chaca chaca

susie · Post by **susie** » 07 Sep 2003, 14:09

wooohoooo i found one in my lfs it had just come in so not even been unbagged. hes 5" and great

sue

Post by **Silurus** » 07 Sep 2003, 14:43

They aren't particularly easy fish to acclimatize, so I'd monitor it very closely during quarantine.

susie · Post by **susie** » 07 Sep 2003, 16:05

thanks for the advice, he buries hiself in the sand, i have a pic but dont know how to add it.
sue

Post by **Silurus** » 07 Sep 2003, 16:36

Just curious, but what re you feeding it? They can be weaned off live fish, but it's very difficult.

Post by **Dinyar** » 07 Sep 2003, 17:03

We lost our first two C. bankanensis but then got the hang of Chaca and kept them successfully for many years before eventually getting tired of them and giving them to a friend (under whose care they quickly died). Last month in India we saw some Chaca chaca that were at least 20 cm, bigger than any specimens we'd seen before.

Klaus Dreymann from these forums has been trying to keep them on and off for years.

Couple of things we found were:

Best kept in species tank
Consistent tendency for pH to crash, seems that Chaca sp. excrete some extremely acidic bodily wastes, so check your pH regularly and buffer as appropriate.

We never succeeded in weaning ours off live fish, though many say they have done so.

Dinyar

susie · Post by **susie** » 07 Sep 2003, 20:47

he seems to be eating the frozen silverfish and bloodworms, so fingers crossed eh

sue

daddyo72 · Post by **daddyo72** » 24 Apr 2006, 00:39

I am going to be ordering one this week. What advice do you have for me?

Post by **Shane** » 24 Apr 2006, 13:39

I had basically the same experience as Dinyar. I kept a pair in a 15 gallon for about 18 months. The substrate was a mixture of sand and peat with no other decor. I did not experience the pH crashes but this could be because I had more stable water (i.e. harder) or because they received weekly 50-60 percent water changes. They must have a species tank and you will need 2-3 additional quarantine tanks to keep a study supply of healthy feeders on hand.
It will help if you belong to a club that has regular auctions as you will need a good source of healthy feeders. I found that Central American cichlid fry worked great as they feed on the substrate.
Like Dinyar, I eventually decided they were more trouble than enjoyment. It is a lot of time and resources to devote to a fish that moves, just slightly, every few days.
-Shane

daddyo72 · Post by **daddyo72** » 24 Apr 2006, 20:26

Could Chaca bankanensis, chaca chaca and Lophiosilurus alexandri all the same size exist in the same tank until the wolf is big enough to be moved to a bigger tank? The wolf is 3 inches. Their size.

Post by **Dinyar** » 25 Apr 2006, 18:33

I doubt it. Suspect the Lophiosilurus would outcompete the Chacas and the latter would die. Moreover, it would have to be a big tank that would also be a very boring tank.

daddyo72 · Post by **daddyo72** » 29 Apr 2006, 00:26

So aside from ensuring it eats(I have a good supply of feeders) and checking on the water parameters often I should have little problem correct? It will be in a 30 long with a sand substrate.