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: Tankmates with caution
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: No record
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Pearl River and coastal drainages, southern China
Family: Botiidae

Overview

Pellegrin's loach is a sturdy, cool-water botiid that forms complex social hierarchies, so it should never be kept alone; buy three or four at a minimum, and five or more is calmer still, since a lone fish or a bare pair leaves one bully and stressed subordinates that stop eating. It is mostly peaceful but boisterous, so tankmates need choosing with care: sturdy, fast midwater fish rather than slow or fin-trailing ones. It hunts the bottom for insect larvae, crustaceans and sinking prepared foods, and takes frozen bloodworm readily. Give it a long, well-filtered tank of about 400 liters or more.

In the wild

Pellegrin's loach lives in flowing water in southern China, in the Pearl River basin and nearby drainages, with related populations reported north into the Yangtze. It wants a river-style setup: a sand or gravel floor, smooth stones and wood for cover, and steady, oxygen-rich flow. Being subtropical it is happy unheated or barely heated, from about 18 to 26 degrees Celsius, at pH 6.0 to 7.5. Keep the water clean and cool rather than warm and still.

Good to know

Leptobotia pellegrini is a botiid loach reaching roughly 22 centimeters, and it honors the French ichthyologist Jacques Pellegrin. Like other Leptobotia it carries a switchblade-style spine beneath each eye, normally hidden but erected under stress, so a specimen tangled in mesh is easily injured. Standard length runs to about 18 to 20 centimeters, with total length a little more. No captive spawning has been documented.

Did you know

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