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Gold pygmy horseface loach

Kottelatlimia pristes

Also known as Pygmy horseface loach

FreshwaterFish

Gold pygmy horseface loach (Kottelatlimia pristes)

Care at a glance

Temperature
72–81°F
22–27°C
pH
5.0–7.0
Adult size
1.6 in
4 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
Peat swamps of Borneo and Sumatra

Overview

The gold pygmy horseface loach is a slender golden fish and one of the smallest loaches in the hobby. It belongs in a quiet, mature blackwater tank and is best with a little experience.

Did you know

The gold pygmy horseface loach takes its species name, pristes, from the Greek word for a sawyer. The name points to the saw-like edge on the males' pectoral fins.

Caring for the gold pygmy horseface loach

Give gold pygmy horseface loaches a mature tank of 14 gal (54 L) or more. Top a bed of sand with deep leaf litter and driftwood, and keep the light low. They root for microscopic prey in the litter and peat, not in open sand. A deep botanical layer matters as much as the substrate.

Keep the water soft, acidic and stained with tannins. Hold it at 72 to 81°F (22 to 27°C), with a pH of 5.0 to 7.0.

Feed the finest sinking foods, microworm and frozen cyclops. Let a settled tank grow the small life they graze on.

Keep a group of five or six, which lives happily in that space. They are gentle and shy, so choose only tiny, calm companions such as Boraras and small rasboras.

Males carry a row of tiny teeth along the hardened rays of their pectoral fins. There are no records of this loach breeding in aquaria.

Good to know

The gold pygmy horseface loach, Kottelatlimia pristes, is a dwarf loach of the family Cobitidae. It is the most widespread member of its small genus.

In the wild

The gold pygmy horseface loach ranges across the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra and Borneo. It lives in tea-dark peat swamps and shaded forest streams, among soaked leaves and soft peat rather than clean sand.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The gold pygmy 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 gold pygmy horseface loach need?

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

What temperature and pH does a gold pygmy horseface loach need?

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

What does a gold pygmy horseface loach eat?

A gold pygmy horseface loach roots in leaf litter and peat for microscopic prey. Feed it the finest sinking foods, microworm and frozen cyclops.

How big does a gold pygmy horseface loach get?

An adult gold pygmy horseface loach reaches about 1.6 in (4 cm).

How can you tell a male gold pygmy horseface loach from a female?

Males carry a row of tiny teeth along the hardened rays of their pectoral fins.

Related species