Chinese flower loach

Traccatichthys pulcher

Also known as Flower loach, Rainbow loach

FreshwaterFish

Chinese flower loach (Traccatichthys pulcher) — The Wet Spot Tropical Fish · Used with permission

Care at a glance

Temperature: 61–75°F (16–24°C)
pH: 6.5–7.5
Adult size: 4.7 in (12 cm)
Minimum tank: 29 gal (110 L)
Temperament: Mostly peaceful
Social behavior: Social
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: No record
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Guangdong and Hainan, China
Family: Nemacheilidae

Overview

A colorful, constantly busy bottom loach that shows best in a cool, well-oxygenated river tank with open swimming space and strong flow. Keep two or more together; they are sociable and, with room and cover, mostly get along while patrolling their patches. Match it with other subtropical, current-loving fish rather than delicate warmwater species. Feed sinking meaty foods generously, since a well-fed adult develops far richer color than a hungry one. A tank of around 110 liters or more with brisk current and rockwork suits a small group.

In the wild

The Chinese flower loach lives in subtropical streams of Guangdong and Hainan in southern China, cool and quick over gravel and stone. Recreate that with a gravel and cobble bed, rounded rocks to graze and shelter among, brisk flow, and good oxygen. Keep it cool, from 16 to 24 degrees Celsius, with a pH of 6.5 to 7.5. As with other hill-stream loaches, clean, moving, oxygen-rich water matters more than warmth.

Good to know

Traccatichthys pulcher reaches about 12 centimeters and is the showpiece of its small genus, with an olive body, vivid lateral striping, fins washed in pink and blue, and a sharply dark-edged dorsal fin. Its species name simply means beautiful. It belongs to the stone loach family and has not been reliably bred in aquaria. In good, cool, well-fed condition it carries more color than most tropical loaches.

Did you know

Chinese keepers prize it as a native ornamental, and its species name, pulcher, is simply the Latin word for beautiful, given for the pink and blue wash it develops on its fins in good condition.

Tank mates

Chinese flower loach is a mostly peaceful, social species that keeps to the bottom. These picks match on water type, temperature, pH, size and temperament.