Sparkling loach

Schistura coruscans

Also known as Glitter stone loach, Flametail loach

FreshwaterFish

Care at a glance

Temperature: 68–77°F (20–25°C)
pH: 6.5–7.5
Adult size: 3.1 in (8 cm)
Minimum tank: 24 gal (90 L)
Temperament: Mostly peaceful
Social behavior: Social
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: No record
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Nam San basin, Laos
Family: Nemacheilidae

Overview

This is a stone loach for a cool, fast river tank. Keep it over an open floor with enough rounded rocks that each fish can claim its own station, which keeps the mild territorial squabbling from turning serious. It is a social, mostly peaceful fish that does best as a small group with company of its own kind, alongside other current-loving stream fish rather than slow fancy types. It hugs the bottom, darting from rock to rock and tasting everything the flow delivers, and it takes sinking pellets, frozen bloodworm, and other small meaty foods readily. Give it a tank of around 90 liters with strong flow and good oxygen.

In the wild

Schistura coruscans lives in the Nam San basin in Laos, a cool, tumbling tributary system of the Mekong with clear, fast headwater streams. Recreate that with 20 to 25 degrees Celsius, a pH of 6.5 to 7.5, brisk current, and high oxygen. A floor of sand and water-worn stones with plenty of gaps gives each loach a refuge, and a tight lid is wise since stream loaches are agile and can jump.

Good to know

This is a member of Nemacheilidae, the stone loach family, and it grows to around 8 centimeters. Its species name, coruscans, means flashing or sparkling and describes the metallic sheen that plays over its barred body in moving water. It was described from Laos in 2000 and remains little known scientifically, listed as data deficient, and it has not been bred in captivity.

Did you know

The sparkle in the name only shows under the right conditions. That metallic shimmer needs clean, moving, well-lit water to appear, so a dull, listless fish is often a sign the tank has gone stale.

Tank mates

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