View Full Version : Glass fish.
I could have bought 6 glass fish for about nothing this weekend but, the LADY that helped me couldn't give me more info as to, are they easy to keep, what type of habitat they prefer. Can someone tell me more about these colorful fish?
Ferryman
07-09-2009, 21:49
is this now glass fish, or glass catfish?
you say colourful, are they the ones injected with ink:(
Its those that have orange, or yellow, or green shocking stripes on they're backs.
Ferryman
07-09-2009, 21:56
ah, i'm betting they are injected ones
http://www.petpig.com/fish/Glass_Fish.aspx
http://www.petpig.com/fish/fish/Glass-Fish.jpg
Those?
Alternative Name
Painted Glass Fish, Indian Glassfish, Glass Perch
Scientific Name: Chanda ranga
Basic Info
Glassfish get their name from their translucent body. Their body resembles glass in the sense that you can see their bones and internal organs. Some Glassfish have been injected with dye, which severely weakens the animal, if not killing it. Died Glassfish should be avoided at all cost. Healthy males will develop blue coloring on the edge of their anal and dorsal fins, while females will have a slight yellow tone to their body. At Maturity, Glassfish will reach a size of two to three inches.
Health
Glassfish are a relatively hardy fish. They should be kept in hard, brackish water, with a pH between seven and eight. Glassfish should be in water with a temperature range between 75 and 78 degrees Fahrenheit. They can be kept in non-brackish water too, but they generally do not thrive unless they are in brackish water. Glassfish prefer live foods to flake foods. Some Glassfish refuse flake food of any kind. Good live foods may include brine shrimp, wingless fruit flies, bloodworms, glass worms and tubifex worms. They may also eat some frozen and freeze dried foods as well. They should be given at least two types of live food daily in addition to some water plants to eat. They need to be in groups of five or more and the minimum tank size for five is a 20-gallon standard tank. If you want to use a tall or hex tank you should choose a larger tank since these may not provide enough horizontal swimming space or surface area for air exchange. Breeding To encourage breeding, Glassfish should be in water with a warm temperature of 84 degrees. Sunlight also encourages them to breed. Glassfish need heavy vegetation to hide their fry in. Once spawned, they parents should be removed from the tank, as they might eat the fry.
Habitat
Fresh water fish
Behavior
The Glassfish are a popular and exotic species. They are hardy, and make good fish for beginning aquarists. They are also popular among experienced aquarists as well. Glassfish are a peaceful fish and will fit well into most brackish communities. They have been known, however, to get territorial towards other aggressive fish. If kept in groups, Glassfish will school with each other. They like to stick to the bottom of the tank. Glassfish should be kept in large aquariums with heavy vegetation and rocks. They should have plenty of space to swim however, as the Glassfish is quite active.
Origin
Asia and Australia
History
Glass fish are originally from the salty waters of southern Asia and Australia. There are now strictly freshwater Glassfish, due to cross breeding. Their scientific name is Chanda ranga.
Common Foods
N/A
exactly these. thanks, I should have bought them. I thought they were hard to keep.
As far as I know you are right Ferryman they are injected and they don't live very long....
there colour wears out after while as well.
I am not a fan of fish that have been injected but that is my Opinion so every one to there own....
I didn't know that they were injected, I thought it was only a figure of speech. But now that you mention it, they do seem to bright to be true. I saw them the first time this weekend, and they were beautiful but, I don't want a fake fish in my community!
exactly these. thanks, I should have bought them. I thought they were hard to keep.
NO... You did the right thing in not buying them. It is a disgusting practice of humans LITERALLY injecting coloured ink INTO the fish. I would assume that alot of these fish die as a result of them being put through the stress of the actual injecting. It is cruel, inhumane and a shocking act of human retardation.
unfortunately, people who don't know, will buy these fish and they will die shortly after purchasing. And the only reason that stores stock them, is because people, who don't know about them, will buy them.
ALWAYS do research BEFORE buying a fish you don't know anything about.
Ferryman
07-09-2009, 22:18
i think about 50% or somesuch dont survive the practice, the immune system keeps fighting the ink off, which wears off eventually, but also makes the fish more susceptable to infection or disease
http://animal-world.com/encyclo/fresh/perches/Images/HumpheadGlassFishWFPeG_Ap4AM.jpg
If you wanna glass fish, this fella seems flippin interesting to keep...
Parambassis pulcinella
Humphead Glassfish
Humphead Perchlet Family: Chandidae
(Previously: Ambassidae)
With the large hump on their head and their semi-transparent body this relative newcomer to the aquarium hobby, the Humphead Glassfish, has become an instant success story!
It is unusual for a fish of this size to remain hidden from the science community for so long but somehow this beauty did. The Humphead Glassfish or Humphead Perchlet wasn’t scientifically described until 2003! They are freshwater Asiatic glassfish in the Chandidae family (previously Ambassidae).
There are many “new” species coming from their homeland of Myanmar, and this may be due in part to the past political climate of that country. Only recently has science had relatively free access to the waters of Myanmar (formerly Burma).
The ones I could have bought, did not have the colored belly's like the ones in the pic from Ferryman. Now I'm glad I haven't bought them. Thanks guys, always better to ask the professionals!!
I am far from a Pro but slagter seems to know alot...lol
Just glad we could help the more people that know about the injecting of fish the better.
I spoke to a LFS owner to day because he had a "bluebarry Oscar in stoke and I ask him doe he know why it is called that and he said no. so I explained it to him and he has said that he will not be buying any more fish that have been injected he also agrees that it is inhumane
I've seen the Blueberry Oscars before as well. It's bloody revolting. Oscars Dyed blue!! Yuck. What about Parrot fish? Nasty little man made mutations, and now they Dye them too... Saw 3 FULL tanks with 20 - 30 of them in each tank at an LFS the other day. All different colours. I've also seen parrots with Tattoos on them. Little Heart shapes and the Ace of spades and more.
There is no limit to human brutality/cruelty.
It is disturbing how far mankind would go to make money....
Ferryman
07-09-2009, 22:47
Why it's Cruel to Dye
- By Dr. Stan MacMahon and Dr. Peter Burgess
Some fish keepers, and possibly even a few traders, may be puzzled as to why so much fuss has been made about dyed fish. On the face of it, the practice of dyeing or “painting” the fish seems fairly innocuous and the artificially dyed specimens are certainly very eye-catching in their various “day-glo” colours. So why push for a voluntary ban on selling them? Our investigations have revealed the truth behind the dyed fish saga.
Disco fish
Our first encounter with dyed fish was back in the late 1980’s. Thousands of artificially coloured glassfish, Parambassis ranga (formerly Chanda ranga) were imported into the UK.
The glassfish, so named because of its naturally semi-transparent body, obviously makes it an ideal subject for “painting”.
They were seen with fluorescent shades of either blue, purple, red, yellow, orange or green produced by dyes.
They were (and still are) imported under the names “painted glassfish” or “disco fish” (presumably because their almost fluorescent colours resemble discotheque lights).
How is the dye applied?
Intrigued as to how the dye was applied we decided to carry out a little research. A few coloured glassfish were sedated in MS222 anesthetic and observed under a binocular microscope. It became apparent that the dye is not on the surface of the fish, but lay under the epidermis.
Furthermore, the dye appeared fluid and could be moved slightly by gently squeezing the coloured area.
This suggested that it must have been injected into the fish at various sites over the body in order to form the distinctive colour patterns. Our fears were confirmed a few years later when we were shown photographs of the colouring process, revealing that each fish is individually injected using a syringe and needle.
The practice of dye injection is undertaken by fish farmers in some regions of Asia (but not Singapore as far as we know). Clearly, the common name “painted glassfish” is a cruelly misleading description.
If one considers the relative bore size of the injection needle with that of a glassfish, it would be the equivalent of us receiving several jabs using a needle of pencil-sized diameter - not a pleasant thought.
As experienced fish scientists, we would never dream of injecting fish of such small size. No wonder the injection process is alleged to cause high mortalities.
Increasing the risk of disease...
A survey which we carried out in the south of England revealed that over 40% of painted glassfish appeared to be suffering from Lymphocystis virus. This disease manifests itself as a small whitish growths on the fish’s body and fins.
An examination of the white growths under the powerful electron microscope confirmed our diagnosis. In contrast, less than 10% of the natural (unpainted) glassfish had Lymphocystis.
It is possible that the injection process increases the risk of this disease, perhaps by transmitting the virus from fish to fish via the needle (the same needle is used to inject tens or even hundreds of fish).
Alternatively, the stress of being injected with the dye may lower the fish’s natural immunity to Lymphocystis. It must be said that, in our experience, those glassfish which survive the injection process go on to live fairly normal lives, despite the gaudy dyes present within their bodies. In time, the dye fades.
Moral issue
Many people believe that fish do not feel pain and so injecting them with dyes is perfectly acceptable. In fact, increasing scientific evidence suggests that fish are indeed capable of feeling pain, though we have no way of telling whether they perceive painful events in the same way as we do.
So dye injection is likely to be a painful experience for the poor glassfish. In fairness, many traders and hobbyists were mislead, just as we first were, into thinking that these fish were simply painted with the dye.
Now that the truth is out, it’s time to stop this cruel practice, once and for all.
Other species which are sometimes dyed
Glassfish are not the only species which are subjected to artificial colouring.
Many types of albino fish also make ideal “white canvasses” for colouring. We have observed the following artificially coloured fish in the UK, and suspect there may be others.
Albino versions of Corydoras catfish, such as aeneus; Tiger barbs; Albino Epalzeorhynchus (formerly Labeo) such as the Red-finned shark; Black widow tetras; Rams and some Botia species.
Typically these exhibit red or blue on part of the body, but the dyes are not as bright or gaudy as those used to inject glassfish.
Fish which have pale or semi-transparent bodies such as the glassfish, Kryptoterus, also suffer.
Note: The above text documentation of Dr. Peter Burgess and Dr. Stan MacMahons' study belongs respectively to Practical Fishkeeping Magazine and is copyright Practical Fishkeeping.
Other fish on offer
One supplier in Thailand currently offers a very wide range of dyed fish on its online stock list which are clearly marked as being injected. Their stocklist is shown below.
Color Silver Shark
Color Albino Rainbow Shark
Color Albino Irridescent Shark
Mixcolor Ompok
Red Ompok
Blue Ompok
Green Ompok
Yellow Ompok
Orange Ompok
Purple Ompok
Pink Ompok
Tinfoil Blushing-blue
Tinfoil Blushing-red
Tinfoil Blushing-green
Tinfoil Blushing-pink
Tinfoil Blushing-purple
Tinfoil Assorted Color
Color Tiger Barb
Color Redtail Botia
Blue Redtail Botia
Red Redtail Botia
Green Redtail Botia
Yellow Redtail Botia
Orange Redtail Botia
Purple Redtail Botia
Pink Redtail Botia
Two Color Glass Fish
Red Glass Fish
Blue Glass Fish
Green Glass Fish
Yellow Glass Fish
Orange Glass Fish
Purple Glass Fish
Pink Glass Fish
Black Color Glass Fish
Color Tetra
Red Tetra
Blue Tetra
Green Tetra
Yellow Tetra
Orange Tetra
Purple Tetra
Pink Tetra
Black Tetra
White Tetra
Others...
The PFK Ban Dyed Fish Campaign
Practical Fishkeeping ran an award-winning campaign which started in 1996 and asked aquatic retailers to sign a pledge that they would not sell dyed fish.
The majority of British retailers signed up and dyed fish are now relatively uncommon in the UK.
Further reading
Clarke, Matt (2006) - Pink danios: dyed or genetically modified? (http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/pfk/pages/blog.php?blogid=34), Practical Fishkeeping blog. Mon June 19, 2006.
Clarke, Matt (2006) - Magazine publishes guide to cosmetic fish surgery (http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/pfk/pages/item.php?news=957), Practical Fishkeeping website news. Mon June 12, 2006.
Clarke, Matt (2006) - Time to email your MP? (http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/pfk/pages/blog.php?blogid=18), Practical Fishkeeping blog. Thu March 16, 2006.
Clarke, Matt (2006) - It wouldn't happen to a kitten (http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/pfk/pages/blog.php?blogid=16), Practical Fishkeeping blog. Wed February 22, 2006.
Clarke, Matt (2006) - Company offers custom fish tattoos with laser (http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/pfk/pages/item.php?news=850), Practical Fishkeeping website news. Thu February 23, 2006.
Clarke, Matt (2006) - Dyed fish to remain legal (http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/pfk/pages/item.php?news=848), Practical Fishkeeping website news. Fri February 17, 2006.
Clarke, Matt (2005) - New dyed tropical fish on sale (http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/pfk/pages/item.php?news=790), Practical Fishkeeping website news. Thu December 15, 2005.
Clarke, Matt (2005) - Are dyed fish here to stay? (http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/pfk/pages/blog.php?blogid=1), Practical Fishkeeping blog. Mon October 24, 2005.
Clarke, Matt (2005) - Fashions in fish sales (http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/pfk/pages/show_article.php?article_id=310), Pet Product Marketing/Practical Fishkeeping website. January 18, 2005.
Clarke, Matt (2005) - Dyed fish campaign hits halfway mark (http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/pfk/pages/item.php?news=681), Practical Fishkeeping website news. Fri July 22, 2005.
Clarke, Matt (2004) - Join the global fight against dyed fish (http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/pfk/pages/item.php?news=513), Practical Fishkeeping website news. Fri December 17, 2004.
Clarke, Matt (2004) - Practical Fishkeeping relaunches Dyed Fish Campaign (http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/pfk/pages/item.php?news=174), Practical Fishkeeping website news. January 23, 2004.
This article was first published in the March 1998 issue of Practical Fishkeeping.
I knew there were a few fish out there that they Dyed but I never knew there was so may, it is acutely sad to see how many different types of fish have to go through this torture
Ferryman
07-09-2009, 23:19
it is. friggin stick a few HB pencils into the skin of those stupid dye farm owners, see if they'll listen to reason :mad:
No Matter what you do to them they will never stop there is just to much money to be made .
Ferryman
07-09-2009, 23:58
True, money is an ugly cog that makes the world go round an round
I read somewere , i might have even been TASA, that ppl were tattooing there fish now aswell to make them more unique. some ppl are just sick
Unfortunately money talks and fish suffer because of it. The only way to curb this probably and to stop the local fish shops from selling dyed/tattooed fish, is to firstly confront the owners and let them know that the fish are dyed (you'll be amazed how many of them don't even know this), and if necessary let them know that you will no longer support their shop as long as they are stocking these fish and that you will spread the word. It works, well usually, I know of two fish shops here who I have confronted in this manner who no longer stock these fish. Education is key.
So true it worked here in Potch as well. Expecialy when they hear you are on a forum
I read somewere , i might have even been TASA, that ppl were tattooing there fish now aswell to make them more unique. some ppl are just sick
Indeed... I've seen PANDA CORIES being dyed and tattoo'd. It's disgusting.
Unfortunately money talks and fish suffer because of it. The only way to curb this probably and to stop the local fish shops from selling dyed/tattooed fish, is to firstly confront the owners and let them know that the fish are dyed (you'll be amazed how many of them don't even know this), and if necessary let them know that you will no longer support their shop as long as they are stocking these fish and that you will spread the word. It works, well usually, I know of two fish shops here who I have confronted in this manner who no longer stock these fish. Education is key.
But on the flip side of that coin Vee... It's just as easy to claim ignorance, and let the customer think that they've done some good. When you leave, they place a new order for the same fish. They don't really care. They're just out for a quick buck.
@slagter (and others) - how many LFS owners and staff are actually hobbyists? People that care about the fish and advise on good practice? Probably only marine guys...
The rest are business owners and intend to sell the customer whatever he/she wants, and make a profit, nothing else. If they can keep selling you stuff then its good business.
Does this ring a bell?
Customer walks in and buys a tank. Customers sees some cute looking fish. Buys fish. LFS tells him he needs bacteria. Customer buys Cycle or similar. Two days later customer is back. A few dead fish. LFS sells him medication and more fish, because customer is now in "mourning" and wants his pets replaced. A week later customer is back - all fish dead. Perhaps they sell him more fish and perhaps a week later they are dead again. Then customer gives up on the hobby and you see a tank for sale in the local classifieds...
Furthermore, I think this idea of injecting fish and tatoos and what else is disgusting. Will we be overstepping legal boundaries if we create a "Name and Shame" thread? For LFS that sells these poor fish...
You'd have to name them all, pretty much. Even the reputable dealers and LFS's stock them. I don't think I've been to one that hasn't had some kind of franken-fish.
But on the flip side of that coin Vee... It's just as easy to claim ignorance, and let the customer think that they've done some good. When you leave, they place a new order for the same fish. They don't really care. They're just out for a quick buck.
If you and all your friend keep harping at them they eventually will stop stocking them - especially if you cuc them out in front of other customers
That's generally what I do...
I was at a very well known LFS the other day and a dude and his wife came in with 3 very large plecos and a rope fish. I just happened to be standing next to them while they were chatting with the "assistant". They wanted to replace their 3 large plecos with 3 small plecos and the shop dude was like: Cool, but you're going to have to pay in an extra R40. So I asked the dude how big his tank was and it turned out that it was a 4ft tank. He didn't want the plecos getting so big and I suggested that he take a few Bristlenoses instead.
But they still made him pay money for the fish... His Plecos were about 25cm EACH!!
And at the same shop I actually SAW them sell an Oscar, Brand new 2 ft tank, Pump, Heater, gravel, food and some Aquasafe to a kid. I asked him if he had another tank at home and he said no...
I proceeded to KUK all over the manager... Idiots.
Go Slagter GO - the more we do this the quicker the shops will wake up.....
guido.coza
25-09-2009, 21:59
Hi all
Why not try to get a ban on those fish. To my knowlage these fish are now banned in Germany and with that most likly in a few more of the EU
Someone must have applied for this and it wasn't LFS owners.
Even a article in one of the daily news papers to create awareness!?!
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