TankBud

Cloud loach

Schistura nubigena

Also known as Cloudborn stone loach, Cloud back loach

FreshwaterFish

Cloud loach (Schistura nubigena)

Care at a glance

Temperature
64–75°F
18–24°C
pH
6.5–7.5
Adult size
2 in
5 cm
Minimum tank
20 gal
75 L
Temperament
Mostly peaceful
Social behavior
Social
Swim level
Bottom
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
No record
Rarity
Rare
Family
Nemacheilidae
Origin
Mali Hka drainage near Putao, Kachin, Myanmar

Overview

The cloud loach is a small, mostly peaceful stone loach for the bottom of a cool river tank. It is best with a little experience.

Did you know

The cloud loach's species name, nubigena, means born of the clouds. It refers to the fish's pattern, not to the cloud-wrapped mountains near its home at Putao.

Caring for the cloud loach

Give a small group of cloud loaches a tank of 20 gal (75 L) or more. Lay a stony floor of gravel and smooth stone, with enough broken-up cover for each fish to hold a small territory. A small group kept this way stays settled and active on the bottom.

Keep the water cool, at 64 to 75°F (18 to 24°C) and a pH of 6.5 to 7.5. Give it brisk current and high oxygen. Clean, moving water suits it better than warm, planted-tank conditions.

Feed fine sinking foods, frozen daphnia and small bloodworm. The cloud loach is mostly peaceful, and it is gentler on tank mates than its larger cousins simply because of its size. Choose calm, coolwater companions such as small danios and hill-stream fish that share its taste for oxygen and flow. Its breeding has not been recorded in the aquarium.

Good to know

Schistura nubigena is a stone loach of the family Nemacheilidae. In adults the dark bars partly fuse, and a row of pale, cloud-like spots forms along the back where they break apart.

In the wild

The cloud loach comes from the Mali Hka drainage near Putao, in the far north of Myanmar's Kachin State. Its home streams run cool and clear at the edge of the eastern Himalaya.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The cloud 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 cloud loach need?

A cloud loach needs at least 20 gal (75 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH does a cloud loach need?

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

What does a cloud loach eat?

A cloud loach eats fine sinking foods, frozen daphnia and small bloodworm.

How big does a cloud loach get?

An adult cloud loach reaches about 2 in (5 cm).

Related species