Siamese glassfish (Chanda siamensis): how big does it get?

Chanda siamensis is a glassfish of lowland rivers and swamps in the Mekong and Chao Phraya region. Fowler described it in 1937, and FishBase gives a maximum of 3 in SL. It is usually sold as Parambassis siamensis.

What's in the name

siamensis

-ensisLatin — of a place
SiamThai (Latinised) — Thailand

Taxonomy & naming

Chanda siamensis was described by Fowler in 1937 from Bangkok, Thailand. Stores sell it as Parambassis siamensis; the Catalog of Fishes lists it as Chanda siamensis in Ambassidae. The epithet siamensis means of Siam, the old name of Thailand.

Morphology

FishBase gives a maximum length of 3 in SL. Like other glassfish it has a laterally compressed, largely transparent body.

Habitat

FishBase calls it a freshwater, demersal fish found in medium to large rivers and flooded fields of the middle Mekong, and in lowland swamps and sluggish or standing water. It is recorded from Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, and has been introduced in Japan.

Feeding

FishBase records no diet. Glassfish in general take small live invertebrates and zooplankton.

Mating

Courtship has not been described in the sources used by the atlas.

Breeding

FishBase records the species as oviparous. No clutch size or spawning details are given.

In the aquarium

It suits a quiet tank of peaceful fish and does best in a group. Offer small live and frozen foods. FishBase gives no temperature, pH or hardness for the species.

Conservation

The IUCN Red List lists Chanda siamensis as Least Concern, assessed 20 November 2019.

Common questions

Siamese glassfish (Chanda siamensis): how big does it get?: Up to 3 in standard length (SL).
Siamese glassfish (Chanda siamensis): where does it come from?: It is recorded from Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.

Related species compared · Chanda

Species	Adult size	Temperature	pH	Hardness	IUCN
Siamese glassfishChanda siamensisthis species	3 in SL	—	—	—	LC
Chanda pulcinella	3 in SL	—	—	—	DD
Indian glassy fishChanda ranga	3.5 in TL	68–86 °F	pH 7–8	161–339 ppm	LC

Recorded ranges from each species’ own page; hardness is the tolerance its sources give, not a measurement of the water it lives in.

Also from the Mekong basin

Sources

Naming authority: Chanda siamensis in Eschmeyer’s Catalog of Fishes ↗

Last reviewed 2026-10-05.

How to cite

Aquarist Atlas (2026). Chanda siamensis. Aquarist Atlas.https://www.aquaristatlas.com/oddballs/chanda-siamensis/

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Where it has been recorded

80 georeferenced records (GBIF). Each point is a field observation or museum specimen — pan and zoom to explore where this species turns up. The coordinates come straight from GBIF and are often rounded or tied to the nearest town or river landing, so a dot can sit just beside the actual water rather than in it.

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