Animal-World > Freshwater Fish > Catfish > Banjo Catfish

Banjo Catfish

Family: Aspredinidae

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Bunocephalus coracoideus Photo © Animal-World: Courtesy David Brough

   The Banjo Catfish is for the person looking for something unusual, and they truly have a body shape that resembles a banjo! They are a very peaceful fish and are desireable in any community aquarium.

   Banjo Catfish are compatible with all sizes of community fish, even the smallest of tankmates. They are hardy and adjust to a variety of aquarium conditions. Because the Banjo Catfish is a nocturnal, it feeds at night. It is also a burrower and prefers a sandy bottom and light vegetation.

   The Banjo Catfish is a sedentary fish that seldom moves around much. They are often mistaken for dead and when you try to take them out, they swim away!

For more Information on keeping this fish see:
Guide to a Happy, Healthy Freshwater Aquarium

 Note: The Dysichthys species are easily confused with the Bunocephalus species, particularily the B. v. scabriceps. Both these species of Banjo Catfish are very similar in coloration and shape, however the Bunocephalus species have a much rougher grainier skin than the Dysichthys species we are describing here.

Distribution:
   The Banjo Catfish are from the Amazon river, as far inland as the area around La Plata.

Size - Weight:
   The Banjo Catfish get up to 6 inches (15 cm).

Social Behaviors:
   They are a good community fish and can be kept with any size tankmates.

Sexual Differences:
   Though both sexes look similar, a mature female Banjo Catfish can be recognized by her fuller and rounder belly.

Water Region: Top, Middle, Bottom:
   These fish will swim in the bottom of the aquarium.

Acceptable Water Conditions:
   Hardness: 2-20° dGH
   Ph: 5.8 to 7.8
   Temp: 68-81° F (20-27° C)

Breeding/Reproduction:
   It is conjectured that the Banjo Catfish spawn in groups in the wild. In an aquarium, the breeding pair prefer to spawn in a natural rock cave with a sandy bottom. However if rocks shelters are not available, they may tear up plants in order to drop leaves under which they may spawn.
   The breeding pair will lay 4000-5000 eggs on the sandy bottom, and usually in more than one spawning. After hatching, the fry can be fed rotifers and later tubifex worms. The fry won't eat flake foods or Daphnia.

Availability:
   The Banjo Catfish is available from time to time.

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Latest Comments
I have two Banjo Catfish in a community 20 gallon tall aquarium with plants, rocks, driftwood, a cave and clay pellets as substrate. Mine do very well in my tank and get along with my other fish as long as I can tell. It's hard to tell whether they eat some of my pygmy cories because I have a bunch and can't ever keep track of them. They'll bury themselves but I can usually see the ridge of their back and tail sticking up through the gravel. They sometimes come out during the day to lay on a nice, soft bed of java moss. They're pretty lazy fish. I feed mine Tetramin flakes, spirulina wafers (probably don't take it but my other fish do), tabs and shrimp pellets. I also give them thawed blood worms from time to time and they relish them. MM 2008-12-18
I love interesting fish, so I couldn't resist this one when I saw it in a pet store. Mine is pretty lethargic during the day, but if I turn on the lights after dark, I usualy catch him patroling the tank. He seems to get along with the other fish fairly well. Definitely a good fish for beginners. Mat 2008-09-21
I have 4 Banjo Catfish (Frick, Frack, Hank and Earl) and like many fish keepers, I enjoy these little monsters. Nearly invisible in the day as they burrow or slip in and an under any nook and cranny they find. They have mastered “being the rock” well enough to have a snail scoot across them and not flinch. I have given up attempting to find them in the daytime as they are superbly camouflaged in my dark brown substrate and driftwood. However, in artificial moonlight, they begin to stir for an hour or so searching out food that the other fish missed or forgotten. An impressive cleaner fish. I have had them almost a month and they have grown a quarter inch in length and near as much in girth so they definitely are a hardy species. They live peacefully in the depth of our 75-gallon tank and do not bother any of the other fish we keep. I believe that is simply because the others just do not know the banjos are there. I really enjoy these fish and recommend them to anyone who likes the unusual in their aquariums. daniel 2007-04-23
I have two. They are boring, never seen, purely nocturnal and because of their apathetic personality, probably don't get their share of food. Having said that-- if you want a smallish peaceful catfish for more or less utilitarian purposes, and you've fine gravel of sand as a substrate-- and no competition from other bottom dwellers, then you might like these guys. Come over to me in Samaria, Israel and I'll give you mine. Yehoshua Cirt 2006-08-05
i have a banjo and hes a funny little so and so, he gobbles pellets up whole and loves his bloodworms. i was led to believe they arent very active, perhaps i got the one on caffeine! i rarely see him but when food goes in he readily comes out. im assuming he is male because he is very slender. none of the other fish bother with him. banjo catfishes are a funny fish, a joy to any aquarium in my eyes! claire jones 2005-10-16
Some of the coolest comments:
My wife and I have cared for our Banjo Catfish (Banjo Kazooi) for well over a year now. He has done well in all conditions (random 10 ga., blackwater 10 ga., heavily sculptured 20 ga. and doing fine in a new 55 ga. that is currently cycling) and with all tank-mates (kulli loaches, bumblebee catfish, spotted raphael, whiptail catfish, etc.). They are nearly indestructible and aren't particularly susceptible to disease. Master Kazooi (as he's known) keeps the floor clean of carnivore tabs and whatever else he can get his mouth around. If you keep the substrate relatively shallow (just enough for plant roots) you shouldn't have much trouble seeing their tails sticking out. Particularly if you have uniform-colored gravel/sand substrate. We use a very small gauge black gravel. He has always liked it and doesn't have any trouble getting in/under it. When I clean the tank I have to pick him up by his tail-fin and slowly drift him backward into a position that's out of the way of the siphon. He will sit in the flat of your palm and remain calm if you look him in the eye when you remove him from the tank. Just be careful when doing this as they have a spike between each arm and their body. They can pinch. I've never been foolish enough to give him the opportunity. Just put them in the center of your palm and it shouldn't have a chance to pinch you. I don't think he would even if I taunted him. He's solitary, but doesn't mind an otocinclius or whiptail catfish resting on/across his back. If they move around too much he'll show them his displeasure with a mild shuffle or a kick with his tail if they really annoy him. Snails are no bother unless they're too large. We had a 3 inch across ivory snail who took quite a few punches to the face for thinking Kazooi was too tasty. I see them in the petstores crammed together under a rock. It makes them look like a fish who enjoys the company of his own so I'm considering getting him (probably a her really) a friend, but I'm sure he'll ignore it if I do. Just like a cat with a new toy playing with the box it came in. K. Kowal (Kama Lethar) 2007-08-24
I have 4 of these unusal guys & they are a constant source of amusement from trying to find them in the sand to watching them after lights out. I got them whilst looking for tankmates for my Green Spotted Puffer. I wanted a fish that would clean up the puffers leftovers but would not cause a problem as puffers are notoriously agressive, the answer was certainly Banjo catfish! Neill Drever 2004-09-18
Comments Dr Jungle REALLY Likes to Hear!
Well... I couldn't be more pleased with this site. I got all the information i needed to understand the fish that i absolutely loved the first time i saw it. The thing was, i knew ZERO about the Banjo Catfish due to the fact that the PetShop Owner knew nothing about it as well, not even the name. I truly loved the shape of this fish (and it kind of reminds me of a flat african butterfly fish, which is another very interesting fish) so i decided to start a search with no information at all. I couldn't believe that i bought a fish which doesn't move at all, it didn't seem to feed or anything, which made me quite anxious. But now, i know he's nocturnal and yes, mine after the lights are out gets pretty active. I used to drop food in the tank only in the morning but now due to this new guy i put food at night as well. It's such a cool fish, and it's really a pleasure to have sites like these to inform us about such interesting fishes like the Banjo CatFish. My Biggest THANK YOU! G. Gonçalves 2007-01-29
This profile finally gives these wonderful fish justice. It should be pointed out that there are several species of banjo cats, but a great profile nonetheless. I have kept several of the banjo cat species, which vary greatly in body shape and color. A great and hardy fish, I would recommend these fish to just about anyone looking to "spice up" a tank. Dan 2005-02-19

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Author: David Brough. CFS.