Dwarf horseface loach

Acanthopsoides robertsi

Also known as Roberts' horseface loach

FreshwaterFish

Dwarf horseface loach (Acanthopsoides robertsi) — The Wet Spot Tropical Fish · Used with permission

Care at a glance

Temperature: 72–81°F (22–27°C)
pH: 6.0–7.5
Adult size: 2.2 in (5.5 cm)
Minimum tank: 14 gal (54 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Social
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: No record
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Sundaland rivers of Borneo, Sumatra, and the Malay Peninsula
Family: Cobitidae

Overview

This is a tiny, sociable sand-diver, so keep a group of six or more, since single fish stay hidden and nervous. It patrols the open floor with its long snout, sifting fine sand for tiny invertebrates and burying itself with only the eyes showing when it wants to rest. It is entirely peaceful and ignores its tankmates, so match it with small, calm upper-water fish such as little rasboras or danios rather than anything pushy. Feed sinking dried foods along with frozen or live bloodworm, daphnia, and brine shrimp. A group settles well in a tank of around 54 liters with a soft sand bed.

In the wild

The dwarf horseface loach lives in Sundaland rivers, best known from the Kapuas basin of Borneo and nearby drainages, in clear flowing channels over sand and fine gravel. Recreate that with a shallow, soft sand bed it can dive into, gentle current, clean well oxygenated water, and subdued lighting. A temperature of 22 to 27 degrees Celsius and pH from 6.0 to 7.5 suit it. Coarse gravel scratches its skin and stresses it, so keep the substrate fine.

Good to know

Acanthopsoides robertsi is a small member of the loach family Cobitidae, reaching only about 5.5 centimeters, roughly a quarter the length of the true horseface loaches it resembles in miniature. It is the one species in its genus with a dark triangular mark on the tail, which makes it easy to tell apart. No aquarium breeding has been recorded. The name honors the American ichthyologist Tyson Roberts, who surveyed the Bornean river where it was found.

Did you know

It spends much of the day buried in sand with only its eyes above the surface, then swims off snout-first when disturbed. The fish is named for Tyson Roberts, the ichthyologist who led the Kapuas River surveys that turned it up.