Forktail spiny loach

Lepidocephalichthys furcatus

Also known as Forked-tail loach, Hog loach

FreshwaterFish

Forktail spiny loach (Lepidocephalichthys furcatus) — The Wet Spot Tropical Fish · Used with permission

Care at a glance

Temperature: 73–82°F (23–28°C)
pH: 6.0–7.5
Adult size: 2.4 in (6 cm)
Minimum tank: 20 gal (75 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Social
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: No record
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Mekong and Chao Phraya basins and the Malay Peninsula
Family: Cobitidae

Overview

A peaceful little loach for the bottom of a small community, happiest in a group of five or six that forage together. It potters over the floor rather than dashing about, sifting sand and litter for tiny prey, and it mixes safely with the smallest tankmates. Give it calm company such as pygmy rasboras or small tetras, and nothing that will out-compete it at feeding time. Sinking granules, crushed wafers, and frozen bloodworm or daphnia all suit it, delivered near the substrate. A group is comfortable in a tank of about 75 liters with sand and some cover.

In the wild

The forktail spiny loach lives in slow, often vegetated lowland waters of the Mekong and Chao Phraya basins and the Malay Peninsula, among swamps, ditches, and quiet stream edges. A planted tank with a fine sand floor, leaf litter, and gentle flow recreates that well. Hold the temperature between 23 and 28 degrees Celsius, with pH from 6.0 to 7.5. Soft cover and shade help this shy fish spend more time in the open.

Good to know

Lepidocephalichthys furcatus belongs to the spiny loach family Cobitidae and grows to around 6 centimeters. Its name means forked, for the clearly notched tail that sets it apart from most of its relatives. Like others in the genus it can gulp air at the surface and take up oxygen through its gut, a backup for the oxygen-poor pools it sometimes lives in. Aquarium breeding is not on record.

Did you know

When its shallow pools grow warm and stale, this loach darts to the surface, swallows a mouthful of air, and absorbs oxygen through its intestine, in effect breathing with its gut when its gills are not enough.