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Assam banded loach

Neonoemacheilus assamensis

Also known as Banded stone loach

FreshwaterFish

Assam banded loach (Neonoemacheilus assamensis)

Care at a glance

Temperature
68–79°F
20–26°C
pH
6.0–7.5
Adult size
1.8 in
4.5 cm
Minimum tank
14 gal
54 L
Temperament
Peaceful
Social behavior
Social
Swim level
Bottom
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
No record
Rarity
Rare
Family
Nemacheilidae
Origin
Brahmaputra drainage streams, Assam, India

Overview

The Assam banded loach is a small, genuinely peaceful stone loach that works over the bottom between pebbles and stones. It is a step up from beginner fish.

Did you know

The Assam banded loach's genus name, Neonoemacheilus, literally reads as new Noemacheilus. The name is a piece of taxonomic housekeeping. It dates from the days when the old loach genus was so overfilled that describers started building fresh drawers beside it.

Caring for the Assam banded loach

Give the Assam banded loach a tank of at least 14 gal (54 L), which is enough for a small group. Lay a floor of fine gravel, smooth pebbles and rounded stone for it to pick through. Add some gentle current and good oxygen.

Keep the water at 68 to 79°F (20 to 26°C) with a pH of 6.0 to 7.5. Clean, steadily moving water keeps it in good condition, so avoid warm, stagnant setups. Fine sinking foods suit its small mouth, such as crushed pellets, micro wafers, and frozen daphnia and small bloodworm.

Keep a few together, since they are sociable and settle in better with their own kind. Pair them only with equally small, calm fish that will not outcompete them at feeding time. Its aquarium breeding has not been recorded.

Good to know

Neonoemacheilus assamensis is a small nemacheilid, marked with a row of narrow transverse bars along the upper body. A. G. K. Menon described it in 1987 from the Pagladia River in Assam. It is considered near threatened in the wild, and it is also known as the banded stone loach.

In the wild

The Assam banded loach comes from clear hill streams in the Brahmaputra drainage of Assam and neighboring parts of northeast India. The water there runs cool and quick over gravel.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The Assam banded loach is a peaceful, social species that keeps to the bottom. These picks share a community profile with it, are safe together in both directions, and overlap on water type, temperature and pH.

Check the full mix in the stocking calculator

Common questions

What size tank does an Assam banded loach need?

An Assam banded loach needs at least 14 gal (54 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH does an Assam banded loach need?

An Assam banded loach is comfortable at 68–79°F (20–26°C) with a pH of 6.0–7.5.

What does an Assam banded loach eat?

An Assam banded loach needs fine sinking foods that suit its small mouth. Crushed pellets, micro wafers, and frozen daphnia and small bloodworm all work.

How big does an Assam banded loach get?

An adult Assam banded loach reaches about 1.8 in (4.5 cm).

Related species