#Kryptopterus piperatus

[flowershaveeyes]

PELASE TELL ME ABOUT GLASS CATFISH PLEASE PELASE PLEASE IM SO COOKED OH MY GOD PLEASE PLEASE I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT GLASS CATFISH OH MY GOD MY LIFE DEPENDS ON IT

The way I had to redo this because I accidentally deleted the tumblr tab, and then my entire five paragraph response was GONE. Anyways, this is gonna be a long one, so buckle up!

xxx

So, I had to do a lil’ bit of research of my own, cause the only thing I really knew about ghost catfish was that they’re see-through. But uh, apparently, they’re also called phantom catfish, or glass catfish, like you said.

Species: Glass/phantom/ghost catfish aren’t a single species, they’re a group of species, actually. Belonging to the catfish genus “Kryptopterus” (which, btw, means “hidden fin” in Greek. Kryptos: hidden, pterus: fin. It’s cause of their lack of a dorsal fin). There’s only three species in the genus that technically qualify as glass catfish, since they’re the only ones that have a see-through body. That is:Kryptopterus minor (also K. minor. They get this name because they’re the smallest of all glass catfish), Kryptopterus piperatus (K. piperatus—they’re usually found in rivers in northern Sumatra, Indonesia. First described in 2004. They aren’t very common in aquarium trade), and Kryptopterus vitreolus (For a VERY long time, K. vitreolus was mistaken for another species of glass catfish, called k. bicirris. The reason k. bicirris doesn’t exactly “qualify” as a glass catfish is because while the main 3 glass catfish are fully transparent, bicirris is only transparent in areas near the head.)

Appearance: The reason they’re “transparent”, is because all catfish lack scales. And with the lack of scales, what the catfish in the Kryptopterus genus also lack is pigmentation.

they don’t carry colour in their skin cells (unlike other types of catfish), and this causes them to be transparent—also, due to this transparency— you can literally see their organs. And their spine and all! If you were to use a magnifying glass, you could see their heart beating.

Oh, and when these glass catfish die, they turn white. Like a milky sort of white, which suggests that something the catfish does while alive produces these cells that don’t carry colour.

The barbels on all catfish (aka the ‘whiskers’ that give catfish their name) which are used as feelers for food are also transparent on the glass catfish.

Size: While they are the same genus, the size varies wildly depending on the species.

K. minor often grows to roughly 2.7 inches, while k. vitreolus grows to about 3.1. K. bicirrhis, the species that is often mistaken for k. vitreolus, are much larger, and can grow up to 5.9 inches.

It’s kinda hard to distinguish between male and female glass catfish using size, but the males are just sliiightly smaller than the females, as in most animals.

Habitat: All of the species are found mainly in southeastern Asia, but the exact location varies as per the species we’re talking about.

K. minor—: found in certain parts of Indonesia.

K. piperatus—: they’re found in forest rivers that have moderate currents in Indonesia—especially the Alas river and the Lembang river.

K. vitreolus—: South-eastern or peninsular parts of Thailand, in slow-moving or standing murky water. There have allegedly been sightings in Malaysia, but nobody knows if it’s true yet, hence the “allegedly”.

It’s a well-known fact that most (if not all) catfish are bottom-feeders that keep to the river floor, but glass catfish prefer to be above the river floor and below the surface, in the middle of the water. That’s another reason why they’re a popular aquarium fish- they’re much more active than other types of catfish.

Diet: I don’t believe the diet really varies for the species- they feed on small invertebrates and tiny crustaceans, like water fleas, zooplankton and mosquito larvae.

Lifespan: On average, glass catfish live about six to eight years (just like the Channel Catfish, one of the most popular species of Catfish). There’s not much known about their life cycle or breeding practices—just that they’re pretty hard to breed in captivity.

Extra: Glass catfish travel in schools of at least three to six other glass catfish. They’re a popular freshwater aquarium fish, and are very timid and delicate, and as such, require more peaceful tank-mates that aren’t too large, and lots of hiding spots. They’re real easy to look after, too, long as you provide them what they need.

xxx

That’s all, I think. It’s all the information I could really scavenge. thank you for asking me for this btw.. I’ve learned sm ugh ugh UGH I love fish. THANK YOU!! FOR UPGRADING MY KNOWLEDGE!!!!

#glass catfish #fish #catfish #aquarium fish #asian glass catfish #ghost catfish #phantom catfish #Kryptopterus minor #Kryptopterus piperatus #Kryptopterus vitreolus #Kryptopterus bicirrhis #TWST people please. i know #this isn’t about TWST but.. #feel free to make that Octavinelle OC ;) ;) wink winkwink!! #i know you want to #OOOOOOH 🌀🌀🌀🌀 I KNOW YOU WANT TO!! #giggle giggles if carol requested this #i have a feeling they did but.. #womp womp womp #If they didnt #im so screwed for assuming this #painter rants abt fish