Order Perciformes
Family Ambassidae
Genus Parambassis
— Indian Glassy Fish — Parambassis ranga [Hamilton, 1822]. Synonyms: Ambassis, Chanda, Pseudambassis ranga. (Eng.: Indischer Glas Barsch, Glass Fish). India, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Thailand — fresh and brackish waters. 3-5 cm. The glass fish got its name due to the striking transparency of its body at a young age. The body is short, high, transparent, strongly compressed laterally. Scales are present on the body of the fish, but they are not noticeable. The fish are transparent, very beautiful in reflected light ranging from golden to copper coloration.
The male is greenish-yellow to yellowish, fins with black rays and a blue border. 5 transverse stripes formed by small black spots run along the sides. There are two wide vertical stripes on the body that seem to glow with a golden-bluish light. A delicate purple stripe sometimes runs from the gill cover to the tail.
The dorsal fin consists of two sharply demarcated parts: the anterior, somewhat higher triangular one, which often folds and unfolds like a fan when the fish moves, and the posterior, rounded at the bottom, with the anal fin of the same shape located symmetrically to it. The tip of the first dorsal fin, high and pointed, is colored black; the second dorsal fin and the long anal fin with a glowing blue border are usually fully spread. The caudal fin is rather deeply incised.
Fins range from yellowish to pinkish-red, pectoral fins are reddish. Internal organs and gill covers are covered with a silvery film. The visible swim bladder is elongated and pointed, in the female it is rounded. The male has a brighter coloration and a blue rim at the ends of the dorsal and anal fins. The final coloration appears at 8-10 months. The female is silvery with a sandy tint. Females are colored more modestly, without blue edges on the fins. Juveniles are colored like females.
In addition, in fish farms in Southeast Asia, these fish are often injected with various dyes before sale to color body parts into contrasting and even luminescent colors. After some time, the coloration disappears, but this causes great harm to the health of the fish themselves, such fish do not live long, so you should not buy such fish.
An aquarium with a dark substrate of fine gravel, preferably coarse sand, partially planted with plants, including floating ones. They need dense vegetation. In the aquarium, especially at the initial stage of adaptation, they often look for shelter among plants. Prone to fright, once in the aquarium, these timid fish can hide, but as they feel more and more confident, you will be able to see them more often. The glass perch poorly tolerates aquarium overcrowding, and loves bright light. All the charm of the coloration of these original fish is manifested in reflected light.
Aeration and water filtration are mandatory. The fish are very sensitive to water changes, which should be done gradually, in small portions; large water changes should be avoided. The water must be well-settled, old, and crystal clear. Do not make sharp changes in water parameters; water changes should be done gradually, in small portions.
This fish is most commonly found in fresh, soft, and acidic water. Many recommend adding salt to make the water harder, supposedly as a prophylaxis against fungal infection. Do not give in to the temptation to add salt to the aquarium, as there is no need for this.
Feeding should be abundant and, if possible, diverse. Prefers live food, which is given in small portions throughout the day. Keep with calm fish only in a school of 8 or more. Can be kept with any small and peaceful species; must not be kept with aggressive fish. Not very active. Often the almost motionless position of these fish is replaced by sharp jerky movements.
Upon sudden fright, all fish, as a rule, gather into a common school, and only after some time do the males take their places again. Prefers certain zones in the aquarium. Young fish stay in a school all the time and are in constant motion. As the fish grow, the school gradually begins to break up.
Formed and colored males become more and more attached to some chosen place in the aquarium. Most often, such a place is an overgrown bush of fine-leaved plants. The fish kind of inhabits a certain sphere of water space around the chosen place and fiercely defends it from the intrusion of other males.
Thus, if several males live in the aquarium, its entire volume turns out to be divided into “spheres of influence”. Only with a certain minimum volume for each male do they begin to display this interesting instinct of guarding their place. If glass perches are kept in large numbers in a smaller body of water, their behavior differs little from the behavior of other aquarium fish.
Plants should be planted in pots, partly because males, in preparation for spawning, fan small spawning pits in the gravel with their caudal fin, sometimes even digging them out further, as a result of which plant roots can be undermined.
Females, enticing males by diligently digging a nest, spawn in this pit after lively courtship games. They mature at 6 months. They spawn in the thickets of plants. It is better to breed glass perches in small containers where a dense bush of a fine-leaved plant or its synthetic counterpart is placed. Fry reach only 1 cm in length in 2.5 months. They live 3-4 years. pH 6.5-8.0; dH 8-20°; T 22-24°C.
Identification: Glass Fish — Parambassis ranga.
— Duskyfin Glassy Perchlet, Wolff Glass Fish — Parambassis wolffii [Bleeker, 1851]. Synonyms: Ambassis, Chanda wolffii, Ambassis robustus, boulengeri. (Eng.: Duskyfin Glassy Perchlet, Wolff Glass Fish). Rivers of Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Indonesia. One of the largest Parambassis species, 15-20 cm, in the aquarium 7-10 cm. The body is strongly compressed laterally, almost rhombic, with a pointed head. The small mouth is slightly recessed.
The dorsal, pelvic, and anal fins have thick rays, and the dorsal and ventral fins have distinct dark spots. Young specimens are more transparent with a slight yellowish tint, and can be easily confused with other species of Parambassis. Fully adult perches lose transparency, and the body becomes steel gray. The sex of the fish cannot be distinguished externally.
Territorial, predatory, small fish will be eaten. Timid, dense vegetation and shelters are needed. In the aquarium, it is better to keep these fish separately in a group of 6 or more; keeping them in a general aquarium or with large fish is undesirable. These are strictly freshwater fish. Fish are very sensitive to water changes, which should be done gradually, in small portions. The basis of the diet should be live foods such as small earthworms, bloodworms, Artemia, frozen shrimp. pH 6.5-7.5; dH 10-20°; T 22-26°C.
Badis assamensis, badis, corycaeus, ruber, siamensis.
Parambassis lala, pulcinella, siamensis. 
