Not furry, but we like them anyway.
Glass Catfish
Kryptopterus vitreolus Ng & Kottelat, 2013
Also called Ghost catfish, Phantom catfish, Glass cat, Pla kang phra ruang
From Endemic to Thailand: rivers and streams of the peninsula south of the Isthmus of Kra draining to the Gulf of Thailand, and basins in the Cardamom Mountains. Lives in slow or still brown to black water.12
At a glance the quick version
Looks how to spot one
Transparent, scaleless body
A slim, see-through catfish with no scales and almost no body pigment, so you can see its skeleton and, with magnification, its heart. Layers of collagen in its muscles bend light, which can make it shimmer with rainbow colours.13
Personality what they are like
Docile and somewhat shy, it feels secure only in a group and in calm company.31
Daily activity how busy a day looks
Spends much of the day hovering in midwater as a tight school.3
Grooming and care the hands-on bits
Needs a mature, stable tank with soft light, plants and leaf litter. Avoid boisterous or large tankmates that outcompete it at feeding time.3
Home where they are happiest
Soft, acidic water of about 20 to 26 C, pH 4.0 to 7.0 and hardness 1 to 10 dGH, in a tank with a base of at least 90 x 30 cm.32
Food basics what goes in the bowl
Takes dried foods but should get small live or frozen items such as baby brine shrimp and grindal worms every day.3
Company who they like around
Highly sociable: keep at least six together with small peaceful fish from similar habitats.31
The story where it all began
For decades aquarium glass catfish were sold under other species names. In 2013 Ng and Kottelat showed that the fish in the trade was its own species and named it vitreolus, from the Latin for glass.13
Fun facts for the dinner table
- 1
Its name vitreolus comes from the Latin word for glass.1
- 2
A layered, plywood-like arrangement of collagen in its muscles lets light pass through and split into rainbow colours.1
- 3
In Thai it is called pla kang phra ruang, linking it to the legendary king Phra Ruang.1
- 4
It was treated as the same species as K. bicirrhis until 1989 and confused with K. minor until 2013.1
Recognised by the official bits
- IUCN Red List
- Least Concern (assessed 4 June 2019)2
- Taxonomy
- Formally described by Ng and Kottelat in 2013; earlier sold as K. bicirrhis or K. minor1
- Family
- Siluridae (sheatfishes)2
The care rhythm Furry Diary remembers it for you
A typical home-care rhythm for a Glass Catfish. It is our own starting plan, not a vet's advice, and you can change every line in the app.
- FeedingSmall amounts once or twice a dayevery day
- Temperature checkevery day
- Water changeAbout 25% of the waterevery week
- Water testevery week
- Glass cleanevery week
- Filter rinseRinse in old tank water, never tap waterevery month
You might also like
African Glass CatfishLike what we are building? Buy us a coffee.
The breed atlas is free for everyone, with a source on every fact, and it will never show ads. If it helped you, a small tip keeps the research going. Any amount is lovely, and no is a perfectly fine answer too.
Where this comes from
Every breed page shows where each fact comes from. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are pet people, not a science magazine. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
- Wikipedia: Kryptopterus vitreolus en.wikipedia.orgused for names, etymology, transparency, history, folklore
- FishBase: Kryptopterus vitreolus fishbase.seused for distribution, habitat, size, IUCN, family
- Seriously Fish: Kryptopterus vitreolus seriouslyfish.comused for tank size, water parameters, diet, behaviour, group size
Checked 2026-09-30. Text is written in our own words from these sources.