FreshwaterBrackish
Banded banjo
Platystacus cotylephorus
Aspredinidae, Aspredininae
Facts
Characteristics
- Length
- Up to 31.8 cm
- Body shape
- Elongated
Care
- Group
- Missing
- Smallest aquarium
- 782 liters
- Diet
- Missing
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Behavior
Water values
Smallest tank
Range
Native
Lives wild in Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago, and Venezuela.
More about the species
Description
Occurs mainly in brackish water. Found on soft bottoms of shallow turbid water near river mouths. Reported to migrate from estuary into freshwater, but actual spawning apparently takes place in brackish water. The species has a peculiar mode of egg incubation wherein the female banjo catfish carries the eggs firmly attached to the underside of the body. This seems to be an adaptation to facilitate the oxygenation of the eggs in muddy environments. Reproduction probably occurs during the earlier part of the year.
Other names
Other scientific names
- Aspredo cotylephorus
- Aspredo sexcirrhis
- Aspredo spectrum
- Cotylephorus blochii
- Platystacus nematophorus
- Silurus hexadactylus
In other languages
- Båndet banjomalle
- Jättibanjomonni
- Whiptail banjo catfish
Articles
All articles
How to set up a South American aquarium4 min read
Soft, acidic water, subdued light, sand, roots and fallen leaves: how to set up a biotope aquarium from the Amazon and the rivers around it.
How to set up a Central American aquarium5 min read
Hard, alkaline water, sand and rock: an aquarium from the rivers and lakes of Mexico and Central America, with cichlids and livebearers.
How to add new fish4 min read
From the store to the tank: how to get the fish used to your water, why you should add only a few at a time, and what to watch for in the first few days.
Quarantine for new fish3 min read
Why new fish should live in a tank of their own for a few weeks before they move in, what you need, and what to look for.