SCOTCAT.COM  

ur resident catfish expert Chris Ralph returns this month to complete the trio of Brochis species on the factsheet list with a look at the Giant Brochis, Brochis britskii. I now hand you over to Chris.

Brochis britskii belongs to the family Callichthyidae known as the Armoured Catfishes from South America. This catfish is documented as being found in the Upper Paraguay River basin, Bolivia and Brazil (see update at bottom of page).

Brochis britskii

Brochis britskii was named in honour of Dr Britski of the Saõ Paulo Zoology Museum in Brazil. Dr Nijssen first brought this catfish to the attention of catfish enthusiasts at the Catfish Association of Great Britain (C.A.G.B.) convention as far back as November 1983. Brochis britskii is not commonly available, but is well worth looking out for. I would suggest that you would expect to pay around £10.00- £20.00 (U.K. prices) per fish depending upon size.

The tank I would suggest would be a minimum size of 36” x 18” X 18” for a small shoal of these magnificent catfish. I would suggest good quality aquarium sand such as BD Aquarium Sand, or very smooth rounded gravel as the preferred substrate when keeping these catfish. The aquarium should provide some shelter in the form of rocks or bogwood along with a small covering of aquatic plants, although this is not essential. As with all other species of fish, water quality and general husbandry is very important, and I would recommend that a minimum of 25% water is changed on a weekly basis.

Brochis britskii - close up of head

Brochis britskii prefer to be kept in water which has a pH in the range of 6.5-7.2 and hardness in the range of 0-12ºdGH. This catfish is ideally suited to temperatures in the range of 20-24ºC. These catfish are documented as being found naturally in slow flowing weed-choked rivers.

UPDATE (2020): Brochis was synonymised with Corydoras by Britto in 2003 but in time there will be a revision which will resurrect Brochis (Cope, 1871) to full genera again so in the meantime we are sticking with Brochis as there is marked differences with the both genera. Brochis is included in Lineage 8 (sub-clade 1) with the "intermediate long-snouts" with deeper bodies.

None

Giant Brochis, Britski’s Catfish

Corydoradinae

South America: Brazil, Paraguay (upper Rio Paraguay).

85mm s.l. (standard length – this is the measurement of the fish from the tip of the snout to the base of the caudal peduncle).

20-24°C (67-75°F)

The body shape of Brochis britskii is described as almost being deep bodied with a typical triangular shape as with its close cousins the Corydoras. Brochis britskii is described as having a short rounded snout. The dorsal fin has 15-18 soft rays although it is more usual to have 15 (in comparison Brochis multiradiatus has 17 whilst Brochis splendens has 12). The head is described as being covered ventrally by a large shield which reaches beyond the tip of the mental barbels. Brochis britskii has two pairs of rictal barbels and one pair of mental barbels. The inner edge of the pectoral fin spine is described as being weakly serrated.

The base colour of the body and head is pinkish tan. The dorsolateral body scutes are described as having bluish or greenish metallic colouration. The ventrolateral body scutes are described as being pinkish tan in colour. The dorsal, adipose, pectoral, ventral and caudal fins are tan in colour.

Brochis britskii is an ideal addition to an aquarium containing fish such as South American dwarf cichlids, tetras and small barbs, just as long as the other occupants are not too aggressive.

There have not been any reports of successful aquarium spawnings of Brochis britskii, although it is thought that they will breed in the same way as Corydoras.

Brochis britskii readily accepts a mixed and varied diet which includes sinking foods such as catfish pellets, tablets and frozen bloodworm. These catfish benefit from the addition of some meatier foods in their diet such small or chopped earthworms.

Brochis: A sling which is a reference to the structure of the barbels; from the Greek meaning inkhorn in reference to the fact that this catfish resembles one.
britskii: Named in honour of Dr Heraldo A. Britski.

Photo Credits

Images: Chris Ralph
The catfish depicted in the pictures was on show at the Basingstoke fish show (U.K.) in September 2004.