of the facts that you're not willing to accept. We make the best decisions with regards to our goldfish when we can achieve a careful balance between emotions and logic. Pride, Ego & Excuses will not heal your fish. If I stop corresponding in the middle of a consultation that means you and I have hit an impasse. No further actions or discussion is required.
  • New Customers
    All ECR customers received the Care History Information with every fish purchased - this means you were given recommendations on the Support Pages along with the Care History information. If you're a new ECR customer and your fish gets sick shortly after you received it - it's possible your goldfish has developed an adverse reaction to something it's never come across before. I strongly recommend that you read the QUARANTINE INSTRUCTIONS and the rest of the Support Pages to see potential causes.
  • For Beginner Goldfishkeepers
    There are many prompts all over this website asking Beginner Goldfishkeepers not to proceed with an ECR purchase if you've only just began goldfishkeeping or if you're going to be difficult. If you've ignored those suggestions and proceeded with an order kindly note the following: Please don't just outsource the problem-solving to me every single time something goes wrong. I won't guide you every step of the way. Tank setup, tank cycling, ich, fungal infections, high ammonia --- these are all basics you should put time in to educate yourself.
bottom of page