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Hillstream Loach Varieties

River Loaches Family: Balitoridae
Batik Loach Mesonoemacheilus triangularis Photo Courtesy: Ken Childs

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to access information on each type of Hillstream Loach.

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   With a sucker type mouths and fins adapted to cling to rocks, Hillstream Loaches or River Loaches are sometimes called "Sucker Belly Loaches".

   Though generally found in rivers or streams, there are some Hillstream Loaches or River Loaches found only from caves. To varying degrees, depending on the species, they are especially designed to cope with living in fast waters. Though they are highly adaptable they are best suited to a "river tank" type aquarium with a lot of water movement and a variety of stones and rocks. They also need a cooler aquarium and some can even adapt to a brackish environment. These fish tend to be shy and will often spend a good deal of time hiding under rocks or in the substrate.

   There are a number of similarities found in both the Hillstream Loaches and the Loach family Cobitidae, such as multiple barbels around the mouth. Occasionally both the Hillstream Loaches and the Loaches are confused with the catfishes because of the presence of barbels.

More about Hillstream Loaches: Description, Care & Feeding, and Breeding:

For more Information on keeping freshwater fish see:
Guide to a Happy, Healthy Freshwater Aquarium

Hillstream Loaches
Batik Loach	Cherry Fin Loach
Mesonoemacheilus triangularis	Acanthocobitis rubidipinnis
Chinese Hillstream Loach	Chinese Zebra Loach
Beaufortia kweichowensis	Pseudogastromyzon fasciatus
Half Banded Loach	Mongoose Loach
Schistura savona	Nemacheilus rueppelli
Ornate Tiger Sand Loach	Rainbow Loach
Schistura kohchangensis	Traccatichthys pulcher
Red Tail Zebra Loach	Torrent Loach
Schistura mahnerti	Homaloptera bilineata
Zipper Loach
Acanthocobitis botia

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   Occasionally both the Hillstream Loaches and the Loaches are confused with the catfishes because of the presence of barbels. One similarity that lends to this confusion are the barbels, all of these fish have between 3 to 6 pairs. Another is the appearance of being scaleless due to very tiny scales on some species, yet all these fish are in fact covered with scales or partially covered with scales.

Description:
   Most of the Hillstream Loaches are not very large, being only a few inches. They have developed quite a variety of body forms - round, cylindrical, compressed, some that are elongated, and a few that are flattened. They have a sucker type mouth and fins adapted to clinging to rocks in moving water. Some species are scaleless.
   For the most part they are bottom dwellers found under rocks or in mud, and a few are found only in caves.

Care and feeding:
   These fish mainly get active in the evening or after dark, are mostly bottom feeders, and are omnivores. Although in their natural habitat many primarily eat insect larvae, live worms, and crustaceans, they also nibble on algae and other vegetation. They can be fed sinking granules or tablets, dry flake food, frozen proteins such as tubifex, bloodworms, and brine shrimp, and vegetable substitutes such as a soft algae, algae wafers, and even a bit of Romaine lettuce or blanched kale leaves.
   A "river tank" aquarium is best where there is a lot of water movement, a sand or gravel substrate, and a variety of stones and rocks for algae to grow on. They like hiding places where they can retreat to at will. They especially like to hide under rocks, plant roots or wood, and some species like to hide in caves.

Breeding:
   There is little known about the reproduction of most of these fish. Though there have been some reported successes among various hobbyists, these fish are not yet commercially bred.

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