Banjo Catfish looks fine, but isn't...

[Dark_Rider2k3]

Hello everyone!!!

I come from fislore, and have a problem that, though i've gotten a few (and similar) responses about, but am still worried..

First off, my tank specs:

55 Gal tank started in July of this year.
1x Angel fish
6x White Cloud minnow
3x Mollies- 1 male, 2 female
4x Cherry barbs
1x Banjo Catfish
A large piece of driftwood with LOTS of java moss, some bamboo, and some hornwort.
Eco-complete substrate

Water Parameters as of yesterday:

N02 (Nitrite)- 0PPM
NH3/4 (Ammonia)- 0PPM
N03 (Nitrate)- about 5 PPM
PH- 8.0
Temperature- 76F

So, my problem is that my banjo catfish is like... dead... I hate to say that, but it's the best description I can give. When I first got him, he was very active. He would burrow under the dirt in the daytime, and at night he would pop out and swim around the tank, looking for any food I left him. I would feed him, btw, shrimp pellets.. if that is right.. I know he would eat them pretty quick lol.

Anyways, he was like this for a long time, then a couple of weeks ago when I was on the computer I saw him just laying there.. in broad daylight.. he wasn't burrowed, and he actually freaked me out. I went to check on him and I thought he died. I went to take him out but he sprang back to life. I immediately put him into a QT tank (same water parameters as my 55, except near 0 PPM on nitrate), and he looked fine. A day later, though, he was back to what he looked like in the QT tank. I had him in there, trying to get some advice, but this fish is rare around here, and I don't think i've seen many on fishlore with 'em either.. a few days ago, though, on a trip to my LFS (If you live in Pittsburgh, it's called Elmer's Aquarium, and they are VERY respectable.. I have gotten amazing advice from them, and well... the best lfs i've ever seen..), I mentioned my problem. The girl didn't know, but she knew someone who had them.. he told me that it was normal for them to "play dead," and that it was his defense mechanism.. he said that they aren't really active, and that it's natural for him to be like this.

I thought he was.. well.. a little crazy.. I could understand that he does it out of defense, but I don't see why he'd do it 24/7. I then heard someone on fishlore say the same thing to me, so Idk...

Do any of you know? The only thing I can say about him is that he is like a stump.. if you didn't know better, you'd seriously think he was dead. In fact, when I moved him back into the 55 yesterday (He was showing no signs of being sick, so I moved him back.. hope this was ok..), he didn't even do much.. he swam out of the bag, but just fell to the java moss. He laid there, not moving, until he finally fell off the moss and onto the ground. He has moved a little since then, but really.. he don't move that much....

Sorry this is so long LOL.. but thanks for reading!!!!

[Silurus]

This sounds normal for a banjo catfish to me. I've kept banjo cats that were immobile to the point you could just pick them out of the water.

[MatsP]

Some animals are more "don't run from danger" than others, and Banjo cats are just not moving at all, it's not because they are incredibly brave - it's a way to avoid predators that have as their predatory instinct to chase things - if you don't move (in daylight), you don't get chased by predators -> not eaten by predators.

--
Mats

[Marc van Arc]

My

Platystacus cotylephorus

male has a (morbid) habit of laying belly up in plain view and is quite comfortable doing so. Even I had to get used to this strange behaviour. I'd forgotten to tell this to the people who looked after the tank during our holiday and was very lucky that it did swam off when they tried to get it out of the tank, otherwise it would have ended up in the bin....

[racoll]

You are right to be concerned about a change in your fish's behaviour.

I kept banjos for a while and like yours, sometimes they were really active, and then I wouldn't see them for weeks.

I wouldn't worry too much though; perhaps they have just settled down and are a bit more comfortable in your tank, so they aren't hiding all the time.

Do make sure though they are getting enough food, as sometimes if fish are on the brink of starvation they do act like that.

They should look pretty fat if they are healthy.

[Dark_Rider2k3]

Thanks everyone!!!

I don't know if this is enough (or if it's too much) but I drop in 5 of those shrimp pellets when I go to bed.

He looks like this (took this pic 2 days ago when I brought him back into the 55gal)

[Marc van Arc]

This looks very healthy to me. It has been bitten in the dorsal, but apparently some time ago.
I don't think you have to worry.

[apistomaster]

The Banjo's dorsal fin may regenerate fully in time unless the barb was shortened.

[Chrysichthys]

This sounds normal for a banjo catfish to me. I've kept banjo cats that were immobile to the point you could just pick them out of the water.

I caught one last week by picking it up, which is how I always do it, and it tried the Megalodoras trick on me--pinching my finger between its pectoral fin and body. It didn't hurt very much, though.