Indian copper catfish

Glyptothorax telchitta

Also known as Telchitta torrent cat

FreshwaterFish

Care at a glance

Temperature: 68–79°F (20–26°C)
pH: 6.0–7.5
Adult size: 5.9 in (15 cm)
Minimum tank: 29 gal (110 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Social
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: No record
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Ganges and Brahmaputra basins
Family: Sisoridae

Overview

The Indian copper catfish is a coppery torrent cat that takes gentler flow than its mountain relatives, though it still needs moving, oxygen-rich water and never a stagnant tank. It is social and does well in a small group, working sandy, stony riffles for food and clinging on when the current picks up. It is peaceful with other sturdy, current-loving fish of similar size. Offer sinking foods worked into the current, worms, small pellets, and frozen bloodworm. A flowing tank of around 110 liters or more with sand, smooth stone, and cool, clean water suits a group.

In the wild

Glyptothorax telchitta ranges through the Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers, working sandy, stony riffles in clear, flowing lowland and foothill water. Give it a mix of sand and rounded stone, moderate to strong flow, and good oxygenation. Keep it cool and clean at 20–26 C and around pH 6.0–7.5. It handles slightly easier flow than the high-mountain species but still needs current and never still water.

Good to know

Glyptothorax telchitta is a torrent catfish, family Sisoridae, reaching about 15 centimeters in burnished copper-bronze. Described from the Ganges by Hamilton in 1822, it grips rock with the ridged chest pad shared across the genus. It is not known to have spawned in aquaria.

Did you know

Its name telchitta is not Latin at all but a local vernacular name from the Ganges, recorded by Francis Hamilton in 1822 and kept as the scientific epithet, so the river's own word for the fish became its formal name.