Frogmouth Catfish

Geographic Origin and Biotope: Native to the Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers, up to some streams in Myanmar. It is found mainly in flooded swamps and canals with deep beds of mud and macerating dry leaves.

Taxonomy and Morphology: Frogmouth Catfish / Angler Catfish (Chaca chaca). A siluriform with a monstrous (or fascinating) appearance. Immensely flattened and very wide head (frog mouth), club-like body, fringed barbels to camouflage. Reaches 20 cm (8 inches).

Social Behavior: The ambush predator par excellence. Totally inactive, day and night. Camouflages itself in the mud becoming invisible and, using a tiny maxillary barbel to attract curious onlookers (like a bait), sucks the unsuspecting prey in an instant.

Coloration and Sexual Dimorphism: Camouflage coloration reminiscent of a dead leaf or striated mud: leaf brown, mud gray and faded black. Tiny eyes. No clear sexual dimorphism at a young age.

Aquarium Setup: Specific tank (about 100 cm / 40 inches). Very fine sand (not quartz or gravel) and a layer of dry leaves (Catappa) on which it will hover forever are mandatory. Turbid water and very little light. Hates the current.

Diet and Feeding: The biggest problem in keeping it. In nature it is a strict piscivore. In the aquarium it must be accustomed to frozen food by waving it in front of its mouth with tweezers, otherwise it will starve to death. Absolutely DO NOT use goldfish as feed.

Water Quality: Tolerates a wide range of hardness and pH, but prefers calm and neutral-acidic leaning waters (pH 6.0-7.5). Suffers enormously from the presence of pollutants caused by the putrefaction of excess food.

Compatibility and Tankmates: Species to be dedicated to a species-only tank. Any tankmate (up to half its size) will be swallowed overnight. Avoid armored bottom fish (Plecos or Corydoras): if swallowed, they will get stuck in the Chaca's throat, killing both.

Aquarium Reproduction: Exceptionally rare. It is known that eggs are laid in hidden channels in the mud or in caves. The males take on parental care, strenuously defending the brood.

Risks and Diseases: Often sold as a "monster fish" but ends up dying of starvation in normal community aquariums due to the inability of keepers to wean it to dead food and excessive light.