Indian glassfish
Parambassis ranga
intermediate careOverview
The Indian glassfish (Parambassis ranga) is one of the aquarium’s genuine oddities — a fish whose transparent body reveals its skeleton and internal organs, shimmering with a faint golden or blue sheen. Native to slow rivers, ponds and streams across South Asia, it is a peaceful, shoaling species that looks spectacular in a group against dark plants. Sadly it is often sold as a dyed “painted” fish; the natural form is the only one worth keeping.
Tank & water
A shoal needs a 60-litre (15-gallon) tank or larger with open swimming space and planted cover.
- Temperature: 20–28 °C from a heater; it is adaptable and tolerates cooler, subtropical rooms.
- Water: neutral to slightly hard, pH 6.5–7.8; it suits harder tap water rather than soft blackwater. Test with a kit.
- No salt needed: despite old advice, it thrives in fresh water — keep it cycled and clean.
- Planted with open water: dark substrate and background plants make its transparency glow, while leaving room to shoal.
Feeding
Indian glassfish are micropredators that often refuse dry food. Offer live and frozen fare — bloodworm, daphnia, brine shrimp, cyclops and mosquito larvae — as the staple. With patience some will learn to take frozen and small sinking prepared foods, but a varied live/frozen diet keeps them healthiest and most colourful.
Behaviour & tankmates
This is a peaceful, slightly timid shoaling fish that must be kept in groups of at least six to eight; in ones and twos it hides and fades. It mixes well with other calm, similarly sized community fish that share neutral, harder water — think peaceful barbs, rainbowfish and larger rasboras. Avoid boisterous or fin-nipping tankmates.
Being adaptable to cooler, subtropical rooms, it also suits keepers who prefer a lightly heated or unheated setup, provided the water stays clean and stable. A group settled into a mature, planted tank will often spawn among fine plants in bright conditions, adding to their interest.
Give the Indian glassfish a proper shoal, a live-food diet and a planted tank with dark surroundings, and its ghostly, see-through beauty becomes a real conversation piece — see our best nano aquarium picks for suitable planted homes.
Indian glassfish — frequently asked questions
Should I buy 'painted' or coloured glassfish?
No. 'Painted' glassfish are dyed by injecting fluorescent colour into their transparent bodies — a cruel practice that stresses the fish, causes infection and shortens their lives. The natural, un-dyed Indian glassfish is a beautiful see-through fish in its own right; always choose those.
Do Indian glassfish need brackish water?
No, this is a persistent myth. Parambassis ranga is a fresh-water fish found in rivers, ponds and streams across South Asia, and it lives happily in hard-ish neutral fresh water. It tolerates a little salt but does not need it, and long-term brackish keeping is unnecessary.
Why won't my glassfish eat flake food?
They are micropredators that often ignore dry food, especially at first. Offer live and frozen foods such as bloodworm, daphnia and brine shrimp, and they will feed readily. Some individuals eventually take frozen and sinking foods, but a live/frozen diet suits them best.
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