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Encyclopedia / Catfish & Plecos / Glass catfish
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Photo by Kaden Slone, CC BY · source · credits

Variations

1 kinds · tap one for a closer look

Glass catfish

Kryptopterus vitreolus · Ghost catfish

Shy schooler; stressed alone.

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6.5 cmBody length, without tail ✓
20–26 °CTemperature ✓
4–7pH ✓
81 LSmallest tank ✓
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Tank mates
Check your own mix →
Not recommended
  • Giant gourami eats animals up to about 10 cm. Glass catfish only grows to 6.5 cm.
Not recommended
  • Oscar eats animals up to about 12 cm. Glass catfish only grows to 6.5 cm.
Not recommended
  • They need different temperatures (20–26 °C vs 27–30 °C). No setting suits both.
With conditions
  • Only a narrow pH range suits both: exactly 7.
With conditions
  • Only a narrow pH range suits both: exactly 7.
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible

363 species in our list are a good match.

Facts checked against sources on 16 Oct 2026. ✓ means a source backs it; ? means no reliable source yet. See sources

Care and water

Hardness ✓1–10 dGH
Group size ✓6 or more
Temperament ✓Peaceful
Swims at ?Middle
Care level ✓Moderate
Diet Omnivore
Lifespan ?Unknown
Size in shops 3–5 cm
Growth Medium

Behavior

Shy schooler; stressed alone.

Food

Small foods, frozen bloodworms.

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Male or female

MaleHard to tell
FemaleRounder
TipNot reliable
How hard to tellHard

Health

Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.

Breeding

Never recorded breeding in aquariums. All glass catfish sold are wild-caught.

Full breeding guide, day-by-day plan and simulator →

Where it lives in the wild

RegionThailand (peninsular and southeastern coastal rivers)
Rivers and lakesRivers draining to the Gulf of Thailand
HabitatSlow, clear-to-turbid rivers in schools mid-water
Native rangeAbout 500 km across
See it on the world map

The story of the glass catfish

A transparent catfish: in life its body is see-through, so the skeleton and organs are visible.

For decades the aquarium glass catfish was sold as Kryptopterus bicirrhis or K. minor. In 2013 Heok Hee Ng and Maurice Kottelat showed that the common trade fish is a separate species, which they named K. vitreolus. Its see-through body reveals its skeleton and organs.

First described by Heok Hee Ng & Maurice Kottelat in 2013.

  • Its body is so transparent you can see its spine and organs.
  • It was misidentified in the hobby for decades before being named in 2013.
  • It feels safest in a group and hides when kept alone.

Sources

13 facts checked with sources