Should I buy it?
Emerald catfish (Brochis)
Corydoras splendens
Also known as: emerald brochis, emerald cory, emerald brochis (brochis splendens, syn.)
A chunky emerald-green bottom fish at 7 cm that thrives in schools on sand. Similar to corydoras in care but larger and slightly more robust.
Emerald catfish (Brochis) tank mates · 120L tank size hub
peaceful · beginner care
Sources & confidencehigh · partially verified · beginner: good
Checked against several solid care sources that mostly agree. Numbers here are a careful starting point. Your tap water, tank size, and habits decide the rest. How we evaluate.
Best for: Community tanks 120L or more with fine sand substrate and a school of six alongside peaceful mid-water companions.
Avoid if: Tanks under 80L, sharp substrate, or community setups with cichlids that occupy the bottom zone.
Common mistakeBuying two emerald brochis as bottom cleaners is how keepers invent reclusive, stressed fish that hide all day. They need a school and soft substrate. Five or more on sand beats a decorative pair on sharp gravel — cleanup marketing is not a stocking plan for Brochis.
Top things that go wrong
- Shrimp & snails. Cherry shrimp and other dwarfs can coexist with peaceful small fish; baby shrimp are food for almost anything that finds them.
What most shops don't tell you
- 1.Myth: emerald brochis work as a decorative cleanup pair that polishes gravel in any community. Reality: they need a school of five or more on soft sand plus sinking food — two fish on sharp substrate is stress theatre, not a janitor service.
- 2.Kept in sharp gravel. The snout and barbels abrade within weeks.
- 3.A single 'feature' brochis in a 50L. The green sheen washes out to stress and nitrate within a month.
- 4.A little cooler than adolfoi is sometimes quoted in older literature; match your import sheet and a thermometer, not a forum one-liner from 2010 alone.
About this species
- Bronze corydoras100L min · same group, comparable tank size
- Sterba's Corydoras100L min · same group, comparable tank size
- Upside-down Catfish100L min · same group, comparable tank size
- Twig / whiptail catfish150L min · same fish family
- Adolfoi cory80L min · same group, similar adult size
- Glass Catfish80L min · same group, similar adult size
- Peppered Corydoras80L min · same group, similar adult size
- Corydoras Catfish60L min · same group, similar adult size
- Beckford Pencilfishalso beginner peaceful, similar tank size
- Black Neon Tetraalso beginner peaceful, similar tank size
- Black phantom tetraalso beginner peaceful, similar tank size
- Bloodfin tetraalso beginner peaceful, similar tank size
- Bristlenose Plecoalso beginner peaceful, similar tank size
- Bronze corydorasalso beginner peaceful, similar tank size
No reverse lookups listed yet.
Plan grid
Key limits are above. Here: pH band, swim level, bioload, and activity.
Swim zones
Care snapshot
Quick compare before you buy. Not a score of how “good” the fish is.
- Beginner ease72
- Peacefulness90
- Community fit79
- Small-tank fit100
- Hardiness76
- Energy24
Numbers are deterministic planning indices from Fishori fields — not a scientific score of your individual fish.
Example setups
Starting points only. Run the pair checker for every fish you add.
Rough 120L+ layout: one calm centrepiece, 8–12 small tetras/rasboras, 6–8 corydoras-type bottom fish — verify every name in the pair checker before buying.
Safer directions include: Dwarf Gourami, Ember Tetra, Neon Tetra.
Compatibility
Tank mates for Emerald catfish (Brochis)
Usually safer (engine GOOD): Dwarf Gourami, Ember Tetra, Neon Tetra. Conditional (CAUTION — read the pair page before buying): Angelfish, Boesemani Rainbowfish, Corydoras Catfish, German Blue Ram, Guppy. Avoid (RISKY): African Cichlid, Jack Dempsey, Oscar. Every name links to a live pair check — the lists are a shortlist, not a stocking plan.
Usually safer
Open a pair page with this fish as the starting point.
Needs planning
Read the blocking rule on each pair page before experimenting.
Usually avoid
Do-not-stock combinations on conservative hobby rules.
Compare with
Run a real pair check: Emerald catfish (Brochis) + Dwarf Gourami
- Try Dwarf Gourami — open the pair check.
- Try Ember Tetra — open the pair check.
- Try Neon Tetra — open the pair check.
Behaviour and temperament
Emerald brochis are peaceful schoolers that stay calmer in groups of five or more on open soft substrate. They do not bully robust neighbours. Stress shows as daytime hiding and barbel damage when under-grouped or kept on gravel that shreds them slowly.
What sets them off
- Sudden crowding
- Poor water quality
Fin nipping: Not a habitual fin-nipper; stressed or crowded individuals can still test fins.
Predation: Not a predator toward similarly sized community fish; fry and dwarf shrimp are still fair game for most species.
Territory: Not strongly territorial, but still needs room so its working space does not overlap the next fish.
Planted tanks: excellent — easy plant ideas
In the glass: typical and warning signs
- Five or more forage the sand together after lights soften.
- Occasional surface gulps are normal ownership, not instant crisis alone.
- Daytime hiding of a lonely pair usually means group size failed first.
- Frayed barbels on sharp gravel mean substrate choice failed before diet.
- Low listed malice toward peaceful community fish.
- Large cichlids and diggers are the usual failure modes — not brochis spite.
- Grow the school to five before adding another bottom species for company.
- Swap sharp gravel for soft sand the same week barbels look damaged.
Fish behaviour can vary between individuals and tank setups. Always observe new fish closely after introduction.
Water, food, and grouping
Hardness
soft
Diet
omnivore
Emerald brochis are larger bottom omnivores that need sinking wafers, frozen foods, and leftovers that actually reach soft sand. A flake-only surface feed leaves them thin while midwater fish look busy. Offer sinking food after lights soften, keep five or more, and never treat a token pair as unpaid gravel cleaners.
Shrimp & snails
Cherry shrimp and other dwarfs can coexist with peaceful small fish; baby shrimp are food for almost anything that finds them.
Schooling species — buy 5+ together. Smaller groups stress and lose colour.
- Hold 22 to 28 °C steadily on a real thermometer, not the dial on the heater.
- Aim for pH 5.8 to 7.2 and a hardness you can re-test in two weeks. A one-time strip in the shop car park is not a water test.
- Schooling species. Buy 5 or more from the same tank on the same day before adding any centrepiece fish.
- Tank volume meets or exceeds 120L published minimum for adults.
- You can stock at least 5 individuals (group welfare).
- Heater can hold 22–28°C without cooking cooler-water tank mates.
Explore and stocking hubs
Tank-mates hub, matching guides, category peers, and litre stocking lists around this species’ minimum tank.
Plan with tools
Check mates as pairs first, then add this fish in the tank builder for the full stocking.
Filtration & heating
A 120L minimum tank needs a filter rated for at least 480L/hr turnover and a heater to hold 22–28°C reliably.
Plant suggestions
Emerald catfish (Brochis) does well in planted tanks. Plants compatible with 22–28°C and pH 5.8–7.2:
Research: partially verified · Confidence: high · 3 linked source(s). We do not invent citations.
How Fishori evaluates compatibility (same logic as pair and tank tools).
- Seriously Fish. Corydoras splendens
Primary: aquarium size, water chemistry, behaviour, and compatibility (URL verified in upgrade script; recheck if site content changes).
- FishBase. Corydoras splendens
Secondary: taxonomy, distribution, and maximum length in nature; cross-check with aquarium import lines and measured tank parameters.
- Wikipedia. Corydoras splendens
Secondary: general species context; verify all husbandry numbers against a dedicated aquarium care sheet and your test kit, not a single table row.
Evidence notes
- The Seriously Fish profile for the binomial in this record was successfully reached as the primary aquarium reference.
- FishBase contributes natural-range size and habitat context. Translate those numbers through your heater, your water report, and your tank footprint before stocking.
- Wikipedia is only cited if the article URL returned OK. Use it for orientation, not as the only care sheet for an import.
- All compatibility text reflects typical hobby experience and the Fishori model. Individual fish, shop stress, and the order tank mates are added in can still defy a single-paragraph label.
Common questions about Emerald catfish (Brochis)
- How big do Emerald catfish (Brochis) get?
- Emerald catfish (Brochis) adults reach about 7 cm. Shop fish look smaller; stock for the adult length.
- What size tank does Emerald catfish (Brochis) need?
- 120L is the planning floor for adult swimming space and bioload. A 146L+ tank is the more comfortable long-term footprint. Length and depth matter as much as raw litres for active or territorial fish.
- Are Emerald catfish (Brochis) aggressive?
- Emerald brochis are peaceful schoolers that stay calmer in groups of five or more on open soft substrate. They do not bully robust neighbours. Stress shows as daytime hiding and barbel damage when under-grouped or kept on gravel that shreds them slowly.
- Do Emerald catfish (Brochis) need to be kept in a group?
- Schooling species — buy 5+ together. Smaller groups stress and lose colour.
- What is the most common mistake with Emerald catfish (Brochis)?
- Buying two emerald brochis as bottom cleaners is how keepers invent reclusive, stressed fish that hide all day. They need a school and soft substrate. Five or more on sand beats a decorative pair on sharp gravel — cleanup marketing is not a stocking plan for Brochis.
- What fish can live with Emerald catfish (Brochis)?
- The Emerald catfish (Brochis) profile lists Dwarf Gourami, Ember Tetra, Neon Tetra among its safer pairings (engine-checked GOOD). Angelfish, Boesemani Rainbowfish, Corydoras Catfish, German Blue Ram are conditional (CAUTION): workable only with the specific conditions on each pair page. Avoid African Cichlid, Jack Dempsey, Oscar (RISKY). Run the pair checker for your exact water and tank size before stocking.