Mitu Cory CW106 (Brochis sp. CW106)

Choose Corydoras CW106, the long-nosed Mitu Cory

Corydoras CW106 is a long-snouted cory catfish from the Río Vaupés system in eastern Colombia, catalogued by Corydoras World and listed by Planet Catfish as the Mitu Cory. The trade name most likely refers to Mitú, the main town on the Vaupés. Its current label is Brochis sp. CW106, after the 2024 reclassification of the corydoras group, though it is still widely sold as Corydoras sp. CW106.

It is a peaceful, shoaling bottom-dweller of about 6 cm with a long, pointed snout, a black mask through the eye and a broad dark band along the back. It suits a soft-water community or a species tank with a group of six or more over soft sand.

Read the name and classification

A CW number is a placeholder code for a cory without a scientific name. ScotCat's article by Rob McLure explains that Ian Fuller and Hans-Georg Evers began the CW series through Corydoras World after the older C-number series ended in 2009, and that the number stays with the fish whether or not it is later described.

Recognise the long-nosed bandit pattern

Photographs of CW106 on Corydoras World and ScotCat show a slim-headed cory with a long, pointed snout and a pale, silvery-pink to beige body. A black mask runs down through the eye, and a broad black band runs along the upper flank from below the dorsal fin back to the base of the tail. The fins are mostly clear. Planet Catfish notes that females grow larger and fuller in the body, best seen from above, and that mature males have more pointed fin tips.

ScotCat records that CW106 lives alongside a shorter-nosed fish with almost the same pattern, coded CW107, which has since been shown to be a colour form of Hoplisoma melini. Seriously Fish describes H. melini, the false bandit cory, as having an oblique dark bar along the back that splits in two above the tail base.

Tell CW106 from its short-nosed neighbour

We sell the short-snouted Bandit Cory, so you can keep the two forms side by side as they live in the wild.

Understand the move to Brochis

For most of the hobby's history, nearly all these catfish were called Corydoras. In 2024 Dias and colleagues published a classification based on DNA and anatomy that divided them into several genera. ScotCat explains that Brochis, first named by Cope in 1871 and merged into Corydoras by Britto in 2003, was brought back for the long-snouted lineage. Corydoras World describes Brochis sub-clade 4 as the largest group, with 32 described species and twice as many coded ones, the straight-snouted species, including some of the largest in the subfamily. ScotCat and Corydoras World both place CW106 in sub-clade 4; one Planet Catfish heading lists sub-clade 3, so the sources differ on that detail. Care is unchanged by the new name.

Browse its relatives

Our Brochis and long-nosed cory catfish page gathers this genus, including the Delphax Cory and Reticulated Cory. The C53 Longnose Cory is another long-snouted cory with similar care.

Select a group of six or more

One purchase supplies one live Corydoras CW106 in the standard size we receive. Sex is not specified, and the price is for one fish. Planet Catfish describes it as a peaceful, shoaling community fish, and OATA advises groups of at least five for corydoras, noting that fish kept singly or in small groups often become stressed. Please order six or more. The gallery images are representative of the species; the width of the back band and the strength of the mask vary between fish.

Work from the group you intend to keep

• Six fish: a settled group in a community of small, peaceful fish.
• Eight to ten fish: a fuller display and more natural shoaling across the sand.
• With Bandit Corys: a group of each recreates the long-nosed and short-nosed pairing found in the wild.

Our delivery and arrival guarantee page explains dispatch days and how we pack fish. See our full corydoras range for other species.

Plan the floor for a long-nosed group

OATA recommends at least 80 litres for a shoal of corydoras, and Seriously Fish gives an 80 × 30 cm base for the bandit cory, H. melini, which is a little smaller. Corys live on the floor, so the base area is what limits the group. Our stocking calculator helps you fit a group of six or more alongside the rest of your fish.

Use a three-step space check

1. Measure the base: at least 80 × 30 cm of soft sand for six fish, more for a larger or mixed group.
2. Total the bottom-dwellers: other corys, loaches and plecos use the same floor and food.
3. Plan a feeding zone: an open patch of sand at the front where sinking food lands.

Lay deep, soft sand with wood and stones

Planet Catfish advises sand as the ideal substrate, with rounded gravel as an imperfect alternative, and warns that rough-edged gravel damages the barbels as the fish dig. It suggests bordering the sand with driftwood and plants and giving shade with overhanging wood or tall and floating plants. A long-snouted cory spends its day probing the substrate, so keep the sand soft, clean and deep enough to dig in.

Divide the floor by function

Set soft-water values and hold them steady

ScotCat gives the water values for CW106. Planet Catfish gives none. Seriously Fish gives values for H. melini, which shares its rivers, and OATA gives broad values for catfish. The target sits inside the ranges for CW106 and its neighbour.

The Vaupés flows to the Rio Negro, a region of soft, acidic water, while a lot of UK tap water is hard and above pH 7. Test yours, and if needed blend in reverse osmosis water to bring the values down gradually. Our water matcher and pH guide for tropical fish explain how.

Separate habitat values from waste readings

Habitat values set the background; waste readings decide day-to-day health. OATA's targets are zero ammonia, zero nitrite and nitrate no more than 20 mg per litre above your tap water. Test weekly, and always after adding fish.

Filter gently and keep the sand clean

Choose a filter rated for the whole tank, with the outlet set to move the surface without blasting the floor. Waste settles where corys feed, so clean sand matters as much as clear water. Rinse filter media only in water removed from the tank, as OATA advises.

Follow a weekly maintenance sequence

1. Test ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH.
2. Siphon the surface of the sand, especially in the feeding area.
3. Change about a quarter of the water with dechlorinated, temperature-matched water.
4. Check the filter flow and rinse sponges in old tank water if it has slowed.
5. Watch the group feed and count every fish.

Feed sinking foods in a measured meal

Planet Catfish says CW106 readily takes prepared foods that reach the bottom, such as tablets, granules and larger flakes, and that live or frozen bloodworm, white worm, grindal worm, Daphnia and tubifex are taken readily and help condition a group. ScotCat recommends good flake and tablets for adults with occasional frozen or live food. OATA advises feeding once a day, only what is eaten within a few minutes.

Build one measured meal

Spread the food over the open sand so every fish can probe for a share, and feed after lights-out if faster fish take everything first.

Introduce the group to a mature tank

OATA's floating-bag method is to turn the aquarium lights off, float the sealed bag for about 10 minutes, then add small amounts of tank water over about 20 minutes before moving the fish across with as little bag water as possible. It recommends double-bagging catfish because their fin spines can pierce a bag. Our step-by-step acclimatisation guide covers the method.

Use a first-week checkpoint plan

Choose soft-water tank mates

Planet Catfish describes CW106 as a peaceful, shoaling community fish, and ScotCat suggests small to medium tank mates such as tetras, rasboras and danios, or a species tank for breeding. Rio Negro-type fish that like the same soft, slightly acidic water make the most natural company. Our tank mates tool checks a combination before you buy.

Screen tank mates before mixing

Our corydoras care guide covers group size and community planning. More floor-dwellers are in our bottom-dwelling fish range and the South American catfish category.

Watch for health changes early

OATA describes a healthy fish as having clear eyes, undamaged fins, no ulcers or bumps, normal swimming and steady breathing. In a long-snouted cory, the snout and barbels are the first places to show trouble from a poor substrate. Corys have sharp spines in the dorsal and pectoral fins that tangle in net mesh, so move them in a fine soft net or a small container.

Pair each observation with an action

Know what is recorded about breeding

Planet Catfish has no breeding report for CW106, and the full Corydoras World record is for members only. ScotCat suggests a species tank for breeding, as with other corys. If your group does spawn, OATA notes that cory eggs left in the main tank seldom survive unless they are moved and raised separately, so have a small container ready.

Answer Corydoras CW106 buying questions

What is Corydoras CW106?

It is an undescribed, long-snouted cory catfish from the Río Vaupés system in Colombia, coded CW106 by Corydoras World. Since the 2024 reclassification it is labelled Brochis sp. CW106. Planet Catfish lists the common name Mitu Cory.

Why is it now called Brochis?

In 2024 Dias and colleagues split the old genus Corydoras by DNA and anatomy. CW106 belongs to the long-snouted group that now takes the name Brochis, a genus first named in 1871 and merged into Corydoras in 2003.

Is it the same as the bandit cory?

No. It lives alongside a short-snouted look-alike, coded CW107, which ScotCat says has been shown to be a colour form of Hoplisoma melini, the bandit or false bandit cory. CW106 is the long-nosed partner and belongs to a different genus.

How big does it grow?

ScotCat gives about 6.0 cm for males and 6.5 cm for females.

How many should I keep?

At least six. Corys are shoaling fish; OATA advises groups of at least five, and Planet Catfish describes CW106 as a peaceful, shoaling community fish.

What water does it need?

ScotCat gives 22–26°C and pH 6.0–7.2. Soft, clean water at about 23–25°C and pH 6.0–7.0 suits it and most Rio Negro-type tank mates.

What does it eat?

Sinking foods: tablets, granules and good flake, with frozen or live bloodworm, Daphnia, white worm or grindal worm several times a week.

Can it live with other corys?

Yes. Keep each species as its own group so every fish has companions of its kind; the short-snouted Bandit Cory makes a natural pairing.

Consult the care references

• Planet Catfish: Brochis sp. (CW106): names, genus, sexing, distribution, feeding, substrate, décor and compatibility.
• ScotCat: Brochis sp. (CW106) factsheet: lineage, the Cuduyarí locality, adult sizes, water values, diet and tank mates.
• ScotCat: Hoplisoma sp. (CW107) factsheet: the short-snouted companion CW107 and its status as a colour form of Hoplisoma melini.
• Corydoras World: Brochis sp. CW106: the Corydoras World species record and photographs for Brochis sp. CW106.
• Corydoras World: Brochis sub-clade 4: the long, straight-snouted Brochis sub-clade 4 in which Corydoras World places CW106.
• Seriously Fish: Hoplisoma melini (false bandit cory): the false bandit cory, Hoplisoma melini, and its rio Negro range and water values.
• ScotCat: "What the heck is a CW number?" (Rob McLure): what C and CW numbers are, and the story of how CW127 was separated from C. parallelus.
• Dias et al. 2024, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society: the 2024 classification that moved most species out of Corydoras into Hoplisoma, Brochis and other genera.
• OATA: How to look after freshwater catfish: UK guidance for catfish on water quality, sand, introduction, handling, feeding and health signs.
• Tropical Fish Co delivery policy: current dispatch days and Live Arrival Guarantee terms.