Thuttinjet stone loach

Nemacheilus stigmofasciatus

Also known as Marked-band stone loach

FreshwaterFish

Care at a glance

Temperature: 68–79°F (20–26°C)
pH: 6.5–7.5
Adult size: 2.4 in (6 cm)
Minimum tank: 20 gal (75 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Social
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: No record
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Western Ghats streams, Karnataka, India
Family: Nemacheilidae

Overview

This is a small, busy stone loach that lives on the bottom of fast, clean water. It is peaceful and social, so keep it as a group over an open floor of sand and gravel with scattered stones, which lets the fish spread out and interact without real friction. Pair it with other calm, current-loving stream fish rather than slow or nippy tankmates. It spends the day working the substrate, sifting and tasting for food, and it eats sinking granules, frozen bloodworm, daphnia, and similar small foods. Because it needs room to patrol and steady flow, give it a tank of around 75 liters with good oxygen.

In the wild

Nemacheilus stigmofasciatus is known from a single fast-flowing stream in the Western Ghats of Karnataka, India, a rocky river dropping through cascades and pools over pebbles and boulders. Match it with 20 to 26 degrees Celsius, a pH of 6.5 to 7.5, brisk current, and high oxygen. A floor of gravel, sand, and water-worn stone, kept clean, suits the fish and shows off its banded pattern.

Good to know

This stone loach belongs to Nemacheilidae and reaches about 6 centimeters, patterned with a row of dark bands and blotches over a pale gold body. It was described only in 2009 from the Seethanathi River, and so far it has been recorded from nowhere else, making it a Western Ghats endemic. It has not been recorded breeding in tanks.

Did you know

The name Thuttinjet comes straight from the map. It is the village and stream in coastal Karnataka where the loach was first collected, and so far the only place it has ever been found.

Tank mates

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