TankBud

Pellegrin's loach

Leptobotia pellegrini

Also known as Pellegrin's botia

FreshwaterFish

Pellegrin's loach (Leptobotia pellegrini)
The Wet Spot Tropical Fish · Used with permission

Care at a glance

Temperature
64–79°F
18–26°C
pH
6.0–7.5
Adult size
8.7 in
22 cm
Minimum tank
106 gal
400 L
Temperament
Mostly peaceful
Social behavior
Social
Tankmates
With caution
Swim level
Bottom
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
No record
Rarity
Rare
Family
Botiidae
Origin
Pearl River and coastal drainages, southern China

Overview

Pellegrin's loach is a sturdy, cool-water botiid for a large, river-style tank. It is a moderate challenge to keep.

Did you know

Pellegrin's loach is one of China's big botiid loaches, which stayed obscure in the hobby while their Indian and Southeast Asian cousins became household names. It is still a scarce, mostly wild-collected import.

Caring for the Pellegrin's loach

Give Pellegrin's loaches a long, well-filtered tank of 106 gal (400 L) or more. Set it up like a river, with a sand or gravel floor, smooth stones and wood for cover, and steady, oxygen-rich flow.

This subtropical loach is happy unheated or barely heated, at 64 to 79°F (18 to 26°C) and a pH of 6.0 to 7.5. Keep the water clean and cool rather than warm and still. It hunts the bottom for insect larvae, crustaceans and sinking prepared foods, and it takes frozen bloodworm readily.

Never keep one alone, since it forms complex social hierarchies. Buy three or four at a minimum, and five or more is calmer still. A lone fish or a bare pair leaves one bully and stressed subordinates that stop eating.

Pellegrin's loach is mostly peaceful but boisterous. Choose sturdy, fast midwater tank mates rather than slow or fin-trailing ones. No captive spawning has been documented.

Good to know

Leptobotia pellegrini is a botiid loach named for the French ichthyologist Jacques Pellegrin, and it is also sold as Pellegrin's botia. Like other Leptobotia it carries a switchblade-style spine beneath each eye. The spine normally stays hidden but goes up under stress, so a fish tangled in mesh is easily injured.

In the wild

Pellegrin's loach lives in flowing water in southern China, in the Pearl River basin and nearby drainages. Related populations are reported farther north, in the Yangtze.

Common questions

What size tank does a Pellegrin's loach need?

A Pellegrin's loach needs at least 106 gal (400 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH does a Pellegrin's loach need?

A Pellegrin's loach is comfortable at 64–79°F (18–26°C) with a pH of 6.0–7.5.

What does a Pellegrin's loach eat?

A Pellegrin's loach hunts the bottom for insect larvae, crustaceans and sinking prepared foods. It takes frozen bloodworm readily.

How big does a Pellegrin's loach get?

An adult Pellegrin's loach reaches about 8.7 in (22 cm).

How does a Pellegrin's loach breed?

Pellegrin's loach has no documented record of spawning in captivity.

Related species