Parambassis pulcinella
The glass largemouth perch, crested perch or pulchinella perch is endemic to a Myanmar river flowing in Thailand. The fish inhabit large freshwater channels with turbulent, well-oxygenated water. The substrate in many of these habitats consists of smooth rocks and boulders of various sizes.
Parambassis pulcinella is a new fish species. They were first described in 2003 and until now, little is known about their natural behaviour.
The peculiar hump overhanging above the eyes distinguishes the scallophead perch among other fish. In contrast to the humps of cichlids, the shape of the comb perch is thinner and more reminiscent of a fin than anything else. The body of the fish is translucent with a golden hue. Sexual differences are poorly expressed. The females have a slightly smaller hump than the males. The maximum size of fish in nature reaches 10 cm.
Parambassis pulcinella is a peaceful fish, but it can scare smaller fish with its size and restlessness. It is quite an active fish, requiring a large living space. For 1 specimen requires an aquarium volume of 80 liters. Can be kept in small groups, but in this case, fish sometimes in conflict. Do not be afraid of this, as the largemouth bass do not fight, but simply begin to chase each other. To the internal arrangement of the aquarium fish are not critical. Beds, stones, plants can be used to your liking. Preferably the contents of pulcinella perches in a species aquarium.
Water parameters: temperature 23-27° C, hardness dH 8-15°, pH 7,0-7,5. The fish are very demanding on water quality, which must be crystal clear. Necessary to apply high-performance water filter, to implement enhanced aeration of water, as well as to make a weekly change of 1/3 of the aquarium water with fresh. The nitrate concentration in the water should preferably be below 20 mg/l.
Parambassis pulcinella can be fed in the aquarium with a wide variety of flake and pelleted food. Live and frozen food such as Artemia nauplii and bloodworms should be mandatorily added to the fish menu, in addition to the dry food. All perches are predators by nature, and the pulchinella perch is no exception. All small fish living in the same tank, such as guppies, danio and neons, may well be regarded as a tasty addition to the diet. The same fate may also befall small shrimps such as Cherry and Amano. Fish should be fed at least twice a day.
Reproduction
The Parambassis pulcinella does not propagate under aquarium conditions.
Relatively recently, fish have been imported from their natural habitat to the domestic market, but the price of these fish on the market is quite high.
