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The glass perch is an amazing fish that is rarely found in the collections of aquarists in our country. It is very rare, it is difficult to find it on sale, and therefore its price is quite high - about a hundred rubles per individual.
This unusual aquarium inhabitant has other names - glass fish, changa-ranga, Indian glass fish. Looking at the photo of this fish, the reason why it got its name becomes obvious - a translucent body. The specific name of the glass perch is Parambassis ranga.
Changa-ranga are schooling fish that prefer to live in groups of five to fifteen individuals. You can also keep them in smaller groups, but in this case they become very timid and spend almost all the time in shelters. Even in a large flock, the aquarium glass perch is completely devoid of aggression, although sometimes it shows a rather bold and very active behavior.
Sometimes professional breeders, as well as amateurs, use a fluorescent gene. As a result, the aquarium is decorated with colored glass perches. The fish have small luminescent dots that float in the body. But it should be noted that such experiments are far from harmless for these underwater inhabitants: after them, most of the fish die, and the survivors are prone to viral infections.
Spreading
Glassfish-perches are widely distributed in Pakistan and India, in Southeast Asia and Malaysia. Most often they live in fresh water bodies, which are formed by their flowing mountain streams, in places with numerous shelters, but sometimes they are also found in brackish water.
In almost all rivers and lakes in India, the water is acidic and soft (dH from 2 to 8 and pH from 5.5 to 7), but it is often positioned in specialized stores as living only in brackish water. Probably because amateurs start aquariums with salt water much less often than with fresh water, glass perch has not yet received proper distribution in our country.
Description
The glass perch belongs to the group of perciformes. The body of this amazing fish laterally flattened and almost colorless. The size of adults reaches eight centimeters. The belly and head are painted silver, the rest of the body is so transparent that the spine and bones of the fish are visible.
Aquarium fish glass perch has a double dorsal fin, which is located along the body, a large caudal and anal fin, divided into two lobes. In fact, the information that these fish feel comfortable only in brackish water is a myth. They live and develop well in fresh water. The fish are distinguished by their endurance, they are no more difficult to keep than other tetras (a group of fish species of the characin family).
Glass perch: content
AT vivo these fish live in groups, so it is advisable to have at least six fish for an aquarium, this will give your transparent pets a sense of security. If you purchase only a pair of changa-rank, the fish will constantly hide.
When buying a glass perch, make sure that the fish is healthy: its fins should be expanded and not pinched. Check with the breeder about their feeding. Before acquiring such fish, the aquarium must be prepared in advance - perches prefer a more “mature” reservoir, a new one that has just been launched, they do not like it.
freshwater aquarium
If you own a freshwater aquarium, glassfish that have previously been kept in brackish water will need to be acclimatized. To do this, you need to organize a quarantine aquarium with brackish water.
Within ten days, the water is changed daily by about 10-15%, with the addition of fresh water. For a species aquarium in which a flock of six glass perches will settle, a capacity of 38-50 liters is enough. For a larger flock or for keeping perches with other species, the aquarium should be at least 110 liters.
Water must be soft and neutral or acidic. Keep your water clean: nitrites and ammonia should be at or close to zero, so make sure you have a good filtration system. Experienced aquarists know that the most advanced filtration system cannot remove all waste. underwater inhabitants. Therefore, regular water changes are necessary - at least a quarter of the total volume.
In a species aquarium, it is recommended to use plants from Southeast Asia. Tall aquarium grasses in the background and on the sides of the aquarium will do, and low ones, possibly ground cover, will look better in the center - this will free up space for the fish to swim. Lay a smooth, fine soil at the bottom.
Use picturesque snags - they will be a good hiding place for glass perch. Various decorative elements are especially relevant in mixed aquariums. The temperature for these fish must be maintained around +27 ° C, so you will need a heater.
Which neighbors do you prefer freshwater aquarium glass perch? The compatibility of these unusual fish with zebrafish, cuneiform rasboras is excellent. Together they create a good contrast. In addition, suitable different types botsii as benthic inhabitants.
Glass perch: content in salted water
If the perch was kept in a pet store in salted water, then it can immediately be put into a brackish aquarium. But if before the purchase he lived in fresh water, and you have a salty reservoir, then slow acclimatization in a quarantine aquarium will be required again.
For salting use sea salt at the rate of one or two spoons (teaspoons) per liter of water. First, the salt is dissolved in water, and then the finished solution is added to the aquarium. During acclimatization, ten tablespoons (tablespoons) of solution per 100 liters of water are added to the aquarium and the concentration is adjusted to the desired level within three weeks. Use a hydrometer to measure the specific gravity reading.
Only very resistant aquarium plants can survive in salt water. The most accessible are Thai ferns, which are attached to stones and snags. Javanese moss is suitable for a salt pond. The temperature when kept in a salty aquarium is maintained at +25 °C.
Salt Aquarium Neighbors
In this case, the choice of neighbors is more limited than in freshwater. A pair of colorful spotted cichlids is suitable as bottom dwellers. These fish do not exceed the glass perch (7.5 cm) in size and they are very calm. They take more care of their fry and don't pester the perch, which usually lives in the upper and middle tiers of the aquarium. A goby-bee, or two gobies-knights can become a bottom inhabitant. Black mollies adapt well to salt water, two or three fish will get along with perches.
Feeding
Under natural conditions, glass perch feeds on crustaceans, annelids and other invertebrates. All the neighbors of the glass fish listed above are happy to eat dry food, but the perch may refuse such food, and the owner will need to feed it with frozen and live foods: daphnia, bloodworm, brine shrimp, coretra.
How to determine the sex of a perch?
Young females and males are very similar in appearance, but the adult male has slightly larger anal and dorsal fins, which are framed in gray. The female's fins are colorless.
Breeding
AT natural conditions glass perch breeds during the rainy season, when the temperature is quite high and the rain softens the water considerably. Lakes and ponds, rivers and streams and overflow their banks. Thanks to this, a lot of living food is found in the water. If the perch is kept in a salty aquarium, then a massive water change to fresh water will naturally lower the salt content and encourage the fish to spawn.
Glass perches often spawn in a common aquarium, but in this case the eggs are eaten, so spawning requires a separate container with soft water about +28 °C. Add a Thai fern to the spawning ground - perches in natural conditions prefer to spawn on broad-leaved plants.
Females are placed in a spawning area and fed with live food for about a week so that they are filled with caviar. The males are then released into the aquarium at night. With the first rays of the sun spawning begins. After the females scatter their eggs among the plants, they are removed from the aquarium. Five to seven drops of methylene blue are added to the spawning ground, which will protect the eggs from the fungus.
Offspring
The fry hatch in a day, but remain hanging attached to plants for another three to four days. When the offspring go free swimming, they begin to feed them with liquid feed, infusoria, until they grow to a size where they can take Artemia nauplii.
This fish is completely outstanding and stands out among its neighbors in the aquarium with the transparency of its body, integumentary tissue, which allows you to see the insides and its bones. It was this feature that gave the name to the original inhabitant of the aquarium - the glass Perch ( Latin name Chanda ranga). It is very hardy compared to other fish. Caring for this inhabitant of the aquarium will not be difficult. Above all, he is calm and peaceful. So, how to properly maintain and breed glass perch?
This fish is native to South Asia. There she lives in both fresh and brackish water. glass perch prefers ponds with stagnant water.
The body of the fish is laterally flattened and high. It is diamond shaped. Transparency - main feature the body of the glass perch. This is clearly seen in young age fish. And then, with age, mature males acquire a golden-orange color, females - silver-steel. In males ready for spawning, along the edges of the dorsal and anal fins, a white-blue border and specks appear on the elongated swim bladder. In females, this bubble is round in shape. The color of their body is more modest than that of males.
Glass perch in nature love to live in flocks. They swim in the middle and lower layers of the water. In an aquarium, they are best kept by a company of 10 individuals. So they feel pretty confident, more active.
For a glass perch, you need a 50 liter aquarium. Young fish swim in a friendly flock, and adult males look after spawning places and “settle in” them. Males protect these areas of the aquarium from the penetration of other males. Sometimes such protection even comes to slaughter, but without consequences. Glass perches can be frightened, then they leave their "familiar" places.
As for the neighbors in the aquarium, Chanda ranga has a rather calm, peaceful character. You should not keep them in the company of energetic and aggressive fish. Good neighbors for them will be Catfish and Rasboras, Tetras and Corydoras, Gobies, Bees and Carpet Eleotris. If the water in the aquarium is brackish, then glass Perch can be kept with Mollies and Guppies.
For the optimal maintenance of glass perches in an aquarium, a dark substrate is needed in the form of coarse river sand or fine gravel. Also, a prerequisite for their maintenance is the presence of dense vegetation, including floating plants. Stones and driftwood in the aquarium also create an atmosphere close to that of Perch. natural environment a habitat.
In an aquarium, these inhabitants normally tolerate fresh water, there is no need to salt it. Glass Bass will do well in water with slightly acidic to slightly alkaline acidity. The recommended water temperature in the aquarium is up to 26°C. Water can be both soft and moderately hard. To this parameter, the glass perch is unpretentious. But the presence of aeration and filtration in the aquarium is mandatory, as well as a weekly change of a third of all water.
You should know that in nature, glass Perch feed on worms, crustaceans, insects, and larvae. In captivity, they will be happy to eat coretra and daphnia, small bloodworms and tubifex. As for the feeding regimen, the food should be two meals a day. These Perch eat dry food with less pleasure.
reproduction
Glass perches reach their sexual maturity after six months. It was then that the males begin to look for secluded places in the fish house. In the future, they successfully spawn there. Driving away other males, they persistently invite females to spawn. This process lasts four days, and during this time the couple spawns several times. At one time, the female lays up to 6 eggs, which are immediately fertilized by the male. On average, up to 300 eggs appear during spawning.
The incubation period for the glass perch lasts 24-30 hours. The larvae swim already on the second or third day. Then they should be fed with rotifers and live dust. And after two weeks, young animals should be transferred to Cyclops nauplii.
Glass perch (Parambassis/Chanda ranga)
Habitat: inhabits stagnant bodies of brackish and fresh water in India, Burma, Pakistan, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Thailand, Nepal and Cambodia.
Description:
The high body is rhomboid, flattened laterally. The back is curved. The lower jaw is elongated, the teeth are small, the forehead is concave. The dorsal fin consists of 2 parts: the anterior is triangular in shape and high, the posterior is more rounded at the bottom, the anal fin is symmetrical to it.
The body is so transparent that internal organs and the skeleton are visible through it. A noticeable swim bladder in the male is pointed and elongated, in females it is more rounded. There are 5 rays on the ventral fin, 7-8 spines on the dorsal fin, three of them on the anal fin, and one spine on the ventral fin.
The color of males ranges from yellow-green to yellow-orange with five transverse stripes on the sides, formed by dark spots. The rays on the fins are black with a blue rim.
Glass perch - female
The coloration of females is less remarkable. They do not have a blue border on the fins, the body is steel silver.
Glass perch - male
The tip of the anterior dorsal fin is dark. The pectoral fins are reddish in color. In some individuals, a light purple stripe stretches from the gills to the caudal fin.
Glass perch - painted
In nature, glass perch reaches 8 cm, in captivity - 5 cm.
Arrangement and parameters of the aquarium: an aquarium is needed from 100 liters or at least 50 cm long. The fish feel most comfortable when kept in schools of 5-8 individuals.
From plants, any species that can grow in salted water is suitable. It is better to plant them in a container, and not in the ground, which should be shallow. Suitable sand or gravel of a small fraction. Fish require free space for swimming and secluded places that form piles of large stones, snags or artificial grottoes.
Water parameters: 23-26°C, dH 8-20, pH 7-8.5.
Good filtration with aeration is essential. Water changes are carried out in small quantities. Glass perch loves old and very clean water. It is useful to add sea salt to the aquarium (3 tsp per 10 liters). The lighting is bright, it is desirable to get sunlight into the aquarium.
Glass perch (Parambassis (Chanda) ranga) a very peaceful fish, which, however, painfully perceives a large number of neighbors. Compatible with small species: guppies, tetras, rasboras, corridors. Do not keep with large aggressive fish.
Food: in nature it eats crustaceans, worms, insect larvae. In an aquarium, glass perch should be fed both frozen and live foods. The daily norm is divided into small portions and fed gradually. Flakes are not readily accepted.
Reproduction: For a pair of glass perches, you will need a spawning vessel from 50 cm, for several pairs - from 80 cm. Small-leaved plants, including floating ones, are placed in the container. Their number must be greater than the number of males.
A few months before spawning, the water must be salted: for 12 liters - 2 tsp. Spawning is stimulated by a few degrees of temperature increase, the addition of one-fourth of fresh water, and the light of the morning sun.
Fish spawn at dawn, sticking eggs on the leaves, roots and stems of plants. The female spawns 6-10 eggs at a time. For the entire spawning period, which lasts 2-3 days, she lays about 200 eggs. The fish do not eat their offspring and therefore there is no need to plant them.
Incubation lasts from 1 to 2.5 days. At first, hatched fry hang motionless in a vertical position, and then swim and are able to receive nauplii and rotifers. Spawning with fry should be poorly lit around the clock. The purity of the water should be carefully monitored by performing drip changes.
They become sexually mature at 4-6 months.
Lifespan Glass perch (Parambassis (Chanda) ranga)- up to 3 years.
Content:
The Indian glass perch comes from the genus Khanda of the centropomoidal or robal family, lives in fresh and brackish slow-flowing water bodies of Cambodia, Thailand, Nepal, Burma, and India. The fish has gained popularity in aquariums as a peaceful creature with a remarkable appearance. Keeping this perch at home lends itself to lovers of different experiences.
Description
The fish has a diamond-shaped high body, compressed on the sides. This perch owes its name to the unique natural color. His body, transparent through and through, casts a silvery tone, highlighting the internal organs and spine. Males are painted in yellow-greenish shades with dark transverse stripes and edged blue color fins. And the color of females is ordinary silver without a border on the fins. The pectoral fins of the fish are reddish, in some representatives a lilac stripe stretches from the gill cover to the base of the tail. The spine of the fish consists of 25 vertebrae, there are rays on the abdomen and back. The swim bladder is pointed in males and rounded in females.
The forehead is as if concave, so the lower jaw with small teeth protrudes forward. The dorsal fin is divided into 2 parts, the anterior is higher and triangular in shape, and the posterior is more rounded. From below, the anal fin repeats, as in a mirror image, the back of the dorsal fin. The caudal fin has a deep slit, resembling a mermaid's tail. In nature, glass perches reach 8 cm, and in aquariums up to 5 cm. They live 2-3 years with quality care.
By nature, the fish is peaceful, but shy. Experiencing stress in a densely populated aquarium. Therefore, its content is optimal in the species aquarium. The fish keeps at any water levels, can be stationary for a long time, and then abruptly make jerky movements. To observe the behavior of these perches, it is better to take from 8 pieces of fish and place them in a container with a minimum number of plants and free space for swimming. With enough space, male perch can establish personal territories and wait for females.
These fish are kept in containers from 50 liters and from 60 cm. Water parameters: acidity 7-8, temperature 22-26°C, hardness 9-19°. High-quality filtration, aeration and water changes in small portions weekly are necessary. The fish is sensitive to changes in water parameters, so its constant maintenance is important. clean water. Perch like hard and slightly alkaline water with the addition of sea salt.
For soil, it is better to choose sand or dark fine gravel. This fish loves bright lighting, it is important to place the aquarium close to the light source. Plants should be densely planted, they are selected for their resistance to salt water and planted in pots. Vallisneria, hornwort, Javanese moss, ferns are suitable. Fish need shelter, snags, caves. Mangrove roots and large stones can be laid out as decorations.
Feeding
In nature, this fish feeds on worms, insects and their larvae, crustaceans. In aquarium conditions, it eats with appetite live food in the form of bloodworms, daphnia, coretra, cyclops, enchitreus and small crustaceans. He also eats frozen food, but is reluctant to eat dry food. Feed them should be small doses of 3 times a week.
Breeding
Indian glass perch matures by 4-6 months. It is better to postpone breeding fish for the rainy season - a period early spring or late autumn when it appears starter feed for fry in the form of diaptomus nauplii. Otherwise, there will be difficulties with feeding offspring. For one pair of spawners, a spawning vessel from 50 cm is taken, for group spawning from 80 cm. Floating plants or pots with small-leaved plants are laid out, perlon threads are also suitable.
For one male take from 2 females. 2-3 months before the start of reproduction, you need to add salt to the water - 1 teaspoon per 6 liters. They also increase the temperature by 2-3 degrees and add fresh settled water. Spawning occurs in the morning, so it is necessary to provide the fish with access to the morning sunlight. Usually about 200 eggs are obtained, which the female throws 6-10 pieces. To prevent caviar from being affected by a fungus, it is recommended to lower a weak solution of methylene blue into the aquarium. Caviar is attached to various surfaces: plants, snags and other objects. The spawners are then removed to another aquarium, although these fish are not prone to cannibalism.
The incubation period lasts up to 3-4 days, then fry appear, growing up to 1.5 cm by 3 months. The juveniles are silvery in color, keep in a flock, but as they grow, the groups break up. After 3-4 days, the fry can freely feed on the nauplii of diptomus, rotifers and cyclops. However, these fish are not very active, so feeding is done in small portions during the day so that the fry can always find food in the aquarium.
When growing fry, water is added to the aquarium by dripping, constant lighting and aeration are provided. Cannot be changed temperature regime which can cause the fry to die. If you need to clean the container, you can turn on the lamp on the side, in the light of which the fish will gather and allow them to clean up on the other side of the aquarium.
Love anatomy? Do you want to see the structure of the body right through it? Or have you always dreamed of seeing through objects? If yes, then there is a fish that will simultaneously satisfy all these needs and desires. Small, exotic and… absolutely transparent glass perch. Further, we will talk about him.
This type of fish is well known to lovers of aquarium art, but beginners will like it for its unusualness and exclusivity, because it stands out among all the other inhabitants of the aquarium.
Perhaps at first the perch will be lost against the background of brighter and more colorful neighbors, but only before the first detection. Then it is already difficult to lose sight of it again.
It stands out for its inconspicuousness. Contradictory, right? But this is its main advantage.
This small exotic fish was brought to Europe at the beginning of the 20th century from Asian countries such as India, Pakistan, Thailand and Bangladesh.
In Russia, it appeared a little later, and until 1941 it was bred in special fish-breeding shops of zoocombines.
The fish owes its fame and popularity among aquarists all over the world to its absolutely transparent body, through which all the insides and bones are visible.
The body is flat, high and has an unusual diamond shape, the forehead is slightly concave, the teeth are small, the bite is wrong, that is, the lower jaw is pushed forward.
The dorsal fin consists of two parts: the first is triangular and pointed, the second is long and rounded. The anal fin is symmetrical in shape to the second part of the dorsal. The notch on the tail is quite deep. 
How to distinguish male and female
The gender of an individual can be determined by the shape of the air bubble visible through the transparent skin of the fish:
- in males, it is slightly pointed,
- females are more rounded.
In addition, boys are as brightly colored as possible for a transparent pet. The shade of the scales ranges from yellow-green to yellow-orange.
On the side there are 5 transverse stripes, which are formed by black spots.
The girls are painted more modestly and mostly have a silver-steel shade of scales.
In nature, fish grow up to 8 cm in length, but in the aquarium they reach only 5 cm.
Marketing move. Carefully
Many sellers are capable of anything to sell an inconspicuous product. For the sake of profit, they are ready to go to great lengths, caring little about health and longevity. aquarium fish. So, some traders dye animals to give them an even more unusual look.
In the Bird Market, you can often find perch with a multi-colored bright stripe on the back and other parts of the body. Moreover, the colors are chosen with an unnatural intensity for nature: bright green, purple, vigorous red or orange from the eye-patch series. The brighter the better! Seasoned aquarists don't fall for this marketing ploy, but beginners can easily get caught.
It is worth remembering that any coloring of live fish is a chemical and artificial process associated with piercing a thin skin with a needle, and any violation of the integrity of the integument adversely affects the well-being and health of the pet, not to mention the introduction of multi-colored chemicals into the body.
Over time, the paint will still fade and be excreted by the immune system. For a long time, such a decorated fish does not live, and instead of 2-3 years (normal life expectancy in aquarium conditions), it will last 2 months. If you don't want a disappointing purchase, don't buy a fuchsia glass perch. And remember that any natural paint is better than bright artificial.
Conditions of detention
Another indisputable plus of the glass perch is its unpretentiousness and peacefulness. It tolerates fresh or slightly salted water equally well.
- aquarium with a volume of 50 liters,
- should be 22-26°C;
- hardness: 8-20ºN;
- acidity 6.5-8.0 pH.
Although the fish lives in salted water, there is no need to add salt to the aquarium, since glass perches have adapted to life in fresh water over many generations of life in captivity. Before adding salt to the water, you need to ask the seller what kind of water the fish lived in.
The only thing this type of fish is sensitive to is water changes. Its weekly replacement should be done in small portions of 10% of the volume.
Water should be old, that is, settled for a week. Therefore, you need to take care of the next portion at each replacement.
Filtration and aeration also important condition. AT wild nature glass perches prefer the middle and upper layers of reservoirs; they will not like the darkness and semi-darkness in their new home. Therefore, additional lighting of the aquarium will not be superfluous. 
Compatibility with other fish
Perch by nature is a schooling fish, so it is better to keep about 10 individuals at the same time. This makes them feel more confident and secure. Peace-loving nature allows the fish to get along with any inhabitants of the aquarium, except for aggressive and predatory representatives of the fauna.
Ideal freshwater neighbors would be
- tetras;
- gobies-bees;
- parsing;
- peaceful cichlids;
- guppies, mollies and swordtails.
Setting up a perch aquarium
As a primer, to emphasize the unusual natural beauty of the glass, dark river sand or fine polished gravel with snags, stones or artificial houses laid on it is optimal.
There should also be a lot of plants. The dense green plantings of the aquarium serve not only as a shelter for the fish, but also as a place for spawning.
And there should be many such secluded corners, since during the mating period, males, first of all, choose a place for future laying of eggs (most often it is a bush of some overgrown small-leaved plant) and zealously protect it from the invasion of other males.
If a female falls into his field of vision, then the perch begins its mating dances, inviting her to the bush for spawning. The ratio of females and males in the flock should be 1:2.
Feeding
Feeding problems should not arise, as the perch is unpretentious in food. In nature, he eats live food, but in an aquarium he can also eat artificial food. However, be prepared that such a diet may lead to infertility of the fish.
To avoid this, try to give live or frozen food. The pet will gladly eat a bloodworm, tubifex, carriage or daphnia, and will not refuse the cyclops either. Feed should be given in small portions throughout the day, but at least 3 times a week. 
reproduction
Individuals reach sexual maturity by six months of age. Having chosen a secluded place for spawning and inviting the female there, the male proceeds to reproduction.
A group of fish is planted for spawning in the evening, and spawning itself begins the next morning. The soil at the base of the stem of small-leaved plants acts as a spawning substrate. Males fan small holes with their fins, thus expanding them a little, and then invite females to appreciate this creation. If it suits her, then the female proceeds to spawning.
The mating season lasts 3-4 days, during which the female lays eggs, which are quickly fertilized by the male. At one time, the female can lay up to 6 eggs, and in total up to 200 eggs.
After fertilization, parents can be removed from the aquarium or left, as they do not pose a danger to eggs and newborn fry.
To stimulate spawning, you need to increase the water temperature by 2-3 degrees and add ¼ of fresh settled water.
The incubation period lasts two or three days, after which the fry begin to swim. That is when they need to be given rotifers or diaptomus nauplii. At fourteen days of age, juveniles should be transferred to Cyclops nauplii and small diptomus.
The first 2 weeks of a fry's life are the most important. If during this period it is possible to feed them, then it will be easier later, and the issue of food will be resolved by itself.
During feeding, juveniles should move food with a stream of water. Food should always be in water, so it should be given in small portions throughout the day.
By the first three months of life, the first sexual characteristics appear in fry.
Glass perch is an unpretentious and calm pet. Among the inhabitants of the aquarium there will always be peace and quiet. An ideal start for the novice aquarist.
