TankBud

Dwarf white horseface loach

Kottelatlimia hipporhynchos

Also known as White horseface loach

FreshwaterFish

Dwarf white horseface loach (Kottelatlimia hipporhynchos)

Care at a glance

Temperature
72–81°F
22–27°C
pH
5.0–7.0
Adult size
2 in
5 cm
Minimum tank
14 gal
54 L
Temperament
Peaceful
Social behavior
Social
Swim level
Bottom
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
No record
Rarity
Rare
Family
Cobitidae
Origin
Blackwater streams of Borneo

Overview

The dwarf white horseface loach is a small, pale burrowing loach for a quiet soft-water tank. It is a moderate challenge to keep.

Did you know

The dwarf white horseface loach's genus name, Kottelatlimia, is stitched together from two surnames. They belong to Maurice Kottelat and Kelvin Lim, the ichthyologists who described the group. Few fish carry two scientists inside a single word.

Caring for the dwarf white horseface loach

Give dwarf white horseface loaches a quiet tank of 14 gal (54 L) or more. Lay a deep bed of soft, fine white sand, and darken the water with leaf litter or wood. Dim lighting and a mature tank full of small live foods bring them out of the sand more often.

Keep the water warm, soft and acidic, at 72 to 81°F (22 to 27°C) and a pH of 5.0 to 7.0. A gentle flow suits them.

The dwarf white horseface loach rests on clean sand and burrows straight into it to hide. It sorts the grains with its pointed snout for small food items. Feed small sinking foods and frozen bloodworm, daphnia and cyclops, offered so they reach the bottom.

Keep a group of at least five or six, so it feels secure and stays active. It is peaceful and pays no attention to other fish. Keep it with equally gentle soft-water species, and nothing large or boisterous. No captive spawning has been documented.

Good to know

The dwarf white horseface loach, Kottelatlimia hipporhynchos, is a dwarf cobitid loach described in 2008. Its species name comes from the Greek for horse snout, after the long, tapering head it uses to plow sand. Unlike its close relative K. pristes, which keeps to peat and leaf litter, it prefers open white sand.

In the wild

The dwarf white horseface loach comes from southern Borneo. It lives there in clear, tannin-stained forest streams that run over white sand.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The dwarf white horseface 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 dwarf white horseface loach need?

A dwarf white horseface loach needs at least 14 gal (54 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH does a dwarf white horseface loach need?

A dwarf white horseface loach is comfortable at 72–81°F (22–27°C) with a pH of 5.0–7.0.

What does a dwarf white horseface loach eat?

A dwarf white horseface loach sorts sand with its pointed snout for small food items. Feed it small sinking foods and frozen bloodworm, daphnia and cyclops.

How big does a dwarf white horseface loach get?

An adult dwarf white horseface loach reaches about 2 in (5 cm).

Related species