All fish / Gastromyzontidae

Hillstream Loach

Yaoshania pachychilus

Also known as chinese hillstream loach, butterfly hillstream loach, pachychilus loach, vanmanenia pachychilus, chinese butterfly loach, borneo sucker, reticulated hillstream loach, 厚唇原吸鳅, 中华爬岩鳅

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This is a small, flattened loach with broad, paddle-like fins that let it cling to rocks in fast water, and it has a dark, mottled pattern on a golden-brown body. Keepers like it for its odd, stingray-like look and because it spends the day grazing algae off stones and glass.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

Temperament

Peaceful

Adult size

7 cm

Temperature

18 to 24 °C

pH

6.5 to 7.8

Smallest tank

80 litres

Keep as

Group of 3 or more

Diet

Omnivore: biofilm and algae, plus sinking algae wafers, frozen bloodworm and daphnia

Swims

Bottom of the tank

Lifespan

5 to 8 years

Water

Freshwater

Wild range

Southern China (Guangxi, Guangdong, Pearl River basin)

Breeding

It is rarely bred in home tanks. Eggs are thought to be scattered among rocks in well-oxygenated, flowing water, and most fish on sale are wild-caught.

Good to know

It needs cool, very clean, well-oxygenated water with strong flow and plenty of biofilm, so it does badly in warm or stagnant tanks. It is often sold mixed up with similar Sewellia, Beaufortia and Pseudogastromyzon species, and older references list it under the name Vanmanenia pachychilus.