TankBud

Ogilvie's lizard loach

Homaloptera ogilviei

Also known as Ogilvie's hillstream loach, Red lizard hillstream loach, Ogilvie's lizard hillstream loach

FreshwaterFish

Ogilvie's lizard loach (Homaloptera ogilviei)
The Wet Spot Tropical Fish · Used with permission

Care at a glance

Temperature
70–79°F
21–26°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
Difficult
Breeding
No record
Rarity
Common
Family
Balitoridae
Origin
Malay Peninsula and western Borneo

Overview

Ogilvie's lizard loach is a smaller lizard loach from forest streams, for a flowing, oxygenated tank with wood and stone. It is a fish for experienced keepers.

Did you know

Where its torrent-loving relatives grip bare rock, Ogilvie's lizard loach is just as content perched on submerged hardwood. It is a lizard loach that will trade a cliff face for a tree trunk.

Caring for the Ogilvie's lizard loach

A tank of around 20 gal (75 L) with steady current suits a group of Ogilvie's lizard loaches. Give them moving, oxygen-rich water with smooth stones and plenty of driftwood roots and branches to perch on. Good light keeps a grazing film on the hard surfaces.

Keep the water at 70 to 79°F (21 to 26°C) and a pH of 6.0 to 7.5. They graze the surface film and pick at fine foods between times. Offer fine sinking foods, crushed wafers and small frozen items alongside the biofilm.

Keep several together. Ogilvie's lizard loaches are peaceful and pair well with other gentle, flow-tolerant fish that share their clean, cool-leaning water. Like their relatives, they are not known to breed in home tanks.

Good to know

Ogilvie's lizard loach, Homaloptera ogilviei, is a compact, mottled river loach in the family Balitoridae, described by Alfred in 1967. At rest it props itself on the very tips of its pectoral, pelvic, anal and tail fins. It is also sold as Ogilvie's hillstream loach or the red lizard hillstream loach.

In the wild

Ogilvie's lizard loach lives in clear forest streams of the Malay Peninsula and western Borneo. The water there is slightly softer and gentler than the fiercest torrent species demand.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The Ogilvie's 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 an Ogilvie's lizard loach need?

An Ogilvie's lizard loach needs at least 20 gal (75 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH does an Ogilvie's lizard loach need?

An Ogilvie's lizard loach is comfortable at 70–79°F (21–26°C) with a pH of 6.0–7.5.

What does an Ogilvie's lizard loach eat?

An Ogilvie's lizard loach grazes surface film and picks at fine foods. Feed it fine sinking foods, crushed wafers and small frozen items alongside the biofilm.

How big does an Ogilvie's lizard loach get?

An adult Ogilvie's lizard loach reaches about 2.4 in (6 cm).

Related species