Glass Catfish
Kryptopterus vitreolus · Peaceful · Intermediate care
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Species profile Kryptopterus vitreolus
Origin
Thailand, southern Thailand river basins, Southeast Asia
Family
Siluridae (sheatfish/glass catfish family)
Adult size
Up to 8 cm (3 in)
Diet
Micro-predator: small live/frozen foods (daphnia, bloodworm, brine shrimp) and fine sinking flakes (Carnivore)
Temperament
Peaceful
Swimming level
Middle
Minimum group
6+ (shoaling)
Lifespan
6-8 years
Minimum tank
80 L (20 gal)
Water type
Freshwater
Size to scale
8 cm adult length, shown to scale against an iPhone 15 Pro (14.66 cm).
Natural range
Where it comes from — Southeast Asia
Thailand, southern Thailand river basins, Southeast Asia
Water
Singapore tap water vs its needs
Hardness: Soft to medium (4-12 dGH).
In the aquarium
How it lives in the tank
Swims in the middle of the tank
Keep in a group of 6+
Sensitivity Index — Moderate
Adaptable, but happiest with stable parameters in a matured tank.
Our own read on how forgiving this species is of water changes — not a formal standard.
Keeping & care
What this fish needs
Family
About the Siluridae family sheatfish/glass catfish family
Siluridae, the true or "sheatfish" catfishes, is a family of roughly 100-plus freshwater species across about 15 genera native to Eurasia, with the greatest diversity in Southeast Asia. Members are scaleless and share a distinctive elongated body with a very long anal-fin base, no adipose fin, reduced or absent pelvic fins, and one to two pairs of long maxillary barbels; sizes range from small shoaling fishes to giants like the wels catfish (Silurus glanis) at over 2-3 m. Home aquaria almost exclusively feature the small, peaceful, shoaling glass catfishes (Kryptopterus), while most other members grow far too large or predatory for typical tanks.
Keep glass catfish (Kryptopterus vitreolus) as a group of six or more in a mature, gently filtered planted tank with soft to moderately hard, slightly acidic to neutral water; they are shy mid-water shoalers that appreciate open swimming lanes flanked by planting and will fade or hide if kept singly or with boisterous tankmates.
Breeding
Egg-scattererThe aquarium-kept glass catfishes (Kryptopterus) are egg-scatterers that, in nature, spawn during the rainy season, releasing sticky eggs among fine-leaved plants where they are then fertilized and left unguarded. Reported captive spawnings are rare and inconsistent; the usual cited triggers are soft, slightly acidic water, heavy live-food conditioning, and simulated rainfall (cooler, fresh water changes), but no reliable published method exists. In practice they are seldom bred by hobbyists, and most trade stock is commercially farmed in the Far East rather than tank-raised at home.
Feeding
Recommended food
Compatibility
Best tankmates
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