Splendid loach

Yasuhikotakia splendida

Also known as Jaguar loach

FreshwaterFish

Splendid loach (Yasuhikotakia splendida) — The Wet Spot Tropical Fish · Used with permission

Care at a glance

Temperature: 73–82°F (23–28°C)
pH: 6.0–7.5
Adult size: 4.7 in (12 cm)
Minimum tank: 42 gal (160 L)
Temperament: Mostly peaceful
Social behavior: Shoaling
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: No record
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Mekong basin, Laos
Family: Botiidae

Overview

The splendid loach is a shoaling bottom loach with the usual botiid attitude, so keep it in a group of at least five; smaller numbers let a dominant fish harry the rest, while a proper shoal keeps squabbles inside the group and brings the fish out into the open. Give each one a cave or crevice of its own among rocks and wood. It patrols constantly and eats sinking pellets, wafers, frozen foods and small snails. Fast, sturdy tankmates suit it best, so skip slow or long-finned fish it might nip. It is intolerant of stale water, so a mature, well-filtered tank of about 160 liters or more with strong flow is the baseline.

In the wild

The splendid loach comes from the Xe Pian and related tributaries of the Mekong in southern Laos, warm, clear, fast-flowing forest streams. Set it up with a soft sand floor for sifting, rounded rocks and driftwood stacked into hiding places, and brisk, well-oxygenated current from oversized filtration. Keep it warm at 23 to 28 degrees Celsius and slightly acid to neutral, pH 6.0 to 7.5, with spotless water and weekly changes, as it reacts badly to any build-up of organic waste.

Good to know

Yasuhikotakia splendida was described in 1995 and grows to about 12 centimeters. Juveniles wear tidy dark bars that break up with age into a scattered, jaguar-like pattern of spots and broken lines, so young and adult fish can look like different species. It belongs to the Botiidae, and there is no reliable record of it breeding in aquaria; the trade relies on wild and pond-raised stock.

Did you know

No two adults carry quite the same markings, and keepers of a settled group often learn to tell individuals apart by the exact scrawl of spots each one develops.

Tank mates

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