Advice on how to keep Chaca chacas?

[Sparx]

Hi all, I'm new here.

First of all, my tank specifications:

Size: 60x30x36 cm
Water height: 15 cm
1 driftwood
Bottomless
pH level: 7.5 (balanced)
Water temperature: 28-29C

I had 4 Chaca chacas in there, but 3 of them died. I provided them with 10 Zebra Danios and 9 Red Bloodfin Tetras for their meal + occasional live bloodworm. However, they rarely eat. It's the Danios and the Tetras who eat the bloodworm I left there. In about 2 weeks, I noticed that only total 2 Danios are missing. Also, during these 2 weeks, one by one my Chaca chacas started to die (found them sucked by filter pump, probably they got too weak). I only have 1 left now.

All of my Chaca chacas seem to be very passive. I can even pick them up by hand easily. They look very weak. Are all Chaca chacas like this?

I plan to add soft quartz gravel as substrate, maybe it'll help.

Any advice on how to keep Chaca chacas? I don't want my last one to die.

Thanks a lot.

PS: Some say Chaca chacas are known to mysteriously lower pH level, but this doesnt happen in my tank.

[Richard B]

Chaca are an ambush predator & very sluggish movers - they are all like this. Fine sand is the best substrate, accompanied by beech or oak leaf-litter. They would perhaps prefer prey that is bottom dwelling & not fast moving.

I have not kept these for a number of years & have never had a pH crash but this does occur & therefore they are most suited to species tanks.

They also prefer very lottle water movement - when you say they had been sucked by the filter, is it a powerful intake that needs diffusing?

[Sparx]

I don't think my filter is that powerful. It's just 850 l/hr. They used to hide under the driftwood, but when they die, they almost always end up being sucked.

I guess I'll get that substrate a.s.a.p.

Btw, my Chaca chacas are still around 6 cms, so it's quite difficult to find a bottom dweller that's so small. I'm thinking of getting them some small catfish (Clarias sp) sized between 3-5 cms. Do you think it will work?

[Shane]

I provided them with 10 Zebra Danios and 9 Red Bloodfin Tetras for their meal + occasional live bloodworm. However, they rarely eat. It's the Danios and the Tetras who eat the bloodworm I left there. In about 2 weeks, I noticed that only total 2 Danios are missing.

They need food fishes that come to the substrate to eat. Goldfish will do this, but I had the best luck using small cichlids. They will almost never catch feeder fishes that feed in the upper water column.
I would never mix them with any other fishes unless you mean to feed them the Clarias cats.
-Shane

[Richard B]

Shane is right (of course) small cichlids are ideal but the fish need to be on the bottom - years ago a chaca i had forgotton about ate my madtoms

Small clarias aren't ideal as they can move quickly & you'll need stuff about 1cm

[Sparx]

sorry i havent updated this thread for ages but my last chaca chaca died a while ago. Some friends told me that my Chaca was wild-caught, so it might have died from stress or shock from being wild-captive. Is it possible?

[Richard B]

sorry i havent updated this thread for ages but my last chaca chaca died a while ago. Some friends told me that my Chaca was wild-caught, so it might have died from stress or shock from being wild-captive. Is it possible?

AFAIK all chaca are wild caught

[JamieH]

Thanks for the info, ive currently got 5 chaca in a mixed tank with some loaches, however ill have a move around tomorrow and place in a tank on there own.

In regards to feeding live fishes are these required all through the chacas life or can they be fed prawns mussel etc.

No problem feeding cichlid fry as I also keep these so always have tanks of fry with them being central american cichlids there hard to move on so its generally the gulpers that get the surplus looks like the chaca will be sharing these now!

[Richard B]

Chaca are hard to wean off live food but live food doesn't mean fish neccessarily

Small live shrimp & small earthworms are readily taken. Some success can be had by offering small thawed prawns or pieces of non-fatty freshwater fish, particularly when "waggled" in front of them with fine tweezers.