The Indian Golden Bass 



WALTER LANNTOT BRIND, F. Z. S. 



From the "Land of Mysteries," India, 

 that densely populated country inhabited 

 by more than forty million people, and 

 boasting of as many as forty different 

 languages, comes to us one of the most 

 spiritual and elfin-like of the fishes that 

 grace and lend an air of mystery to our 

 aquaria — the tiny Golden Bass, Ambassis 

 lala. This little bass, for such it unmis- 

 takably is, averages little over an inch 

 in length, with a depth of body of a 

 third as much, and a thickness at the 

 thickest part of the thorax of — nothing. 

 Well, if not "nothing," then so close to 

 it that a sheet of paper seems thicker and 

 more visible. Herein lies the mystery 

 of this dainty little fellow. He never, if 

 he can help it. permits a broadside view 

 of his glittering though transparent body, 

 for he is ever heading straight at you, 

 or else in the opposite direction, so that 

 it is almost necessary for two people to 

 approach the aquarium from opposite 

 sides in order to steal a glimpse of him 

 as he (or she) rushes to cover among 

 the leaves of the plants which afford 

 shelter and surroundings most congenial 

 to him. In his home waters there is 

 always an admixture of sea salt, such as 

 is found in the haunts of our own Mol- 

 lienisia latipinna. Ambassis lala will live 

 contentedly in quite fresh water, though 

 I always add sea salt to the proportion 

 of a tablespoonful to five gallons of 

 water, using old aquarium water in pref- 

 erence. 



To those desirous of breeding this 

 dainty fish I would advise a large 

 aquarium — two or three feet long by 

 eighteen inches to two feet wide; water 



to a depth of six to eight inches; clean 

 silver sand on the bottom, planted with 

 thickets of Vallisneria in the corners and 

 along three sides, open in front and cen- 

 tre. A bunch of Nitella in at least one 

 corner will afford shelter for the female 

 should an argument arise. A tempera- 

 ture of about 75 degrees Fahrenheit, for 

 breeding, and 65 to 72 degrees at other 



Ambassis lala 



times, suits it to perfection. The eggs 

 are deposited among the plants wherever 

 they are dense and free from waste mat- 

 ter and excreta. They are tiny, clear as 

 crystal, and are deposited in lots of five 

 or six at a time to a total of thirty to 

 fifty. The parent fish in the act of laying 

 the eggs swim side by side, the function 

 being performed with so swift a move- 

 ment through the plants that it can hardly 

 be witnessed. The period of incubation 

 is from ten to fifteen hours. After 

 hatching, the fry cling to the glass and 

 plants for three or four days. 



The aquarium should be placed less 

 than a yard distant from an east window 

 where there is abundant morning sun- 



