Koh Chang loach

Schistura kohchangensis

Also known as Koh Chang stone loach, Ornate tiger sand loach

FreshwaterFish

Koh Chang loach (Schistura kohchangensis) — The Wet Spot Tropical Fish · Used with permission

Care at a glance

Temperature: 72–81°F (22–27°C)
pH: 6.5–7.5
Adult size: 3.5 in (9 cm)
Minimum tank: 24 gal (90 L)
Temperament: Mostly peaceful
Social behavior: Social
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: No record
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Southeastern Thailand including Koh Chang island
Family: Nemacheilidae

Overview

A warmwater stone loach that fits readily into a tropical river community, unlike its coolwater Chinese relatives. Keep a few together with a floor of sand and stone divided into territories, and they coexist with active barbs, danios, and rainbowfish overhead. Give it real current and high oxygen, and it patrols the bottom with the usual stone-loach confidence. Feed sinking meaty foods such as bloodworm, chopped prawn, and pellets. A tank of around 90 liters or more, warm and briskly filtered, suits a small group.

In the wild

The Koh Chang loach comes from warm hill streams of southeastern Thailand, including the island of Koh Chang, where clear water tumbles over rock toward the Gulf. Recreate that with a cobble and sand floor, rounded stones for cover, and moderate to strong current. Keep it warm at 22 to 27 degrees Celsius with a pH of 6.5 to 7.5. Warm, clean, oxygen-rich water suits it, so it settles into tropical setups more easily than the subtropical loaches.

Good to know

Schistura kohchangensis was described by Hugh Smith in 1933 from the island of Koh Chang and reaches about 9 centimeters, sometimes sold as the ornate tiger sand loach. Island and coastal streams isolated it enough to warrant a name, a pattern seen across the genus wherever hills meet the coast. It belongs to the family Nemacheilidae and has no recorded aquarium breeding.

Did you know

Koh Chang means Elephant Island in Thai, named for the shape of its hills, so this fish is, by a straight translation of its home, the elephant island loach.

Tank mates

Koh Chang loach is a mostly peaceful, social species that keeps to the bottom. These picks match on water type, temperature, pH, size and temperament.