Reticulated Hillstream Loach

Looks how to spot one

Flattened hillstream loach

A low, flat-bellied little fish whose wide pectoral and pelvic fins spread out like a skirt, letting it press itself against rocks in strong current. Each side carries three to five bold dark stripes, and the paired fins show one or two neat concentric bands. Males have a squarer snout and develop small tubercles on the pectoral fin rays; females are broader.123

Personality what they are like

Calm and inoffensive toward tankmates. Among their own kind, males hold small patches of rock and will push each other around briefly, which is part of their natural display rather than real conflict.1

Daily activity how busy a day looks

Active during the day, constantly gliding from stone to stone and grazing. Unlike many loaches they ride the current for short distances before settling again, so open rock surfaces and strong flow let them show this behaviour.23

Grooming and care the hands-on bits

Water: 20 to 24 C, pH 6.0 to 7.5, hardness 1 to 10 dGH. Needs very clean, oxygen-rich water with strong flow; Seriously Fish suggests filtration turning the tank volume over 15 to 20 times an hour, plus regular partial water changes.1

Home where they are happiest

A river-style tank with a base of at least 75 x 30 cm (about 68 litres), smooth stones, pebbles and sand, bright light so algae film grows on the rocks, and powerheads for a strong current. Hardy plants such as Anubias or Java fern suit the flow.13

Food basics what goes in the bowl

In nature they graze biofilm, algae and tiny organisms off stones and take some insect larvae. In the aquarium offer algae wafers, sinking dried foods, vegetable-based foods and small frozen foods such as bloodworm, daphnia or brine shrimp, alongside natural algae growth.123

Company who they like around

Lives in large groups in the wild; keep at least six so their natural social behaviour shows. Best with calm, cooler-water tankmates that will not compete heavily for food on the bottom.1

The story where it all began

Valenciennes named the species in 1846 from material first recorded by the collector Diard. It then went unrecorded for well over a century until fresh collections in the early 1990s brought it back to light, after which it reached the aquarium trade.13

Recognised by the official bits

IUCN Red List

Vulnerable (assessed 5 September 2010)2

Taxonomy

Family Gastromyzontidae (hillstream loaches); described by Valenciennes in 18463