Many years ago; when I was in my 8th standard, in the year 1987. I was taking a morning jog in Kolkata, near a big lake. (If you are from Kolkata, you should know Dhakuria Lake) and the maintenance have cleared the lake of the milfoil mass, along with the hyacinth and pistia, and the mass was dumped along the shoreline of the lake. There was a strong smell of algae, mixed with ‘pond smell’ in the air along the shore line. It was early in the morning at around 5PM and sun was just rising with its red glow on the east, and the mass has not yet dried out.
I saw a little movement in the mass. Curiosity took the better of me and I moved milfoil out to find a ‘fish’ still alive. I quickly took it out and placed in the wide mouthed water bottle I carrying and added water from the lake. To my astonishment I found a fish; a fish skeleton moving in the water. I searched frantically the entire the mass of the milfoil lying there and was able to rescue around 4 fish.
Back at home, as I went through the books that I had on Freshwater fish, I found that the my new friend is a Glass Fish.
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 dGH 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 fertilize the eggs.
Dyed glassfish
Nowadays colored glass fish are in the market and are sold to hobbyists as "painted", this involves injecting colored dye into the fish's transparent tissue to make them more attractive. Inexperienced fish keepers are often tricked into believing such fish are natural or that the process is painless and cause no harm. Fish thus treated have suffered trauma and are susceptible to disease, including ich, fin rot and the viral disease Lymphocytes. The artificial coloration often fades within a short time. Healthy, non-"painted" specimens may live three to four years in captivity.
This is an inhuman way of treating any animal and strong drive against such inhuman act should be done, so that such practices stop. We on our part as the first step should stop buying any such specimen. “If the buying stops, such practices should stop too”
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 millimeters
It occurs in standing water, and it breeds prolifically during the rainy season. The species feeds on crustaceans, annelid worms, and other invertebrates. It is in turn prey for larger fish, including snakeheads.
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.
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