Panda loach

Yaoshania pachychilus

Also known as Chinese panda loach, Protomyzon pachychilus, Yaoshania pachychilos

FreshwaterFish

Care at a glance

Temperature: 64–75°F (18–24°C)
pH: 6.5–7.5
Adult size: 2.8 in (7 cm)
Minimum tank: 20 gal (75 L)
Temperament: Mostly peaceful
Social behavior: Social
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Difficult
Breeding: No record
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Endemic to fast, cool, clear hill streams in the Dayao Mountains of Guangxi in southern China, clinging to rocks in strong current.
Family: Gastromyzontidae

Overview

Keep a group in a mature tank of 75 litres or more with a river manifold or powerhead for strong flow, at 18 to 24 C and pH 6.5 to 7.5. The diet is mostly algae and biofilm, supplemented with vegetable-based sinking foods and the occasional frozen morsel, and a high-protein diet can harm them. Best kept with other cool-water, high-flow species such as white cloud mountain minnows or other hillstream loaches.

In the wild

A small hillstream loach that grows to about 7 cm and grazes biofilm from smooth rocks. It must have cool, highly oxygenated water with strong flow, ideally 10 to 15 times the tank volume per hour in turnover. Warm, still or dirty water kills these fish quickly, which is the usual reason they fail in home tanks. Aim for temperatures below 24 C year round.

Good to know

First described in the genus Protomyzon in 1980, it was later moved to its own genus Yaoshania, named after the Dayaoshan range where it was found. Juveniles wear the bold black and white panda pattern that gives the fish its name, and it fades toward a spotted olive as they mature.

Did you know

The bright panda markings are a juvenile trait, so the crisp black and white fish in the shop tank will slowly turn spotted and olive-grey as it ages.