Your little fish loves water

"Hekigyoren likes water," as the saying goes.
If you don't water it, it wrinkles up right away, and as soon as it's watered it plumps back up. It's super easy—and adorable—to tell whether it's feeling "hungry" or "full!"

Beware summer rot—even when it looks wrinkly, be patient!

So, oddly enough, you actually need a good dose of patience and self-control to hold back on watering (lol).
Even though they're from South Africa, this is a cool-season plant from higher altitudes. It grows actively from fall through spring and puts out new growth around May, but from July it usually stops growing altogether. During that period, it's best to "stop watering completely" and "move to shade." In winter, they're cold-tolerant, but can be damaged by frost—so again, no watering is recommended.
Wait, really? No water at all, even when it’s all shriveled and thirsty? Yep—you'll need real willpower to do this!

In reality, depending on light and such, they can truly go a whole month without water. Native habitat photos show them often wrinkly, so maybe that's just their natural default. Still, it feels so sad… (sweat)
I confess—I just couldn’t keep mine dry for so long! From my own experience, with enough sunlight and the right watering, you’ll be okay. That said, in summer, only water late at night or in the early morning, preferably just before a cool or cloudy period. Especially during the intensely hot Obon festival weeks (2–3 weeks in August), stop watering altogether. Timing is everything!

Loves direct sun, too

I wrote above that it grows in half-shade, but during its growth season, full sun almost all day is fine. In fact, some sources say "giving it as much sun as possible in non-summer and non-winter periods is key to getting it through summer and winter." Even when you want to bring it indoors during summer heat, don't keep it in the dark or it won’t thrive later. So actually, keeping it outside, out of the rain, in full sun with no water, gives you the healthiest plant.

How to propagate

You can propagate from cuttings. Instead of cutting right away, place the tip you want to cut directly on soil for a while—roots will emerge from under the leaves and they'll settle in, for a much more reliable start.