🐟 AquaticCare difficulty: IntermediateLegal complexity: Low
Glass Catfish
Kryptopterus vitreolus · also called Ghost Catfish, Phantom Catfish, Transparent Catfish, Glass Cat
A delicate, see-through Southeast Asian catfish whose glassy body reveals its skeleton and internal organs. Unusual among catfish for shoaling in mid-water during the day, it is a peaceful, sensitive schooler that must be kept in groups to thrive.
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Quick facts
| Size | Slender, fully transparent catfish reaching about 6-8 cm (2.5-3 in); the backbone and organs are visible through the body. |
| Lifespan | 6–8 years |
| Social needs | group |
| Native region | Southeast Asia (southern Thailand, peninsular rivers) |
| Origin | Old World |
| Climate | 🌴 Tropical |
| Water type | 💧 Freshwater |
| Family | Siluridae |
| Genus | Kryptopterus |
Part of the Catfish
Catfish are a diverse order of mostly bottom-dwelling fish, including peaceful shoaling corydoras, armored loricariids, and scavengers prized for keeping the lower levels of an aquarium active and clean.
Habitat & space requirements
From the minimum an animal needs to be kept humanely, up to the ideal setup. Bigger is almost always better — minimums are floors, not targets.
Life & growth stages
How this animal changes through its life — each stage often has its own care, diet and space needs.
Habitat & enclosure
A shoal needs a tank of at least 75-115 litres (20-30 US gal); they are mid-water schoolers, so a planted tank with open swimming lanes and gentle current suits them best. Provide tall plants, driftwood, and shaded areas with subdued lighting, as bright open tanks leave these shy fish stressed.
They are tropical: keep water at 24-27 C (75-81 F), pH 6.0-7.5, soft to moderately hard, in mature, very stable conditions. They are notably sensitive to water-quality swings and to being moved, so a well-cycled, established tank with gentle, well-filtered flow is essential.
Substrate
Substrate choice is not critical since they live in mid-water; a dark sand or fine gravel base helps them feel secure and shows off their transparency. Combine with live plants and driftwood for cover.
Equipment & setup
Provide gentle but efficient filtration that keeps water pristine without a strong current, plus a reliable heater for stable warmth. Subdued or planted-tank lighting suits their shy nature, and a secure lid is advisable.
Diet
Micro-predators that feed in mid-water: offer small frozen and live foods such as daphnia, baby brine shrimp, bloodworms, and cyclops, plus fine sinking pellets and quality flake they can catch as it drifts. They will not scavenge the bottom like typical catfish.
Feed small amounts several times a day if possible, watching that each fish is eating, as timid individuals can be outcompeted. A varied diet of small meaty foods keeps them in good condition; a clear, slightly sunken body or fading transparency can signal underfeeding or stress.
Behavior & temperament
Peaceful, timid shoaling fish that must be kept in groups of at least six (ideally more); kept singly or in small numbers they become stressed, hide, stop eating, and decline. They hover together in mid-water, gently angling their bodies, and ignore other species entirely.
Choose calm, similarly peaceful tankmates such as small tetras, rasboras, harlequins, and corydoras; avoid boisterous or fin-nipping fish that intimidate them. A loss of transparency, with the body turning milky or pinkish, is an early sign of stress or illness.
Health
Highly sensitive to poor or fluctuating water quality, they are prone to stress-related declines, ich, and fungal or bacterial infections, often signalled by a cloudy, opaque body. Because they are scaleless, dose copper and salt medications cautiously and at reduced strength.
They ship and acclimate poorly, so drip-acclimate slowly and add them only to a stable, mature tank. Keep them in adequate numbers, maintain pristine water with gentle flow, and quarantine new fish to avoid introducing parasites to such delicate animals.
Tips, DIY & hacks
Buy a generous group at once rather than adding a few at a time, and drip-acclimate slowly because they are stress-prone. Note that true Kryptopterus vitreolus is the species now in the trade; older sources may list K. bicirrhis or K. minor for the same hobby fish.