Edit Brachyplatystoma tigrinum
You can suggest changes to this profile. A moderator will review each change.
Name
Scientific name
Brachyplatystoma tigrinum
Described by
Authority Britski, Year 1981, Bracketed
Family
Pimelodidae
Common names
Zebra Shovelnose
Photograph credits
All 6 credited
Summary
The zebra shovelnose, Brachyplatystoma tigrinum, is a pimelodid catfish from the upper Amazon basin in Brazil, Colombia and Peru. Adults ap…
Size and aquarium
Maximum size
500mm, standard length
Aquarium size
Minimum length 1000 cm, Minimum depth 400 cm, Water movement High: fast-flowing river or riffle
Water
Water conditions
Temperature 22–32°C, pH 6–7.6
Hardness
1–12dGH
Conductivity
Not recorded
Behaviour
Temperament
Not recorded
Social needs
Solitary or specimen
Community suitability
Not for a community
Where it lives
Countries, regions, rivers and lakes
Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Amazon, Caquetá, Madeira, Marañón, Putumayo, Ucayali
Writing
Etymology
Not written yet
Distribution
Upper Amazon basin. Type locality is the falls of Cachoeira do Teotônio, situated on the rio Madeira in Rondônia state, northwestern Brazil, a whitewater catar…
Habitat
Inhabits main river channels containing white-coloured water with a high proportion of dissolved solids, low transparency, high dissolved oxygen (around 5 mg/l…
Aquarium size
Base dimensions of 1000 ∗ 400 cm or equivalent are required for long-term care.
Maintenance
The choice of décor is as much down to personal preference as anything else though a carefully-aquascaped, planted set-up is obviously out of the question. A s…
Water conditions
Not written yet
Diet
Almost entirely piscivorous preying on smaller fishes captured in the water column in nature, though most specimens readily adapt to dead alternatives such as …
Behaviour and compatibility
Only keep with species large enough to avoid predation and that require similar environmental conditions.
Sexual dimorphism
Unknown.
Reproduction
Unrecorded in captivity. In nature spawning is known to commence at the end of the dry season with early growth occurring between June and November. Unlike som…
Notes
This species is sometimes confused with B. juruense, especially when juvenile, but can be told apart quite easily by it's more well-defined colour pattern, rel…
References
References
5 on this profile