All FishesPimelodidaeBrachyplatystoma  |  | 

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Scientific Name Brachyplatystoma tigrinum  (Britski, 1981)
Common Names Zebra Shovelnose
Dourada Zebra (Brazilian), Tigerstriped Catfish, Tigerwels (Germany)
Type Locality Cachoeira do Teotônio, Rio Madeira, Território de Rondônia, Brazil.
Synonym(s) Merodontotus tigrinus
Pronunciation tie green uss
Etymology Greek, brachys, eia = short + Greek, platys = flat + Greek, stoma = mouth. This specific epithet literally means tiger(tigrinum=tiger) and refers to the stripes on its body.
Hop to next section Species Information
Size 600mm or 23.6" SL. Find near, nearer or same sized spp.
Identification Head elongate and compressed, becoming narrower to the front, lower jaw shorter than upper. Upper and lower caudal filaments. Can be confused with Brachyplatystoma juruense, but the stripes of B. tigrinus are continuous when viewed laterally while those of B. juruense are broken or divided.
General Remarks While its maximum size of 60 cm would appear to make this beautiful fish an ideal inhabitant for a large aquaria, its need for massive current and high oxygen levels would have to be taken into account to design an appropriate aquarium.
Hop to next section Habitat Information
Distribution South America: Amazon River basin.
Amazon, Middle Amazon (Solimoes), Japurá, Caquetá (click on these areas to find other species found there)
Amazon, Middle Amazon (Solimoes), Madeira (click on these areas to find other species found there)

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IUCN Red List Category Least Concern, range map and more is available on the IUCN species page. Last assessed 2020.
pH 6.8 - 7.6
Temperature 24.0-28.0°C or 75.2-82.4°F (Show species within this range)
Other Parameters Known from cataracts of whitewater rivers.
Hop to next section Husbandry Information
Feeding A predator that eats other fishes. Newly caught specimens may need some time before they learn to eat dead food, and thus may require feeding live \"feeder fish\", but they can be trained to eat pieces of fish. Pieces of marine fish is considered better than freshwater fish as it\'s much less likely to contain transferable parasites. User data.
Furniture Needs a highly oxygenated aquarium with a massive amount of current. Substrate should be sand/gravel with stones and driftwood placed to form hiding places.
Compatibility Other large fishes with similar habitat requirements.
Suggested Tankmates Large loricariids and other large current loving pimelodids.
Breeding Unreported.
Breeding Reports There is no breeding report.
Hop to next section Further Information
Reference Papéis Avulsos do Departamento de Zoologia, Secretaria da Agricultura, São Paulo v. 34 (no. 7), pp 110, Figs. 1-2
Registered Keepers There is no registered keeper.
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Last Update 2020 Nov 08 05:24 (species record created: 2001 Apr 22 00:00)