TankBud

Fang's hillstream loach

Pseudogastromyzon fangi

Also known as Fang's butterfly loach, Yellow tiger sucker loach

FreshwaterFish

Fang's hillstream loach (Pseudogastromyzon fangi)
The Wet Spot Tropical Fish · Used with permission

Care at a glance

Temperature
64–75°F
18–24°C
pH
6.5–7.5
Adult size
3.9 in
10 cm
Minimum tank
25 gal
95 L
Temperament
Mostly peaceful
Social behavior
Social
Swim level
Bottom
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
Substrate spawner · Medium
Rarity
Rare
Family
Gastromyzontidae
Origin
Guangxi and Guangdong, China

Overview

Fang's hillstream loach is a sociable grazer for a cool tank with fast flow. It is one of the more approachable Chinese hillstream loaches, a good pick for a keeper with some experience.

Did you know

Fang's hillstream loach is built to cling flat to rock, yet it breeds in a surprisingly cichlid-like way. Its males show a nesting instinct that few keepers expect from a hillstream loach.

Caring for the Fang's hillstream loach

Give a group of Fang's hillstream loaches a tank of 25 gal (95 L) or more, long rather than tall. That gives them grazing room and space for males to hold territory. Provide flat grazing stones and rounded cobbles over a sand and gravel bed.

Keep the tank unheated or gently cooled, at 64 to 75°F (18 to 24°C) and a pH of 6.5 to 7.5. Run strong flow, with plenty of surface turbulence for oxygen.

It rasps algae and biofilm off rock through the day. It also takes fine sinking foods, crushed wafers and small frozen items readily.

Keep a group of five or more. Fang's hillstream loach is mostly peaceful, but males are lively in season. They shove each other in bloodless contests over grazing stones and nesting sites. Keep it with calm, current-loving fish that like cool water, rather than tropical community species.

Breeding is moderately difficult, but this is one of the more breedable members of the family. Spawnings do happen in well-run, cool river tanks. Males excavate and defend small pits beneath stones, where the eggs are laid and guarded.

Good to know

Pseudogastromyzon fangi is a butterfly loach in the family Gastromyzontidae. It is named for a Chinese ichthyologist called Fang.

In the wild

Fang's hillstream loach comes from fast, subtropical streams in Guangxi and Guangdong, in southern China. The water there is clear, well-oxygenated and cool for much of the year.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The Fang's hillstream 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 Fang's hillstream loach need?

A Fang's hillstream loach needs at least 25 gal (95 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH does a Fang's hillstream loach need?

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

What does a Fang's hillstream loach eat?

A Fang's hillstream loach rasps algae and biofilm off rock through the day. It also takes fine sinking foods, crushed wafers and small frozen items readily.

How big does a Fang's hillstream loach get?

An adult Fang's hillstream loach reaches about 3.9 in (10 cm).

How does a Fang's hillstream loach breed?

Males dig small pits beneath stones and defend them, and the eggs are laid and guarded there. Fang's hillstream loach is one of the more breedable members of its family, though breeding is moderately difficult.

Related species