TankBud

Red-tail squirrel loach

Aborichthys elongatus

Also known as Red-tailed creek loach, Red tail zebra loach

FreshwaterFish

Red-tail squirrel loach (Aborichthys elongatus)
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
9 cm
Minimum tank
24 gal
90 L
Temperament
Mostly peaceful
Social behavior
Social
Swim level
Bottom
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
No record
Rarity
Rare
Family
Nemacheilidae
Origin
Darjeeling foothills, West Bengal, India

Overview

The red-tail squirrel loach is a slim, lively bottom loach for an unheated hill-stream tank. It is a fair choice once you have some experience.

Did you know

The squirrel in the red-tail squirrel loach's name comes from its flag of a tail. The brightly banded tail is often the only part on show, while the rest stays tucked into a crevice among the stones.

Caring for the red-tail squirrel loach

Red-tail squirrel loaches suit a cool, current-swept tank of 24 gal (90 L) or more, kept as a small group. Set it up as an unheated river tank, with smooth boulders and rounded stone over a fine gravel or sand floor. They wedge into crevices and whip between stones before darting out for food.

Keep the water cool, at 61 to 75°F (16 to 24°C) and a pH of 6.5 to 7.5. Give it strong flow and high oxygen, and avoid warm, still conditions.

It takes sinking foods readily, from pellets to frozen bloodworm and daphnia. The red-tail squirrel loach is sociable and does well in a small group, kept with hill-stream loaches and coolwater danios.

Being lively, it can unsettle very timid fish, and very small tank mates may be seen as food. Choose companions of similar size and temperament. Its aquarium breeding has not been documented.

Good to know

Aborichthys elongatus is a long, eel-slim loach in the family Nemacheilidae, ringed in fine dark bars. Its orange-red tail often carries a dark spot near the base. The genus Aborichthys is confined to the eastern Himalayan fringe of northeast India.

In the wild

The red-tail squirrel loach comes from cool, fast torrents of the Darjeeling foothills in West Bengal, northeast India. The water there runs fresh off the Himalaya over rock and pebble.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The red-tail squirrel 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 red-tail squirrel loach need?

A red-tail squirrel loach needs at least 24 gal (90 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH does a red-tail squirrel loach need?

A red-tail squirrel loach is comfortable at 61–75°F (16–24°C) with a pH of 6.5–7.5.

What does a red-tail squirrel loach eat?

A red-tail squirrel loach takes sinking foods readily, from pellets to frozen bloodworm and daphnia.

How big does a red-tail squirrel loach get?

An adult red-tail squirrel loach reaches about 3.5 in (9 cm).

Related species