TankBud

Mekong lizard loach

Homaloptera confuzona

Also known as Confusing lizard loach, Red lizard loach

FreshwaterFish

Mekong lizard loach (Homaloptera confuzona)
The Wet Spot Tropical Fish · Used with permission

Care at a glance

Temperature
70–81°F
21–27°C
pH
6.5–7.5
Adult size
3.2 in
8.2 cm
Minimum tank
24 gal
90 L
Temperament
Peaceful
Social behavior
Social
Swim level
Bottom
Difficulty
Difficult
Breeding
No record
Rarity
Rare
Family
Balitoridae
Origin
Mekong basin below Khone Falls, Laos and Cambodia

Overview

The Mekong lizard loach is a peaceful, current-loving loach for the bottom of a hillstream tank. It suits experienced keepers.

Did you know

The Mekong lizard loach's home stretch begins just below the Khone Falls. These rapids are so wide and rough that boats cannot run them. They also mark a natural break in the river's fish life.

Caring for the Mekong lizard loach

House Mekong lizard loaches the way their hillstream relatives are housed, as a group on the bottom of a high-flow, well-oxygenated tank. A tank of 24 gal (90 L) with strong, hard-working pumps keeps a small group well. Give them plenty of clean stone to graze.

Keep the water at 70 to 81°F (21 to 27°C) and a pH of 6.5 to 7.5. This loach comes from lowland water, so it copes with the warmer end of that range better than the cool mountain species do.

It grazes biofilm from clean stone and takes fine meaty foods. Pair good grazing surfaces with small sinking pellets and frozen bloodworm or daphnia.

The Mekong lizard loach is peaceful and ignores its tank mates. Choose companions that want the same brisk, clean water. Like others in its group, it has not been bred in home aquariums.

Good to know

The Mekong lizard loach, Homaloptera confuzona, belongs to the river-loach family Balitoridae and was described by Maurice Kottelat in 2000. Its name combines the Latin for confused and belt. That refers to the irregular dark bars along its body, which are uneven and sometimes missing altogether. It is also sold as the confusing lizard loach or red lizard loach.

In the wild

The Mekong lizard loach lives in the Mekong below the Khone Falls, in Laos and Cambodia. It clings to rock through the seasonal torrents of these lower reaches, which run warmer than the streams the mountain loaches occupy.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The Mekong lizard 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 Mekong lizard loach need?

A Mekong lizard loach needs at least 24 gal (90 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH does a Mekong lizard loach need?

A Mekong lizard loach is comfortable at 70–81°F (21–27°C) with a pH of 6.5–7.5.

What does a Mekong lizard loach eat?

A Mekong lizard loach grazes biofilm from clean stone and takes fine meaty foods. Small sinking pellets and frozen bloodworm or daphnia suit it.

How big does a Mekong lizard loach get?

An adult Mekong lizard loach reaches about 3.2 in (8.2 cm).

Related species