Freshwater

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Part II: Fish and How to Care for Them
Glass catfish (Kryptopterus bicirrhis)
The glass catfish is a fascinating animal with a transparent body: You can
actually see this fish’s backbone and internal organs through its body wall.
You can even see the food they have eaten before it is broken down, by looking
through their body.
Keep this peaceful Southeast Asian fish in schools (at least three). The glass
catfish is carnivorous and swims in the middle and lower sections of the tank.
Make sure you have plenty of live plants (such as Java fern) in the tank for
this species because they like to hang around them most of the time. Keep
their water clean to avoid disease. Glass cats do not do well with many medications,
so prevention is the key with this species.
The temperature of the water for glass catfish should be kept between 75–79
degrees F, and soft water with a pH between 6.2–7.0. This fish lives on insects in
its native waters; so it should be fed a diet that includes live foods, such as
daphnia. Keep this fish in a group with its own kind because it is a schooling
fish in the wild and will become very shy and inactive without others of its own
type to keep it company. Never keep one alone without other glass catfish.
Glass catfish are good with most non-aggressive community fish such as
guppies.
Upside-down catfish (Synodontis species)
True to its unusual name, the upside-down catfish swims with its abdomen
pointed upward. This beautiful little fish from tropical Africa changes its
body shading according to its swimming position. The peaceful upside-down
catfish is carnivorous and swims in all levels of the tank.
This fish does well in temperatures between 72–79 degrees F and have been
known to live more than five years. Upside-down catfish grow to lengths of
3–4 inches in the home aquarium, have a forked tail and three sets of barbels,
and should be kept in small schools. The dorsal side of the fish is lighter in
color, which (used for camouflage) is the complete opposite of most other
species that swim in an upright direction. This fish usually has a beautiful
mottled body in earth tones.
If you want to keep your upside-down catfish healthy, make sure you have
plenty of plants, rocks, and decorations in the tank because they love to
search for tasty tidbits along surface areas. Feed this species insect larva and
algae discs that they have a great time nibbling at.
Suckermouth catfish (Hypostomus plecostomus)
One of the most famous catfish known to the aquarium hobbyist is the suckermouth.
Hypostomus is also known as the pleco. This fish has a leopard-print pattern
of spots and can grow to a length of over one foot, so make sure you have