TankBud

Emerald catfish

Brochis splendens

Also known as Corydoras splendens, Emerald green brochis

FreshwaterFish

Emerald catfish (Brochis splendens)
Imperial Tropicals · Used with permission

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
Shoaling
Swim level
Bottom
Diet
Omnivore
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
No record
Rarity
Rare
Family
Callichthyidae
Origin
Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia

Overview

The emerald catfish is a big, stout relative of the cories that grazes the bottom in a shoal. It is peaceful, though not quite a beginner fish.

Did you know

The emerald catfish has a green sheen along its flanks that can glow almost metallic under good light.

Caring for the emerald catfish

Keep emerald catfish in a group of at least six. They are big, deep-bodied and active, so a group needs 40 gal (150 L) or more with plenty of open floor. Give them a soft sand bed, some driftwood and shaded planting, with clean, gently filtered water.

Keep the water at 70 to 82°F (21 to 28°C) and a near-neutral pH of 6.5 to 7.5. Feed sinking pellets, frozen bloodworm and other meaty foods, along with some vegetable matter. Make sure enough sinks past the midwater fish to reach the bottom, where the group grazes.

Emerald catfish are peaceful and mix well with medium-sized, calm community fish. Home spawning is not commonly recorded. Like the rest of their group, they lay adhesive eggs, and the female carries them briefly between her pelvic fins.

Good to know

The emerald catfish is a robust armored catfish of the family Callichthyidae, long known to hobbyists as the emerald brochis. It spent decades in the genus Brochis, set apart from Corydoras by its deeper body and extra rays in its fan-shaped dorsal fin. Brochis splendens is its accepted name today, and Corydoras splendens is another name for it.

In the wild

The emerald catfish is widespread in the upper Amazon across Brazil, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia. It lives over sand and mud in warm, soft, slow-moving water.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The emerald catfish is a peaceful, shoaling species that keeps to the bottom. These picks share a community profile with it, are safe together in both directions, and overlap on water type, temperature and pH.

Check the full mix in the stocking calculator

Common questions

What size tank does an emerald catfish need?

An emerald catfish needs at least 40 gal (150 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH does an emerald catfish need?

An emerald catfish is comfortable at 70–82°F (21–28°C) with a pH of 6.5–7.5.

What does an emerald catfish eat?

An emerald catfish eats sinking pellets, frozen bloodworm and other meaty foods, plus some vegetable matter. Make sure enough sinks past the fish in midwater to reach the bottom.

How big does an emerald catfish get?

An adult emerald catfish reaches about 3.1 in (8 cm).

Does an emerald catfish need a group?

Yes. An emerald catfish is a shoaling species and should be kept in a group, not singly.

How does an emerald catfish breed?

Emerald catfish are not commonly recorded spawning at home. Like the rest of their group, they lay adhesive eggs, and the female carries them briefly between her pelvic fins.

Related species