Loaches Care Guides
Bottom-dwelling, often nocturnal fish, many of which are excellent natural snail controllers.
Kuhli Loach
Pangio kuhlii
A peaceful eel-like loach that hides by day and forages by night.
Zebra Loach
Botia striata
A peaceful striped loach and an excellent natural snail controller.
Yoyo Loach
Botia almorhae
An active, intelligent loach marked with Y-O-Y-O-like patterning.
Clown Loach
Chromobotia macracanthus
A much-loved orange-and-black loach that grows large and lives for decades.
Dwarf Chain Loach
Ambastaia sidthimunki
A small, active and social loach that happily eats nuisance snails.
Horseface Loach
Acantopsis dialuzona
A quirky long-snouted loach that loves to bury itself in soft sand.
Weather Loach
Misgurnus anguillicaudatus
A hardy coldwater loach said to grow restless before weather changes.
Skunk Loach
Yasuhikotakia morleti
A small but feisty loach with a black skunk-like stripe.
Reticulated Hillstream Loach
Sewellia lineolata
A ray-like loach for cool, fast-flowing, highly oxygenated tanks.
Burmese Border Loach
Botia kubotai
The angelicus or polka-dot loach, beautifully marbled in cream and black.
Black Kuhli Loach
Pangio oblonga
A plain dark eel-like loach that forages and hides in groups.
Panda Garra
Garra flavatra
A colourful banded algae-grazing garra for cooler, flowing tanks.
Hillstream Borneo Sucker
Gastromyzon sp.
A flat, ray-like sucker loach for cool, fast, oxygen-rich water.
Rosy Loach
Petruichthys sp. 'rosy'
A tiny, active and peaceful nano loach that shoals happily in planted tanks.
Striata Zebra Loach
Botia striata
A peaceful striped loach and an excellent snail-controller for community tanks.
Sucking Loach
Gyrinocheilus aymonieri
Sold young as an algae-eater but grows large and aggressive - research before buying.