Banjo Catfish
The Banjo Catfish Bunocephalus coracoideus is for the person looking for something unusual. It is also called the Two Colored Banjo Catfish, Bicolour Banjo catfish, and Guitarrita which means 'little guitar'. Sometimes they are even called "Frying Pan Fish". It has a growing popularity in the aquarium industry mainly due to its very odd appearance. The first part of Banjo Catfish's latin name, Bunocephalus, is derived from the greek word bounos, meaning hill and kephale, which translates into ‘bumpy head’. This scaleless catfish has a laterally compressed body that is covered with horizontal rows of large horny projections, called unculiferous tubercles. But its the wide head and a long slender body shape that resemble a banjo or guitar, and thus its common names. This species can also be found in some publications as Dysichthys coracoideus, an original combination. The Banjo Catfish is very peaceful fish and desirable in any community aquarium. They are compatible with all sizes of community fish, even the smallest of tank mates. They do well with all sort of small fish from tetras to cory catfish, and even dwarf cichlids. They can be kept as singly or as a group. This is a sedentary fish that seldom moves around much. They are often mistaken for dead but when you try to take them out, they quickly swim away. Banjo Catfish are moderately hardy and can adjust to a variety of aquarium conditions. This catfish is also a true scavenger, but because it is a nocturnal, it feeds at night. Its favored diet consists of different sorts of worms, but it will consume a wide variety of foods and debris on the substrate, even if it wasn't meant to be ingested. It is also a burrower and prefers a sandy bottom and light vegetation.
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