TankBud

Saddle-back loach

Homaloptera orthogoniata

Also known as Saddled Lizard Loach

FreshwaterFish

Saddle-back loach (Homaloptera orthogoniata)
TropicalAquaticsRSA · CC BY-SA 4.0

Care at a glance

Temperature
68–77°F
20–25°C
pH
6.0–7.5
Adult size
4.3 in
11 cm
Minimum tank
45 gal
170 L
Temperament
Peaceful
Social behavior
Shoaling
Swim level
Bottom
Diet
Omnivore
Difficulty
Difficult
Breeding
No record
Rarity
Very rare
Family
Balitoridae
Origin
Borneo

Overview

The saddle-back loach is a slender hillstream fish that lives among rocks in fast water. It is a demanding species for experienced keepers.

Did you know

The saddle-back loach gets its name from the row of three or four broad, dark saddles that straddle its back. The pattern breaks up its outline against a mottled streambed. It also makes this one of the easier hillstream loaches to tell apart from its plainer relatives.

Caring for the saddle-back loach

Keep saddle-back loaches in a group of six or more, where they are bolder and more active. A group needs a well-oxygenated tank of at least 45 gal (170 L) with strong flow. Use a powerhead or a strong return to keep the water moving.

Lay in smooth, rounded stones and cobbles for grazing and shelter, and keep the tank mature so biofilm can build. Hold the water at 68 to 77°F (20 to 25°C) and a pH of 6.0 to 7.5. Pristine, well-filtered water and steady oxygen are essential. This loach declines quickly in warm, still or dirty water.

It clings to and darts between the stones, grazing biofilm and picking at small foods. Besides mature, algae-rich surfaces, feed sinking wafers and small frozen foods such as daphnia and bloodworms.

The saddle-back loach is entirely peaceful. Pair it only with calm, cool-water fish that share its needs. Breeding is not recorded in home aquariums, and it is presumed to spawn among stones in flowing water.

Good to know

The saddle-back loach, Homaloptera orthogoniata, is a member of Balitoridae, the river loaches, and is also sold as the saddled lizard loach. It has a low, tapering body and broad paired fins that help it grip rock in fast current. It lacks the erectile eye spine of the botiid and true loaches. Trade fish are taken from the wild.

In the wild

The saddle-back loach is endemic to Borneo. It lives in swift, clear headwater streams that run cool and highly oxygenated over rock and gravel.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The saddle-back loach is a peaceful, shoaling 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 saddle-back loach need?

A saddle-back loach needs at least 45 gal (170 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH does a saddle-back loach need?

A saddle-back loach is comfortable at 68–77°F (20–25°C) with a pH of 6.0–7.5.

What does a saddle-back loach eat?

A saddle-back loach grazes biofilm on mature, algae-rich surfaces and picks at small foods. Add sinking wafers and small frozen foods such as daphnia and bloodworms.

How big does a saddle-back loach get?

An adult saddle-back loach reaches about 4.3 in (11 cm).

Does a saddle-back loach need a group?

Yes. A saddle-back loach is a shoaling species and should be kept in a group, not singly.

How does a saddle-back loach breed?

Saddle-back loaches have not been bred in home aquariums. They are presumed to spawn among stones in flowing water.

Related species