Light and shelter are very important ecological factors that can affect many traits of fish. Therefore, a study was conducted to explore the effect of light and shelter on some phenotypic traits of stinging catfish (Heteropneustes fossilis Bloch, 1794). During experiment, equal‐sized juveniles (mean ± SE: 9.04 ± 0.09 cm) were collected and reared in aquariums dividing into four treatment groups, such as T1 (0L:24D without pipe), T2 (0L:24D with pipe), T3 (12L:12D without pipe) and T4 (12L:12D with pipe). Each treatment had 36 fish, which were randomly distributed into three replications. The fish were kept up to 120 days, and then, the growth performance and skin colour were analysed. The results showed that both lighting and shelter conditions as well as their interactions had significant effects on some traits expression. The analyses revealed that lighting condition significantly influenced body area, head width and skin coloration, while shelter condition significantly affected total and standard length, body area, and their interaction showed significant effects on body area, head width and anal fin length. Thus, this study indicates that stinging catfish show better growth performance and colour patterns especially in dark and sheltered conditions which could be recommended for the successive production of this highly priced fish species.

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