Whiptail banjo catfish

Platystacus cotylephorus

Also known as Banded banjo catfish, Eel-tail banjo

FreshwaterBrackishFish

Whiptail banjo catfish (Platystacus cotylephorus) — 5snake5 · CC0

Care at a glance

Temperature: 73–82°F (23–28°C)
pH: 6.8–8.0
Adult size: 12.6 in (32 cm)
Minimum tank: 53 gal (200 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Solitary
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: No record
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Coastal rivers and estuaries of northern South America
Family: Aspredinidae

Overview

This is a large, calm, long-tailed catfish for a soft-bottomed tank, best kept singly. It lies half-buried over sand or fine mud by day and forages slowly at night, so it needs a deep soft bed it can settle into and low light rather than bright open decor. It is peaceful and will not harass tankmates, though anything small enough to swallow may vanish overnight. A little salt suits it and broadens its comfort. Feed meaty sinking foods after dark: earthworms, frozen bloodworm, prawn, and mussel. Because it reaches around 32 cm, give it a long tank of at least 200 litres.

In the wild

It works muddy, turbid bottoms in the coastal rivers and estuaries of northern South America, often near river mouths where fresh water meets the tide, and it readily enters low-salinity brackish water. Recreate that with a soft sand or silt bed, gentle flow, warm water of 23 to 28 degrees Celsius, and a neutral to hard pH of 6.8 to 8.0, with a little marine salt if you can manage it.

Good to know

A banjo catfish of the family Aspredinidae, it grows to around 32 cm, one of the larger members of the group, with a long eel-like tail. Its species name cotylephorus, cup-bearing, describes how brooding females carry their eggs. It is thought to spawn in brackish water, and confirmed aquarium breeding is exceptionally rare.

Did you know

The female carries her own eggs on her belly. Each egg sits on a short fleshy stalk rooted in the spongy skin of her underside, so a brooding female looks studded with her clutch until the young hatch.

Tank mates

Whiptail banjo catfish is a peaceful, solitary species that keeps to the bottom. These picks match on water type, temperature, pH, size and temperament.