Glass Catfish

Name

The Glass Catfish has that cool and crispy name like a Bond villain, in my opinion, and you’ll easily find that it’s just as classy of a fish as its name implies — this guy is smooth like the water, and its name is well - thought - up (a good ‘nickname’ from its original Kryptopterus vitreolus).

But other classy names tend to follow it as well — some prefer to call it the Ghost Catfish or the Phantom Catfish, likewise implying that it’s a sly and witty sort of fish, supposedly. And it sure can cut its way through the water, just like glass!

Origin

The Glass Catfish is a native fish to Thailand’s beautiful river streams and has been seen there the most, in recent days. It’s a proud member of the Animalia Kingdom, as well as the Siluridae family, all in all.

Numerous sources have also claimed to have spotted this type of fish in Cambodia and Malaysia, as well, yet the validity of such reports has likewise yet to be fully validated ; what has yet been sourced is mere speculation, at this point. You will, regardless, find this fish most in Thailand (unless it’s been imported from abroad).

Diet

This fish eats a good, balanced diet as much as it can when it’s out in the wild. And when it’s contained in a home tank, it’ll no less try to do the same and honor its habits of origin.

It enjoys pellets and flakes, of course, and can consume plenty of these daily with ease — it also likes food sources that are quite rich in proteins, and the first thing that comes to mind in terms of this are those delicious bloodworms.

Give your Glass Catfish a few of these to keep it healthy and strong, like Popeye! It can eat daphnia also….

Good ‘Roommates’

A good roommate for it can be a whole lot of other types of species, thankfully making it quite easy to put into a community tank. You could almost say this fish is quite sociable and loved by all, and it loves others as well.

You could even mix it in with varied other types in the same tank and should not have to generally worry about it creating a ruckus of its own.

Just don’t put it with fish that are way bigger than it, because they might see it as the next meal or a light snack ; it’s generally a good idea to put fish of the same size together, for that reason.

Other Facts to Keep in Mind

What else is worth noting on this fish? Well, for one, we have the fact that (and I bet you did not know this) this fish has two nice, long barbels, and is generally transparent in color.

It is completely scaleless, not to mention, just like every other catfish tends to be — it lacks natural body pigment, which is the reason why it’s clear like glass and fully transparent. If you like what you’ve heard, check it out at your local fish - pet store!