Hillstream torrent catfish

Care at a glance

Overview

The hillstream torrent catfish is a tidy, rock-clinging sisorid for a fast-flowing stream tank. It is social and does well in a small group, spending its time locked onto stone and glass and darting out to feed when food passes in the current. It is peaceful and suits other cool-water, flow-loving fish of similar size. As with all torrent cats, the flow and oxygen matter more than the scenery, so build the tank around a strong current. Feed sinking foods into the flow, frozen bloodworm, small sinking pellets, and algae wafers. A river tank of around 110 liters or more with brisk flow suits a group.

In the wild

Glyptothorax lampris grips riffles and runs in hill tributaries of the Mekong and neighboring drainages, in clear, cool, fast water over cobble. Give it rounded stones, strong flow, and high oxygen in a tank kept clean and cool at 20–26 C and around pH 6.0–7.5. Still, warm water is the quickest way to lose it, so keep the current moving and the temperature down.

Good to know

Glyptothorax lampris is a torrent catfish, family Sisoridae, reaching about 12 centimeters. Its species name comes from a Greek word for bright or shining, a nod to its glossy bronze back. Beneath it sits the ridged thoracic adhesive pad the genus uses to hold rock in current. It has no aquarium breeding record.

Did you know

Its name comes from the Greek for bright, given for the polished bronze sheen of its back, a smooth, low-drag finish that fits a fish spending its whole life pressed against rock in fast water.

Tank mates

Hillstream torrent catfish is a peaceful, social species that keeps to the bottom. These picks match on water type, temperature, pH, size and temperament.

• Peacock-tail garra

  Garra poecilura

  Freshwater

  3.5 in (9 cm)29 gal (110 L)68–79°F (20–26°C)
• Lamta garra

  Garra lamta

  Freshwater

  4.7 in (12 cm)29 gal (110 L)64–77°F (18–25°C)
• Vietnamese flower loach

  Traccatichthys taeniatus

  Freshwater

  5 in (12.6 cm)29 gal (110 L)64–77°F (18–25°C)

• 

  Walker's barb

  Enteromius walkeri

  Freshwater

  4.7 in (12 cm)29 gal (110 L)72–81°F (22–27°C)

• 

  Malayan lizard loach

  Homaloptera parclitella

  Freshwater

  3.9 in (10 cm)29 gal (110 L)70–79°F (21–26°C)
• Highlands rainbowfish

  Chilatherina campsi

  Freshwater

  3.4 in (8.6 cm)29 gal (110 L)70–81°F (21–27°C)

Check the full mix in the stocking calculator

Common questions

Related species

• Striped sisorid catfish

  Glyptothorax schmidti

  Freshwater

  3.9 in (10 cm)29 gal (110 L)68–79°F (20–26°C)
• Indian copper catfish

  Glyptothorax telchitta

  Freshwater

  5.9 in (15 cm)29 gal (110 L)68–79°F (20–26°C)
• Torrent catfish

  Glyptothorax dorsalis

  Freshwater

  5.9 in (15 cm)42 gal (160 L)68–79°F (20–26°C)
• Blotched sisorid catfish

  Glyptothorax macromaculatus

  Freshwater

  6.3 in (16 cm)42 gal (160 L)68–79°F (20–26°C)

• 

  Banded sisorid catfish

  Glyptothorax buchanani

  Freshwater

  2.8 in (7 cm)29 gal (110 L)68–79°F (20–26°C)

• 

  Clown gagata catfish

  Gagata dolichonema

  Freshwater

  5.1 in (13 cm)42 gal (160 L)68–79°F (20–26°C)