Horseface Loach

Geographic Origin and Biotope: Highly widespread throughout Southeast Asia, from the islands of Sumatra and Java to Borneo, Malaysia and Thailand. Thrives in clear streams and hill rivers characterized by lively currents, where it patrols vast beds of very fine gravel and mud to feed.

Taxonomy and Morphology: Exponent of the Cobitidae family. Known worldwide as the "Horseface Loach". The snake-like and compressed body is dominated by a hyper-elongated and tubular snout, perfect for uprooting and burying itself, making it reach a good 20 cm (8 inches) in length.

Social Behavior: Deeply shy, gregarious and peaceful nature. Spends most of the daylight hours totally buried in the sand, letting only its eyes emerge. In the twilight hours it patrols in schools (at least 5 specimens) the substrate in search of food.

Coloration and Sexual Dimorphism: Camouflage "stealth" livery par excellence: sand-gray, brown or cream background interspersed with a dense disorderly punctuation and broken mimetic lateral bands. Eyes positioned high on the head. Mature females possess a distinctly more spherical and round waistline than slender males.

Aquarium Setup: The use of inert sand fine as sugar is essential; rough gravels will cause immediate and lethal skin mutilations, as the species dives headlong at great speed to bury itself. Provide strong currents with roots, smooth stones and dimmed lights.

Diet and Feeding: Benthic micropredator. The diet must consist of small fast-sinking foods that can be unearthed in the sand: live or frozen tubifex, thawed bloodworms, and protein bottom granules. Will totally ignore floating flakes.

Water Quality: Typically lotic water fish: requires high and constant temperatures (25-28°C / 77-82°F), pH between 6.0 and 7.5 (neutral-acidic) and soft waters. The aquarium must be free of pollutants, ultra-oxygenated and preferably covered, as they tend to jump out of the water if frightened.

Compatibility and Tankmates: An excellent and invisible guest for quiet Asian biotope communities. Cohabits wonderfully with Rasboras, Danios, peaceful Barbs and Gouramis. Avoid a priori cohabitation with large digging Cichlids or aggressive and biting Loaches (such as B. modesta).

Aquarium Reproduction: Event not yet documented and completely absent in the hobbyist aquarist bibliography. In nature, reproduction is dictated by complex migratory flows along the waterways coinciding with the massive monsoon rains.

Risks and Diseases: The biggest threat comes from the wrong substrate, which tears the flesh exposing it to fungal infections. Due to the absence of protective armored scales, it tolerates copper medicines or aggressive Ich treatments very badly.