Banjo Catfish.

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Oh, well that's awesome getting a deal.

I didn't know they were schooling. I have read they are definitely community, though. Well... there is no return policy or guarantee on him. So, I guess he is stuck alone for awhile.
 
TheCrazyFishLady said:
Oh, well that's awesome getting a deal.

I didn't know they were schooling. I have read they are definitely community, though. Well... there is no return policy or guarantee on him. So, I guess he is stuck alone for awhile.
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IME, he will be ok alone for awhile. Once you get the larger tank, you can get him some friends. They do cruise together at night and scavenge, but i have not found this to be a species that will die of stress if they alone for a bit.
He looks like the type that only reaches like 4 inches (in theory 6 inches, but most don't), right? I confess that I didn't google his latin name and there are a couple of fish called banjo cats, but he looks exactly like mine.
 
absolutangel04 said:
IME, he will be ok alone for awhile. Once you get the larger tank, you can get him some friends. They do cruise together at night and scavenge, but i have not found this to be a species that will die of stress if they alone for a bit.
He looks like the type that only reaches like 4 inches (in theory 6 inches, but most don't), right? I confess that I didn't google his latin name and there are a couple of fish called banjo cats, but he looks exactly like mine.
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These get six inches, if I remember correctly and males get like five? I got too into looking into so many different species, but I believe these have the length sexual dimorphism too.

Anyway, I will consider getting more when I get more room. Like I said, he's in a 10g currently and they are difficult to come across around here. I just hope I can track down more when I set up the tank. I'm thinking a couple of these would still give the impression that whatever cichlid I pick is in there by himself (I prefer solitary tanks).

savage said:
What's even better is his full name is Billy Bob McCay! Tell me that doesn't have runnin' shine written all over it?!?!? LOL

Like any good Yank would, I call him William-Robert!
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Oh my god. You are hilarious!
 
Yeah, I am sure he will do fine for awhile in the 10g. Mine was a little over 4 inches, so he was the smaller end of the spectrum for that species, but still within the "norm."
 
Do you still have yours?

Oh, and an observation, he has come out two mornings (also known as noon) in a row now to feed when I feed Wizard (the pearl fighter he is in with). He just went and grabbed a bunch of Wizard's pellets. So, I tried sinking ones so he could get them better and I just saw him gobble down like ten or fifteen small-ish pellets.

I still haven't gotten the catfish pellets, but I have tons of different kinds. Anyway, I was thinking since he has probably gotten so used to the feeding schedule at the LFS, he has learned to eat during the day? I'm pretty sure they weren't going out of their way to feed these guys at night. What do you think?
 
So, went to Petco and they don't have a "catfish pellet" specifically named. I picked up Aqueon shrimp pellets and Hikari sinking wafers (small size). I gave him some frog/tadpole pellets this morning since they smell meaty and he was eating like one of my rainbows. So, between the two I bought, is that hgood for feeding? I also have NLS community pellets and tons of other stuff. Any other recommendations/return those?

Oh, and he had some of the betta NLS too.
 
I feed all my fish NLS .5mm Grow or 1mm Cichlid pellets as a staple diet, spirulina flake a couple times/week, and occasionaly frozen bloodworms. Canned green beans for the BN, but the cichlids, silver dollars, and even the polka-dot botia's grab some too.
 
Cool. Well, I was more concerned specifically on this guy and what he should be eating. I think I'm going to return those Hikari sinking wafers. They smell really funny. I don't like feeding my fish anything I wouldn't eat. Well, except the frozen stuff, I would never try that. But, NLS doesn't taste that bad, btw.
 
Hey there,
I just thought I'd chime in w/ a few things that work for me as I have 3 of the "Banjo Cats". Sand (in my opinion) is a must. During most of the day they totally submerge themselves in the sand. In the evening they emerge to eat & cruise the tank. I've had good luck in feeding them all of the above stated items. I also keep a small bag of frozen shrimp handy to feed them- i mince the pieces up VERY finely to fit their tiny mouths I leave the shrimp pieces sit out for awhile to get "shrimpy" smelling then about 15 minutes before their active time I strategically place the pieces on the bottom of tank. It's interesting to watch them shimmy out of the sand & stalk the source of that tantalizing smell. I'm in the process of turning their tank into a planted tank & many times I get quite startled as I'm starting to put a plant into the substrate & a pissy little Banjo will emerge under my fingers & scares the heck out of me, even though I know their there...somewhere...then take off at a high speed & nose dives into the sand away from me. Interestingly I've had them go under the sand beside the glass & I've measured how far the Banjo was & I've measured up to 3/4" It's neat the way you can watch the substrate & all of a sudden you'll see the sand shifting or the fish sending up a little clouds of sand & it will emerge several inches away from where it just went under.
I also once on a while feed them waxworms or mealworms as a treat as I luckily always have these on hand to feed all my Tarantulas. Good Luck with your Banjos - they are very entertaining!!!
 
Thank you for your reply. I am planning on turning that tank he is to a planted riparium with sand bedding. So, he will get to high himself soon.

Also, waxworms? They aren't even really recommended for reptiles and such because they are so fatty. Unless you are trying to build up weight. I could see mealworms though. I'm getting a leopard gecko in a few days, so I will have plenty on hand.
 
I have never heard of feeding waxworms to fish before. I guess since I know not to usually feed to reptiles I just spaced them from my mind totally. Nice to know they are ok for fish though. :)
No, I don't have mine anymore. My tank had an issue while I wd to hear some experience of it workingas away and the caretaker didn't know to deal with it and I lost a few of my fish, my banjo included. I think I may get some of more of them sometime though because they are so much fun. :)
 
Oh no, I'm sorry to hear that.

And you can definitely feed worms to fish, but it's just like feeding fish to them. You have to worry about parasites and disease and the nutritional value, etc. Sticking to prepared foods is the easiest, at least in my opinion.

So, I guess an update on Smokey. He is doing awesome. I watched him bury himself and the tank has lots of hiding places and tons of relatively (to the grave) larger rocks that create little tunnel areas for him. He eats every morning with Wizard and is pretty active in the earlier half of the day. Around four or five, he goes back to hiding. He eats like a beast and is looking great. No aggression from Wizard at all (I'm so proud of him <3).

I'm pretty sure this whole lack of being nocturnal thing has to do with him being captive born and raised in a situation of being fed during the day. He has darkened up a bit and is much more smoother when swimming (less jerky).
 
Saw a Banjo at the lfs the other day and thought of this thread. I almost pulled the trigger, but he was solo and my tanks are already a little bottom heavy. He was probably 2 1/2-3". Very cool!
 
Oh neat! The user on here is the only time I have ever heard of them needing to be in groups. All the people that I know that have them, they are solo. And none of them have issues whatsoever. So, I'm sure you can get away with just one by himself.
 
Now I have to try to remember which fish store he was at!!! Haha! I've been trolling a lot of them lately. It just so happens I have to go on a mission this weekend for the perfect piece of driftwood, so maybe I'll find him again!
 
I had a banjo cat once and he just disappeared for over 8 months I had him in a 55 gallon . Then one day there he was I was baffled , I watched to see where he went and he hung out in his normal haunts then the next day he was gone this time for about a month before he reappeared . This time I sat for about a hour to watch him then he swims over to one of the upright holes to the under gravel filter where the upright was missing and swim down under the filter he had been living in the basement all that time. He rarely made appearances I guess only when there wasn't enough to eat down there he would come out and feed. The only way I could check on him was to shine a flash light under the nymph of the tank.
 
TheCrazyFishLady said:
Thank you for your reply. I am planning on turning that tank he is to a planted riparium with sand bedding. So, he will get to high himself soon.

Also, waxworms? They aren't even really recommended for reptiles and such because they are so fatty. Unless you are trying to build up weight. I could see mealworms though. I'm getting a leopard gecko in a few days, so I will have plenty on hand.
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I used to have a LG. Traded it for my current tank.
 
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