TankBud

Pearl River hillstream loach

Beaufortia granulopinna

Also known as Grainy-fin hillstream loach

FreshwaterFish

Pearl River hillstream loach (Beaufortia granulopinna)
The Wet Spot Tropical Fish · Used with permission

Care at a glance

Temperature
61–75°F
16–24°C
pH
6.5–7.5
Adult size
3.1 in
8 cm
Minimum tank
24 gal
90 L
Temperament
Mostly peaceful
Social behavior
Social
Swim level
Bottom
Difficulty
Difficult
Breeding
No record
Rarity
Rare
Family
Gastromyzontidae
Origin
Upper Pearl River system, southwest China

Overview

The Pearl River hillstream loach is a butterfly loach, kept like the rest of its group in cool, fast, oxygen-rich water. It is a difficult fish that suits an experienced keeper.

Did you know

The Pearl River hillstream loach is partly defined by stripes that vanish. In the study that described it, more than half of the adults had lost or blurred the dark stripes along their sides.

Caring for the Pearl River hillstream loach

Give Pearl River hillstream loaches a tank of 24 gal (90 L) or more, wider than it is tall. That shape gives a group grazing room along the current. Furnish it with broad, smooth grazing stones over a sand and gravel base.

Keep the water cool, at 61 to 75°F (16 to 24°C), with a pH of 6.5 to 7.5. Run strong flow, and keep oxygen high with plenty of surface movement.

It grazes biofilm and algae from rock. Supplement with fine sinking foods, crushed wafers and small frozen foods.

Keep a small group of five or six with calm, cool-water fish that can handle strong flow. It is mostly peaceful, though males hold stones and shimmy at rivals. These disputes rarely turn into real fights when space allows.

Adult males carry prominent tubercles on the first several rays of the pectoral fins. As a very new species, it has no aquarium breeding record yet.

Good to know

Beaufortia granulopinna is a hillstream loach in the family Gastromyzontidae. It was described in 2024, in a study that split apart the Beaufortia pingi species group. Its name means grainy fin, which refers to the adult males' pectoral fins.

In the wild

The Pearl River hillstream loach comes from the upper Pearl River system in southwest China. Its subtropical water runs cool and fast, with a seasonal chill.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The Pearl River hillstream loach is a mostly 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 Pearl River hillstream loach need?

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

What temperature and pH does a Pearl River hillstream loach need?

A Pearl River hillstream loach is comfortable at 61–75°F (16–24°C) with a pH of 6.5–7.5.

What does a Pearl River hillstream loach eat?

A Pearl River hillstream loach grazes biofilm and algae from rock. Supplement it with fine sinking foods, crushed wafers and small frozen foods.

How big does a Pearl River hillstream loach get?

An adult Pearl River hillstream loach reaches about 3.1 in (8 cm).

How can you tell a male Pearl River hillstream loach from a female?

Males carry prominent tubercles on the first several rays of their pectoral fins once they are adults.

Related species