TankBud

Butterfly loach

Beaufortia kweichowensis

Also known as Butterfly hillstream loach

FreshwaterFish

Butterfly loach (Beaufortia kweichowensis)
Lerdsuwa · CC BY-SA 3.0

Care at a glance

Temperature
61–75°F
16–24°C
pH
6.0–7.5
Adult size
3 in
7.5 cm
Minimum tank
25 gal
95 L
Temperament
Peaceful
Social behavior
Social
Swim level
Bottom
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
Egg scatterer
Rarity
Rare
Family
Gastromyzontidae
Origin
China

Overview

The butterfly loach is a broad, flat bottom grazer for a cool tank with strong, steady current. It is a moderate challenge, so it suits a keeper with some experience.

Did you know

Seen from above, the butterfly loach spreads its rounded, dark-spotted fins flat against the rock. That wing-like outline gives it the butterfly name, and the pattern also breaks up its shape against dappled streambed stones.

Caring for the butterfly loach

Give a group of butterfly loaches an oxygen-rich tank of 25 gal (95 L) or more. Run a powerhead and a strong filter to keep the flow strong and steady. Lay in rounded rocks and cobbles, and give them open hard surfaces to work across. Keep the tank mature so algae and biofilm can establish.

Keep the water cool, clean and moving, at 61 to 75°F (16 to 24°C) and a pH of 6.0 to 7.5. It prefers cooler water than most tropical fish, and high oxygen is key to keeping it healthy.

Butterfly loaches spend the day rasping biofilm and algae. Once a film builds up, supplement it with sinking wafers, blanched zucchini and small frozen foods.

They are social and calm, so keep several together, around five or more. Pair them with peaceful, cool-water fish that share their need for current. Breeding is essentially unrecorded in home aquaria, though the species is a scatter spawner in the wild.

Good to know

Beaufortia kweichowensis is a member of Gastromyzontidae, and it is sometimes sold as the butterfly hillstream loach. Its body is disc-flat, and its paired fins wrap outward to form a suction surface. That shape is an adaptation for holding onto rock in strong current, not for swimming in open water. It lacks the erectile eye spine seen in botiid loaches, and most stock in the trade is wild collected.

In the wild

Beaufortia kweichowensis comes from fast, rocky rivers in southern China. It clings to stones in the shallow, sunlit runs of these subtropical streams.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The butterfly 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 a butterfly loach need?

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

What temperature and pH does a butterfly loach need?

A butterfly loach is comfortable at 61–75°F (16–24°C) with a pH of 6.0–7.5.

What does a butterfly loach eat?

A butterfly loach spends the day rasping biofilm and algae. Once a film builds up, supplement it with sinking wafers, blanched zucchini and small frozen foods.

How big does a butterfly loach get?

An adult butterfly loach reaches about 3 in (7.5 cm).

How does a butterfly loach breed?

A butterfly loach is a scatter spawner in the wild. Breeding is essentially unrecorded in home aquaria.

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