Indian Glassfish

About

Found in the slow-moving rivers, estuaries, and floodplains of South and Southeast Asia, Chanda ranga is the fish most hobbyists know simply as the Indian glassfish or glass perch. A species so transparent you can literally see its skeleton and internal organs through its body. That glass-clear flesh is what makes this fish so immediately arresting when you first encounter it, and it also explains why unscrupulous sellers once injected specimens with fluorescent dyes to make them more colorful. Those artificially colored fish, sometimes sold as 'disco fish' or 'painted glassfish', are best avoided entirely. The dye process stresses the fish and leaves them prone to bacterial infections. Healthy, natural specimens are beautiful in their own right, with a faint golden or silvery sheen and visible iridescence along the flanks. In the wild, Chanda ranga tolerates a range of conditions including brackish water, and many experienced keepers add a small amount of aquarium salt to the tank to reflect this. They are peaceful schooling fish but can be finicky eaters, often refusing dry foods in favor of live or frozen invertebrates. That feeding challenge is the main reason they sit in the intermediate care category. They reward patient keepers who take the time to understand them.