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Ping's hillstream loach

Beaufortia pingi

Also known as Ping's butterfly loach

FreshwaterFish

Ping's hillstream loach (Beaufortia pingi)
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
3.5 in
8.9 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
Southwest China

Overview

Ping's hillstream loach is a butterfly loach for cool, fast water, oversized flow and plenty of grazing stone. It is a demanding fish, best left to experienced keepers.

Did you know

For more than ninety years, the name Beaufortia pingi quietly covered several look-alike fish. A 2024 revision of its species group finally split two new species out from under it.

Caring for the Ping's hillstream loach

Give Ping's hillstream loaches a long, open tank of 24 gal (90 L) or more, with a broad rocky floor. Use broad, smooth stones for grazing over a fine gravel base, and mature the tank first.

Keep the water unheated or lightly cooled at 61 to 75°F (16 to 24°C), with a pH of 6.5 to 7.5. Run oversized flow, and keep oxygen high with brisk surface movement.

It rasps biofilm and algae from the stones through the day. Supplement with fine sinking foods, gel foods and small frozen items.

Keep a group of five or six, which will graze and hold loose territories. They are peaceful, apart from males shimmying at each other over prime grazing rocks. Give them calm, cool-water tank mates that will not mind the current. There is no record of the species spawning in captivity.

Good to know

Beaufortia pingi is a butterfly loach in the family Gastromyzontidae, and the pingi species group is named after it. Fang described it in 1930, and the name honors the Chinese zoologist Chih Ping. The genus Beaufortia commemorates the Dutch ichthyologist Lieven de Beaufort.

In the wild

Ping's hillstream loach lives in cool, fast streams of southwest China. The clear water runs over stone and has a real seasonal chill.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The Ping's 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 Ping's hillstream loach need?

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

What temperature and pH does a Ping's hillstream loach need?

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

What does a Ping's hillstream loach eat?

A Ping's hillstream loach rasps biofilm and algae from stone through the day. Supplement it with fine sinking foods, gel foods and small frozen items.

How big does a Ping's hillstream loach get?

An adult Ping's hillstream loach reaches about 3.5 in (8.9 cm).

Related species