Java EE 7 Essentials

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The animals on the cover of Java EE 7 Essentials are Asiatic glassfish (members of the family Ambassidae). Found only in the waters of Asia and Oceania, the fish in this family are divided into eight genera that include around 40 species. In addition to the Asiatic glassfish, the family also includes the Striped Glass Catfish, the Borneo Glass Catfish, the Duskyfin glassfish, and the Three-Striped African Glass Catfish. Most members of this family are quite small, but the larger species can grow to a maximum of 10 inches.

The most popular member of Ambassidae among aquarium hobbyists is the Indian glassfish, due to its distinctive transparent body. In many species of glassfish, the internal organs and skeleton are visible through the skin. Unfortunately, this remarkable trait has led to the practice of injecting dye directly into fish to produce neon stripes or spots. This process is incredibly harmful to the fish, and most die during the procedure. Any that live are sold as “painted” or “disco” fish, but they are very susceptible to infection and disease and usually die within weeks or months. In 1997, the UK publication Practical Fishkeeping started a largely successful campaign to stop merchants from stocking fish that have been dyed. While the movement was able to halt the sale of these fish in almost half the stores in the UK, the problem still persists in global markets.

Despite a reputation of being difficult to keep, glassfish actually make excellent aquarium additions ...