TankBud

Banded hillstream loach

Pseudogastromyzon fasciatus

Also known as Striped butterfly loach, Zebra hillstream loach

FreshwaterFish

Banded hillstream loach (Pseudogastromyzon fasciatus)
The Wet Spot Tropical Fish · Used with permission

Care at a glance

Temperature
64–75°F
18–24°C
pH
6.5–7.5
Adult size
3.9 in
10 cm
Minimum tank
25 gal
95 L
Temperament
Mostly peaceful
Social behavior
Social
Swim level
Bottom
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
No record
Rarity
Rare
Family
Gastromyzontidae
Origin
Southeastern China

Overview

The banded hillstream loach is a sturdy, mostly peaceful grazer for a cool tank with strong current. It is of medium difficulty and suits a keeper with some practice.

Did you know

The banded hillstream loach's genus name, Pseudogastromyzon, means false Gastromyzon. Nichols set up the genus in 1925. These Chinese loaches looked so much like the Borneo suckers of that older genus that he wrote the resemblance into the name.

Caring for the banded hillstream loach

Give a group of banded hillstream loaches a tank of 25 gal (95 L) or more. That gives them enough grazing area to spread out. Furnish it with smooth boulders and cobbles that can grow a film of algae, over a sand and gravel base. Add a spread of flat rocks for the males to divide up.

This is not a tropical fish, so keep the tank unheated or lightly cooled, at 64 to 75°F (18 to 24°C). Run strong flow with high oxygen, and hold the pH at 6.5 to 7.5.

It works the bottom and the rock faces all day, rasping algae and biofilm. Top that up with sinking pellets, crushed wafers and small frozen foods.

Keep a small group, ideally five or more, since this sociable fish settles better with its own kind around it. The banded hillstream loach is mostly peaceful, though males push and shove over the best grazing stones without doing real harm. Good tank mates are other calm, cool-water fish that can handle the current, such as white cloud mountain minnows or small danios. Its aquarium breeding is not documented, though related species in the genus spawn in excavated pits.

Good to know

The banded hillstream loach is a Pseudogastromyzon, one of the Chinese butterfly loaches in the family Gastromyzontidae. Sauvage first described it in 1878. The epithet fasciatus means banded, for the dark bars crossing its brownish back.

In the wild

The banded hillstream loach comes from fast, subtropical streams in southeastern China. The water there stays cool for much of the year and runs clear over stone.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The banded hillstream loach is a mostly 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 a banded hillstream loach need?

A banded hillstream loach needs at least 25 gal (95 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH does a banded hillstream loach need?

A banded hillstream loach is comfortable at 64–75°F (18–24°C) with a pH of 6.5–7.5.

What does a banded hillstream loach eat?

A banded hillstream loach rasps algae and biofilm from the bottom and the rock faces all day. Top up its grazing with sinking pellets, crushed wafers and small frozen foods.

How big does a banded hillstream loach get?

An adult banded hillstream loach reaches about 3.9 in (10 cm).

Related species