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Striped spined loach

Cobitis striata

Also known as Japanese striped loach

FreshwaterFish

Striped spined loach (Cobitis striata)

Care at a glance

Temperature
57–72°F
14–22°C
pH
6.5–7.5
Adult size
3.9 in
10 cm
Minimum tank
29 gal
110 L
Temperament
Peaceful
Social behavior
Social
Swim level
Bottom
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
No record
Rarity
Rare
Family
Cobitidae
Origin
Japan and Korea

Overview

The striped spined loach is a peaceful bottom loach for a cool, unheated tank. It is a step up from the easiest fish.

Did you know

In Japan, spined loaches like this one use flooded rice paddies as nurseries. The seasonal flooding that grows the rice crop also gives them quiet, warm shallows to spawn in and raise their young.

Caring for the striped spined loach

Keep striped spined loaches in an unheated tank of at least 29 gal (110 L), with a deep bed of fine sand. They forage by sifting mouthfuls of sand through their gills, so the sand is a welfare need, not decoration. When startled, they dive straight into it and vanish. Avoid sharp gravel, which they cannot burrow into safely.

Hold the water at 57 to 72°F (14 to 22°C) with a pH of 6.5 to 7.5 and a gentle current. It is a temperate loach and needs no tropical heat. A cool spell in winter mirrors its natural rhythm. Offer sinking foods, frozen bloodworm and chopped earthworm, ideally toward dusk, when it is most active.

Striped spined loaches are social and calmer in a small group. Keep them with peaceful, cool-water company rather than tropical fish. There is no established record of them breeding in home aquaria.

Good to know

Cobitis striata is a spined loach in the family Cobitidae. Its rows of blotches often merge into the stripes that give it its name. It belongs to a complex of very similar Japanese loaches. Researchers have shown that several genetically distinct populations shelter under this one name.

In the wild

The striped spined loach lives in cool lowland streams, ditches and rice paddies across Japan and Korea. It keeps to soft bottoms in slow water.

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Tank mates

The striped spined loach is a 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 striped spined loach need?

A striped spined loach needs at least 29 gal (110 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH does a striped spined loach need?

A striped spined loach is comfortable at 57–72°F (14–22°C) with a pH of 6.5–7.5.

What does a striped spined loach eat?

A striped spined loach eats sinking foods, frozen bloodworm and chopped earthworm. Feed it toward dusk, when it is most active.

How big does a striped spined loach get?

An adult striped spined loach reaches about 3.9 in (10 cm).

Related species