Banjo Catfish (Bunocephalus coracoideus) Care Guide
A bizarre-looking catfish with a flat, leaf-shaped body that resembles a banjo. Completely sedentary during the day, burying itself in the substrate. Emerges at night to scavenge for food.
Compiled by Aquairi from published sources · Published · Updated
Overview
Bunocephalus coracoideus is a species in the family Aspredinidae. A bizarre-looking catfish with a flat, leaf-shaped body that resembles a banjo. Completely sedentary during the day, burying itself in the substrate. Emerges at night to scavenge for food. A true oddball fish that often goes unnoticed in the aquarium.
Taxonomy
- Family: Aspredinidae
- Genus: Bunocephalus
- Scientific name: Bunocephalus coracoideus
- Origin: South America, Amazon Basin
Habitat
Bunocephalus coracoideus is a flattened, banjo-shaped catfish from the Amazon basin of South America. A nocturnal, slow-moving bottom dweller, it buries in sand and leaf litter by day and feeds on detritus, small invertebrates and worms.
Tank requirements
- Minimum tank volume: 80 L
- Temperature: 22-28 °C
- pH: 6-7.5
- GH: 3-15 °dGH
- Water flow: low
- Adult size: 10-15 cm
- Lifespan: 5-8 years
- Difficulty: intermediate
Diet
Classified as omnivore. Recommended feeding frequency: 1x daily. In captivity, offer a varied diet appropriate to the species — quality prepared foods supplemented with frozen or live items of suitable size.
Compatibility
- Temperament: peaceful
- Position in tank: bottom
- Compatible tank mates: Corydoras, Neon Tetra, Harlequin Rasbora, Bristlenose Pleco
- Avoid with: Aggressive Bottom Dwellers, Large Cichlids
Breeding
- Breeding strategy: egg-scatterer
- Breeding difficulty: advanced
Banjo Catfish Breeding Guide (Bunocephalus coracoideus)
Overview
The Banjo Catfish, Bunocephalus coracoideus, is a small, sedentary, nocturnal catfish of the family Aspredinidae from the Amazon basin, reaching about 11 cm. It buries itself in the substrate by day and forages at night. Breeding is rarely achieved in aquaria but is possible.
Sexing
The species is difficult to sex. Adult females tend to be larger and rounder-bellied than males, but there are no other reliable external cues.
Breeding Setup
Maintain a group of at least half a dozen mature specimens for a spawning attempt. Because the adults will eat their own spawn, prepare a spare tank filled with water identical to the breeding tank so eggs can be transferred into it as they appear.
Spawning Behavior & Trigger
The fish spawn at night, laying eggs directly onto the substrate. In the wild this species lays up to 4,000 eggs into sandy substrate, scattering them rather than guarding them.
Egg & Fry Care
There is no parental care, so eggs must be moved away from the adults. Eggs hatch in around 3 days, and once the fry have used up their yolk sacs they accept microworm or brine shrimp nauplii as first foods.
Common Challenges
The main difficulty is that adults consume the eggs, so prompt egg removal into a prepared tank is essential. The fish's secretive, buried habits also make conditioning and observing spawning behaviour challenging.