Taxonomy & naming
Cetopsorhamdia phantasia was described by Donald J. Stewart in 1985 and is the valid name in the Catalog of Fishes. It belongs to the Heptapteridae, the long-whiskered catfishes of Central and South America, which the atlas groups with the pimelodids. Wet Spot has sold it under its scientific name.
Morphology
FishBase gives a maximum length of 1.5 in SL for males or unsexed fish. Heptapterids of this genus are slender, small-eyed catfishes with long barbels and an adipose fin, built for life in flowing water. No fuller description is held for this species.
Habitat
FishBase records the species from the Napo River basin in Ecuador, where the type was collected in the Río Jivino near Limoncocha. It is listed as freshwater, demersal and tropical. FishBase gives a pH of 7.5 and no temperature or hardness figure.
Feeding
No diet is recorded for this species. Small heptapterids generally feed on aquatic insect larvae and other small invertebrates taken from the bottom.
Mating
Courtship has not been described.
Breeding
No spawning or egg information is recorded, and aquarium breeding is not documented.
In the aquarium
At 1.5 in SL it suits a small tank of clean, well-oxygenated water with a current, rocks and leaf litter. Feed small live or frozen foods, and keep it with peaceful fish that will not take all the food. FishBase gives only a pH of 7.5, so no other water targets are published for the species.
Conservation
IUCN lists the species as Data Deficient, assessed on 21 August 2020, which means the Red List holds too little information to judge its risk of extinction.