Chocolate frogmouth catfish
Chaca bankanensis
FreshwaterFish
Care at a glance
- Temperature
- 75–82°F
- 24–28°C
- pH
- 6.0–7.5
- Adult size
- 7.9 in
- 20 cm
- Minimum tank
- 45 gal
- 170 L
- Temperament
- Mostly peaceful
- Social behavior
- Solitary
- Tankmates
- With caution
- Swim level
- Bottom
- Diet
- Carnivore
- Difficulty
- Difficult
- Breeding
- No record
- Rarity
- Very rare
- Family
- Chacidae
- Origin
- Thailand
Overview
The chocolate frogmouth catfish is a sit-and-wait ambush predator that lives on the bottom of a dim, leafy tank. It is a fish for experienced keepers.
Did you know
The chocolate frogmouth catfish is a living ambush trap. It sits motionless, looking exactly like a piece of sodden bark. It can wiggle small barbels near its huge mouth like bait, then swallow any fish that comes to investigate in a single sudden gulp.
Caring for the chocolate frogmouth catfish
Keep a chocolate frogmouth catfish in a tank of at least 45 gal (170 L). Give it a soft sand bed under a thick layer of leaf litter, plus driftwood, shade and dim lighting. This setup lets it bury and camouflage itself the way it does in the wild. It spends almost all its time motionless on the bottom, half-buried.
Keep it warm, at 75 to 82°F (24 to 28°C), with a pH of 6.0 to 7.5 and gentle flow. Tannin-stained water suits it and deepens its chocolate color. It rarely chases food, so target-feed sinking meaty items such as strips of fish, prawn and earthworms near its head.
The chocolate frogmouth catfish is not aggressive, but its mouth is enormous. It will inhale any fish or shrimp that wanders close, sometimes prey nearly its own length. Keep it alone or only with fish far too big to swallow. Its wild breeding is poorly known, and it has not been bred in aquariums.
Good to know
The chocolate frogmouth catfish is one of only a handful of species in the family Chacidae, the frogmouth or squarehead catfishes. Most of its length is a broad, flattened head ending in a vast, upturned mouth.
In the wild
The chocolate frogmouth catfish comes from slow, shaded waters in Thailand and nearby parts of Southeast Asia. It lies among leaf litter and sunken wood on the beds of soft, acidic streams and swamps.
Common questions
What size tank does a chocolate frogmouth catfish need?
A chocolate frogmouth catfish needs at least 45 gal (170 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.
What temperature and pH does a chocolate frogmouth catfish need?
A chocolate frogmouth catfish is comfortable at 75–82°F (24–28°C) with a pH of 6.0–7.5.
What does a chocolate frogmouth catfish eat?
A chocolate frogmouth catfish eats sinking meaty items such as strips of fish, prawn and earthworms. It rarely chases food, so offer each piece close to its head.
How big does a chocolate frogmouth catfish get?
An adult chocolate frogmouth catfish reaches about 7.9 in (20 cm).
Related species
7.9 in (20 cm)40 gal (150 L)72–79°F (22–26°C)Squarehead catfish
Chaca chaca
7.9 in (20 cm) · 40 gal (150 L)
7.9 in (20 cm)32 gal (120 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)African red-striped pipefish
Microphis aculeatus
7.9 in (20 cm) · 32 gal (120 L)
7.9 in (20 cm)66 gal (250 L)75–84°F (24–29°C)Blackgullet firemouth
Thorichthys pasionis
7.9 in (20 cm) · 66 gal (250 L)
7.9 in (20 cm)106 gal (400 L)73–82°F (23–28°C)Blue jumper catfish
Exallodontus aguanai
7.9 in (20 cm) · 106 gal (400 L)
7.9 in (20 cm)95 gal (360 L)72–79°F (22–26°C)Bottlenose catfish
Ageneiosus marmoratus
7.9 in (20 cm) · 95 gal (360 L)
7.9 in (20 cm)53 gal (200 L)73–82°F (23–28°C)Bumblebee jelly catfish
Batrochoglanis raninus
7.9 in (20 cm) · 53 gal (200 L)