Emerald catfish

Corydoras splendens

FreshwaterFish

Care at a glance

Temperature: 70–82°F (21–28°C)
pH: 6.5–7.5
Adult size: 3.1 in (8 cm)
Minimum tank: 40 gal (150 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Schooling
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: No record
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia
Family: Callichthyidae

Overview

The emerald catfish is a larger, deep bodied cory that still shoals, so keep at least six together and give them plenty of open floor. They are peaceful and mix well with medium sized calm community fish, spending their time grazing the bottom for food. Offer sinking pellets, frozen bloodworm and other meaty foods, and some vegetable matter, making sure enough sinks past the mid water fish. Because these are bulky and active, plan on a tank of around 150 liters or larger for a group.

In the wild

Corydoras splendens is widespread in the upper Amazon across Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia, living over sand and mud in warm, soft, slow moving water. Give it a soft sand bed, driftwood, and shaded planting, with clean, gently filtered water. It suits a warm range of about 21 to 28 C and a near neutral pH of 6.5 to 7.5. Roomy open bottom lets a group forage naturally.

Good to know

This robust armored catfish of the family Callichthyidae reaches around 8 cm and shines with an emerald green metallic sheen along the flanks. For years it was placed in the genus Brochis as Brochis splendens, and it still carries a fuller, deeper body and a higher dorsal fin ray count than a typical Corydoras. Home spawning is not commonly recorded, but the group lays adhesive eggs the female carries briefly between her pelvic fins.

Did you know

Long known to hobbyists as the emerald brochis, this fish spent decades in the separate genus Brochis, set apart by its stout body and the extra rays in its fan shaped dorsal fin. The green sheen that names it can glow almost metallic under good light.