All fish / Nemacheilidae

Banded Stone Loach

Schistura balteata

Also known as balteata loach, belted loach, schistura balteata loach, banded hillstream loach, ปลาค้อ, シストゥラ・バルテアータ, 带条鳅

A slim stone loach with bold dark bars over a pale yellowish to brown body and a short forked tail. It comes from fast, clear, oxygen-rich hill streams and is kept for its striking pattern and lively bottom-dwelling behaviour in stream-style tanks.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

Temperament

Semi

Adult size

6 cm

Temperature

20 to 25 °C

pH

6.5 to 7.5

Smallest tank

80 litres

Keep as

Group of 5 or more with plenty of hiding places

Diet

Carnivore: sinking pellets, bloodworm, brine shrimp, daphnia and small invertebrates

Swims

Bottom of the tank

Lifespan

5 to 8 years

Water

Freshwater

Wild range

Myanmar and western Thailand (Salween and Tenasserim drainages)

Breeding

Not reliably bred in home aquariums; it is thought to scatter eggs among gravel in flowing water. Almost all fish in the trade are wild caught.

Good to know

Needs strong flow, high oxygen and very clean water, and males can squabble over territory among rocks. Several similar barred Schistura species are sold under the same name, so identification can be uncertain.