Giant Brochis

Brochis britskii

Also known as Britski's catfish

FreshwaterFish

Care at a glance

Temperature: 70–79°F (21–26°C)
pH: 6.0–7.5
Adult size: 3.5 in (9 cm)
Minimum tank: 40 gal (150 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Schooling
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: No record
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Brazil
Family: Callichthyidae

Overview

The giant brochis is a large, deep bodied cory relative that still shoals, so keep at least six and give them ample floor space. They are peaceful and mix well with medium sized calm community fish, grazing the bottom in a loose group. Offer sinking pellets, frozen bloodworm and other meaty foods, plus some vegetable matter, making sure plenty reaches the substrate. Their bulk and numbers call for a roomy tank of around 150 liters or larger.

In the wild

Brochis britskii comes from the upper Paraguay basin in Brazil, living over sand and mud in warm, soft, slow moving water. Set up a soft sand bed, driftwood, and shaded planting, with clean, gently filtered water and open areas to forage. Keep the temperature between 21 and 26 C and the pH from about 6.0 to 7.5, with steady maintenance to keep the water clean.

Good to know

This stout armored catfish of the family Callichthyidae reaches around 9 cm and is among the largest members of its subfamily. It belongs to Brochis, distinguished from Corydoras by a far higher dorsal fin ray count: about 15 to 18 rays against the 6 to 8 of a typical cory. It is named for the Brazilian ichthyologist Heraldo Britski. Home spawning is seldom recorded, though the group lays adhesive eggs onto firm surfaces.

Did you know

One quick way to place a Brochis is to count the rays in its long dorsal fin: where an ordinary cory has six to eight, the giant brochis carries around fifteen to eighteen, giving it a tall, sail like fin and a heavier build.