Banjo catfish
Bunocephalus coracoideus
FreshwaterFish
Care at a glance
- Temperature
- 72–81°F
- 22–27°C
- pH
- 6.0–7.5
- Adult size
- 5.9 in
- 15 cm
- Minimum tank
- 25 gal
- 95 L
- Temperament
- Peaceful
- Social behavior
- Social
- Tankmates
- With caution
- Swim level
- Bottom
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Breeding
- Egg scatterer
- Rarity
- Rare
- Family
- Aspredinidae
- Origin
- Bolivia, Peru, Brazil
Overview
The banjo catfish is a shy, slow-moving bottom fish that spends the day half buried in sand or tucked under leaf litter. It is easy to keep.
Did you know
The banjo catfish is often reported to shed its outer skin in a single piece from time to time. This may help keep it clean while it sits buried in silt for hours.
Caring for the banjo catfish
Give banjo catfish a tank of at least 25 gal (95 L) with plenty of shade. Use fine sand they can bury into, with a layer of dried leaves and some driftwood. Keep the lighting dim, and add floating plants to take the edge off bright lights.
Keep the water at 72 to 81°F (22 to 27°C) with a pH of 6.0 to 7.5. Slow flow and stable, clean water suit them best. Feed after the lights go down, since banjo catfish find food by scent. Offer sinking pellets, frozen bloodworms and other small meaty foods.
Banjo catfish are peaceful and completely harmless to tank mates. They settle well into a calm community of tetras, rasboras or dwarf cichlids. Keep a small group, since they are gregarious and often pile into the same hiding spot.
They are egg scatterers and have been bred in aquariums. They spread many eggs across the substrate and give them no parental care.
Good to know
Bunocephalus coracoideus belongs to Aspredinidae, the banjo catfishes, named for the broad, flattened head and slim tail that together suggest a banjo. Instead of smooth skin, it is covered in rows of tubercles. It has tiny eyes and sensory barbels for finding food in the dark. Its lumpy body and drab color make it nearly invisible against a leaf-strewn bottom.
In the wild
Banjo catfish live in slow, tea-colored streams and flooded forest margins across the western Amazon, in Bolivia, Peru and Brazil. They lie motionless among sunken leaves and soft silt, in warm and gently acidic water.
Common questions
What size tank does a banjo catfish need?
A banjo catfish needs at least 25 gal (95 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.
What temperature and pH does a banjo catfish need?
A banjo catfish is comfortable at 72–81°F (22–27°C) with a pH of 6.0–7.5.
What does a banjo catfish eat?
A banjo catfish eats sinking pellets, frozen bloodworms and other small meaty foods. Feed it after the lights go down, since it finds food by scent.
How big does a banjo catfish get?
An adult banjo catfish reaches about 5.9 in (15 cm).
How does a banjo catfish breed?
Banjo catfish are egg scatterers, spreading many eggs across the substrate and giving them no parental care. They have been bred in aquariums.
Related species
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