TankBud

Common spiny loach

Lepidocephalichthys thermalis

Also known as Lesser loach, Indian spiny loach

FreshwaterFish

Common spiny loach (Lepidocephalichthys thermalis)
(c) Thuhiru S. Yapa, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by

Care at a glance

Temperature
72–82°F
22–28°C
pH
6.0–7.5
Adult size
3.1 in
8 cm
Minimum tank
20 gal
75 L
Temperament
Peaceful
Social behavior
Social
Swim level
Bottom
Difficulty
Easy
Breeding
No record
Rarity
Rare
Family
Cobitidae
Origin
India and Sri Lanka

Overview

The common spiny loach is a calm, hardy bottom fish for a gentle community tank. It is one of the easier small loaches to settle in.

Did you know

The common spiny loach's species name, thermalis, means of the hot springs. The first specimens known to science came from the warm Kanniya springs in Sri Lanka.

Caring for the common spiny loach

Give a starter group of common spiny loaches a tank of 20 gal (75 L) or more, with room to forage. Lay a bed of fine sand for them to sift, and add some shade from plants or wood.

Keep the water at 72 to 82°F (22 to 28°C), with a pH anywhere from 6.0 to 7.5. This adaptable loach has a wide tolerance, which makes it forgiving in the aquarium.

It spends the day working the bottom, taking in mouthfuls of fine sand and sifting them for scraps and small invertebrates. Offer sinking pellets and wafers with frozen bloodworm or daphnia, and make sure enough reaches the floor.

The common spiny loach does best in company, so keep a group of five or six. It is peaceful toward its own kind and toward other fish. Pair it with small, gentle community species that will not push it away from food. Breeding in home tanks is essentially unrecorded, so enjoy it for its behavior rather than for spawning.

Good to know

The common spiny loach belongs to Lepidocephalichthys, a genus in the family Cobitidae. Spiny loaches take their name from the small erectile spine set below each eye.

In the wild

In the wild, the common spiny loach turns up almost everywhere across lowland India and Sri Lanka. It lives in clear streams and ponds, paddy fields and roadside ditches, usually over soft sandy bottoms in slow water.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The common spiny 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 common spiny loach need?

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

What temperature and pH does a common spiny loach need?

A common spiny loach is comfortable at 72–82°F (22–28°C) with a pH of 6.0–7.5.

What does a common spiny loach eat?

A common spiny loach sifts mouthfuls of fine sand for scraps and small invertebrates. Offer it sinking pellets and wafers with frozen bloodworm or daphnia.

How big does a common spiny loach get?

An adult common spiny loach reaches about 3.1 in (8 cm).

Related species