Indian glassy fish
Encyclopedia
The Indian glassy fish, Parambassis ranga, is a species
of freshwater
fish
in the Asiatic glassfish family
(family Ambassidae
) of order
Perciformes
. It is native to an area of south Asia
from Pakistan
to Malaysia.
The Indian glassy fish has a striking transparent body revealing its bones and internal organs; the male develops a dark edge to the dorsal fin
. The fish grows to a maximum overall length of 80 millimetres (3.1 in).
It occurs in standing water, especially in impoundments, and it breeds prolifically during the rainy season. The species feeds on crustacean
s, annelid
worms, and other invertebrate
s. It is in turn prey for larger fish, including snakeheads (family Channidae
).
The Indian glassy fish is not important as a food fish for humans, but is very common in the aquarium
trade.
Formerly classified as Chanda ranga, the species is also known as the Indian glassfish, Indian glass perch, and Siamese glassfish.
7–19, slightly acidic to slightly alkaline water pH
6.5–7.5. They can tolerate a temperature range of 20–30 °C (68–86 F)
These fish can be shy when kept in too small a group (fewer than five individuals) but when more fish are kept, they become bold and outgoing, making interesting additions to the community tank. They prefer to swim at the middle and lower levels of the tank, and will take most small live and frozen foods. In general, they tend not to eat dried foods (such as flake).
The fish reproduce by laying the eggs (females) and then the males fertilise the eggs
and the viral disease Lymphocystis
. The artificial coloration often fades within a short time. Healthy, non-"painted" specimens may live three to four years in captivity, but such individuals may be difficult to find in some localities.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of freshwater
Freshwater
Fresh water is naturally occurring water on the Earth's surface in ice sheets, ice caps, glaciers, bogs, ponds, lakes, rivers and streams, and underground as groundwater in aquifers and underground streams. Fresh water is generally characterized by having low concentrations of dissolved salts and...
fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
in the Asiatic glassfish family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
(family Ambassidae
Ambassidae
The Asiatic glassfishes are a family, Ambassidae, of freshwater and marine fishes in the order Perciformes. The species in the family are native to the waters of Asia and Oceania and the Indian and western Pacific Oceans. The family includes eight genera and about fifty species.The family was...
) of order
Order (biology)
In scientific classification used in biology, the order is# a taxonomic rank used in the classification of organisms. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, family, genus, and species, with order fitting in between class and family...
Perciformes
Perciformes
The Perciformes, also called the Percomorphi or Acanthopteri, is one of the largest orders of vertebrates, containing about 40% of all bony fish. Perciformes means perch-like. They belong to the class of ray-finned fish and comprise over 7,000 species found in almost all aquatic environments...
. It is native to an area of south Asia
South Asia
South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...
from Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
to Malaysia.
The Indian glassy fish has a striking transparent body revealing its bones and internal organs; the male develops a dark edge to the dorsal fin
Dorsal fin
A dorsal fin is a fin located on the backs of various unrelated marine and freshwater vertebrates, including most fishes, marine mammals , and the ichthyosaurs...
. The fish grows to a maximum overall length of 80 millimetres (3.1 in).
It occurs in standing water, especially in impoundments, and it breeds prolifically during the rainy season. The species feeds on crustacean
Crustacean
Crustaceans form a very large group of arthropods, usually treated as a subphylum, which includes such familiar animals as crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, krill and barnacles. The 50,000 described species range in size from Stygotantulus stocki at , to the Japanese spider crab with a leg span...
s, annelid
Annelid
The annelids , formally called Annelida , are a large phylum of segmented worms, with over 17,000 modern species including ragworms, earthworms and leeches...
worms, and other invertebrate
Invertebrate
An invertebrate is an animal without a backbone. The group includes 97% of all animal species – all animals except those in the chordate subphylum Vertebrata .Invertebrates form a paraphyletic group...
s. It is in turn prey for larger fish, including snakeheads (family Channidae
Channidae
The Snakeheads are members of the freshwater perciform fish family Channidae, native to Africa and Asia. These elongated predatory fish are distinguished by a long dorsal fin, large mouth and shiny teeth. They breathe air with a suprabranchial organ, a primitive form of a labyrinth organ...
).
The Indian glassy fish is not important as a food fish for humans, but is very common in the aquarium
Aquarium
An aquarium is a vivarium consisting of at least one transparent side in which water-dwelling plants or animals are kept. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, marine mammals, turtles, and aquatic plants...
trade.
Formerly classified as Chanda ranga, the species is also known as the Indian glassfish, Indian glass perch, and Siamese glassfish.
In the aquarium
Glassfish have been kept in aquarium for many years, but have a reputation for being delicate and difficult to keep. This may be related to a persistent myth that these fish need brackish water. In the wild they more commonly inhabit freshwater, and in captivity do well in slightly soft to moderately hard dGHDGH
Degrees of general hardness is a unit of water hardness, specifically of general hardness.General hardness is a measure of the concentration of metal divalent ions such as calcium and magnesium per volume of water...
7–19, slightly acidic to slightly alkaline water pH
PH
In chemistry, pH is a measure of the acidity or basicity of an aqueous solution. Pure water is said to be neutral, with a pH close to 7.0 at . Solutions with a pH less than 7 are said to be acidic and solutions with a pH greater than 7 are basic or alkaline...
6.5–7.5. They can tolerate a temperature range of 20–30 °C (68–86 F)
These fish can be shy when kept in too small a group (fewer than five individuals) but when more fish are kept, they become bold and outgoing, making interesting additions to the community tank. They prefer to swim at the middle and lower levels of the tank, and will take most small live and frozen foods. In general, they tend not to eat dried foods (such as flake).
The fish reproduce by laying the eggs (females) and then the males fertilise the eggs
Dyed glassfish, or "disco fish"
Indian glassy fish sold to hobbyists have often been "painted", which involves injecting coloured dye into the fish's transparent tissue to make them more attractive to hobbyists. These coloured fish are often called "disco fish". Inexperienced fishkeepers are often tricked into believing such fish are natural or that the process is painless and causes no harm. Fish thus treated have suffered trauma and are susceptible to disease, including ich, fin rotFin rot
Fin rot is a symptom of disease or the actual disease in fish. This is a disease which is most often observed in aquaria and aquaculture, but can also occur in natural populations....
and the viral disease Lymphocystis
Lymphocystis
Lymphocystis is a common viral disease of freshwater and saltwater fish.Aquarists often come across this virus when their fish are stressed such as when put into a new environment and the virus is able to grow....
. The artificial coloration often fades within a short time. Healthy, non-"painted" specimens may live three to four years in captivity, but such individuals may be difficult to find in some localities.