Slender horseface loach

Acantopsis ioa

Also known as Io horseface loach

FreshwaterFish

Slender horseface loach (Acantopsis ioa) — The Wet Spot Tropical Fish · Used with permission

Care at a glance

Temperature: 72–81°F (22–27°C)
pH: 6.0–7.5
Adult size: 6.3 in (16 cm)
Minimum tank: 42 gal (160 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Social
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: No record
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Mekong mainstem, Thailand and Laos
Family: Cobitidae

Overview

Keep a few together over sand with open floor; they are peaceful and spend daylight buried with periscope eyes out. Sinking worms and granules dropped near dusk get eaten enthusiastically. Never keep any horseface on gravel; it ruins their snouts and their lives.

In the wild

This horseface loach lives over open sand in the Mekong mainstem, where it buries to the eyes and waits. A deep fine-sand bed is not optional: give it several centimeters to dive into, warm water at 22 to 27 degrees Celsius, and pH 6.0 to 7.5.

Good to know

Acantopsis ioa was described in 2017 during the revision that split the old catch-all horseface loach into many species. It reaches about 16 centimeters and is the slender, fine-snouted member of the group from the big river itself.

Did you know

For decades every horseface loach in the trade was called one species; the 2017 revision revealed the group hides many, and this slender Mekong fish is one of the newly named.

Tank mates

Slender horseface loach is a peaceful, social species that keeps to the bottom. These picks match on water type, temperature, pH, size and temperament.