Squarehead catfish
Chaca chaca
Also known as Angler catfish, Frogmouth catfish, Indian chaca, Chaca catfish
Care at a glance
- Temperature
- 72–79°F (22–26°C)
- pH
- 6.0–7.5
- Adult size
- 7.9 in (20 cm)
- Minimum tank
- 40 gal (150 L)
- Temperament
- Mostly peaceful
- Social behavior
- Solitary
- Swim level
- Bottom
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Breeding
- No record
- Rarity
- Rare
- Origin
- Found in slow rivers and floodplains of India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Myanmar.
- Family
- Chacidae
Overview
The squarehead is a specialist oddball that barely moves, spending its life half-buried and waiting to ambush prey, so it is more of a display curiosity than an active fish. It is not aggressive toward things it cannot eat, but its huge mouth means any tankmate that fits will vanish, so choose companions carefully or keep it alone. It often refuses dry food and prefers live or fresh meaty items, and its big meals can foul the water, so watch quality. A single fish is comfortable in a soft-water tank around 150 liters.
In the wild
The squarehead catfish lives in slow, soft, often tannin-stained rivers and floodplains of South Asia, lying motionless on the bottom among leaf litter and mud. It is a sit-and-wait ambush predator with a broad flat head and an enormous upturned mouth. Give it soft sand, leaf litter, dim light, gentle flow, and soft acidic water at 22 to 26 degrees C.
Good to know
Chaca chaca reaches about 20 cm, with a recent record specimen near 24 cm, and is built as a pure ambush hunter, its lumpy shape and drab color making it look like a waterlogged leaf. It waves a small lure near its mouth to draw prey close, then engulfs it with a rapid gulp. It can swallow fish nearly half its own length.
Did you know
It hunts by dangling a small fleshy lure near its mouth and staying utterly still, so a passing fish that comes to investigate is inhaled in a fraction of a second.
Where to buy
Some links may not be the exact species or variety.
…or ask your local fish store.
Appears in
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Related species
Chocolate frogmouth catfish
Chaca bankanensis7.9 in (20 cm)45 gal (170 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)
Red wolf fish
Erythrinus erythrinus7.9 in (20 cm)40 gal (150 L)72–79°F (22–26°C)
Bloch's catfish
Pimelodus blochii9.8 in (25 cm)53 gal (200 L)68–79°F (20–26°C)
Paradise Threadfin
Polynemus paradiseus9.8 in (25 cm)75 gal (285 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)
Bar-tailed hoplo
Megalechis picta5.9 in (15 cm)53 gal (200 L)72–79°F (22–26°C)Asian bumblebee catfish
Pseudomystus siamensis5.9 in (15 cm)30 gal (115 L)68–79°F (20–26°C)