Tiger hillstream loach

Care at a glance

Overview

The tiger hillstream loach is a finely patterned, flat-bodied grazer that clings to rocks and glass in fast water. It is social and peaceful, so keep a group of six or more and they will fan out across the hard surfaces, feeding and displaying to one another through the day. Their main food is the biofilm and algae on stones, topped up with sinking wafers, biofilm blocks, and small frozen foods once a mature film has built. Pair them with calm, cool-water fish that enjoy the same strong current. A group needs a well-oxygenated tank of around 95 liters or larger with brisk flow and lots of rockwork.

In the wild

Sewellia lineolata comes from central Vietnam, where it lives in shallow, fast-flowing streams tumbling over rock and cobble in cool, oxygen-saturated water. It needs those conditions recreated closely, around 20 to 24 C with a pH from about 6 to 7.5 and a powerful current. Use a strong filter or powerhead to drive the flow, provide smooth stones and cobbles for grazing and spawning, and keep the tank mature so a rich film of algae develops. High oxygen, cool temperatures, and spotless water are the foundations of keeping this fish well.

Good to know

Sewellia lineolata is a member of Gastromyzontidae, the hillstream loaches, and grows to about 6.5 cm. Its flattened body and fused paired fins form a suction disc that holds it against rock in ripping current, and it has no eye spine like the botiid loaches. Unusually for a hillstream loach, it will breed in a mature, well-run aquarium, scattering eggs that fall into gaps in the gravel, though coaxing and raising the fry is difficult. It gives no parental care.

Did you know

The tiger hillstream loach is one of the very few hillstream loaches that breeds in home aquariums, which is why tank-raised Sewellia are now widely available. Given strong flow, cool water, and a mature tank, established groups will spawn on their own without hormones or special conditioning.

Related species

• Spotted hillstream loach

  Gastromyzon punctulatus

  2.6 in (6.5 cm)20 gal (75 L)68–75°F (20–24°C)

• 

  Butterfly Loach

  Beaufortia kweichowensis

  3 in (7.5 cm)25 gal (95 L)61–75°F (16–24°C)

• 

  Borneo hillstream loach

  Gastromyzon ctenocephalus

  1.6 in (4 cm)20 gal (75 L)68–75°F (20–24°C)
• Panda loach

  Yaoshania pachychilus

  2.8 in (7 cm)20 gal (75 L)64–75°F (18–24°C)
• Chinese butterfly loach

  Pseudogastromyzon cheni

  2.4 in (6 cm)20 gal (75 L)64–75°F (18–24°C)

• 

  Red hillstream loach

  Beaufortia leveretti

  3.1 in (8 cm)24 gal (90 L)64–75°F (18–24°C)