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
Origin: Mekong basin below Khone Falls, Laos and Cambodia
Family: Balitoridae

Overview

House this loach the way its hillstream relatives are housed, in a group on the bottom of a high-flow, well-oxygenated tank, though it copes with the warmer end of the range better than the cool mountain species do. It grazes biofilm from clean stone and takes fine meaty foods, so pair good grazing surfaces with small sinking pellets and frozen bloodworm or daphnia. It is peaceful and ignores its tankmates, which should be other fish that want the same brisk, clean water. About 90 liters with strong pumps keeps a small group well.

In the wild

Homaloptera confuzona lives in the Mekong below the Khone Falls in Laos and Cambodia, clinging to rock through seasonal torrents in lower, warmer reaches than the mountain loaches occupy. Give it a hillstream tank with hard-working pumps, high oxygen, clean stone, temperatures of 21 to 27 degrees Celsius, and pH around 6.5 to 7.5. Because it comes from lowland water it accepts the warmer part of that range comfortably.

Good to know

Homaloptera confuzona was described by Maurice Kottelat in 2000 and reaches about 8.2 centimeters. Its name combines the Latin for confused and belt, referring to the irregular dark bars along its body that are uneven and sometimes missing altogether. It belongs to the river-loach family Balitoridae, and like others in the group it has not been bred in home aquariums.

Did you know

Its home stretch begins just below the Khone Falls, a set of rapids on the Mekong so wide and rough that boats cannot run them, and that mark a natural break in the river's fish life.