Torrent loach

Psilorhynchus robustus

Also known as Robust torrent minnow

FreshwaterFish

Care at a glance

Temperature: 64–75°F (18–24°C)
pH: 6.0–7.5
Adult size: 2.8 in (7 cm)
Minimum tank: 26 gal (100 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Social
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: No record
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Hill streams of northeastern India and Myanmar border drainages
Family: Psilorhynchidae

Overview

This is a sociable torrent fish that lives on the bottom, so keep a group of several in a tank built around flow. It holds station over gravel and stone in the current and darts between resting spots, much like an Asian hillstream loach even though it is not a true loach. It is peaceful with tankmates it cannot swallow, but current and oxygen are what keep it healthy, so a still, warm tank does not suit it. Feed sinking foods and let it graze biofilm: micro pellets, wafers, frozen bloodworm, and the algae that grows on well-lit stones. A tank of at least 100 litres with strong flow suits a group.

In the wild

It comes from clear, fast hill streams of Myanmar and the surrounding border region, holding position over gravel in quick, well-oxygenated water. Recreate that with brisk flow and high oxygen, a temperature of 18 to 24 degrees Celsius, and a soft to neutral pH of 6.0 to 7.5. A bed of gravel and smooth stone with strong current and bright light for algae growth matches its home.

Good to know

A torrent minnow of the family Psilorhynchidae, it reaches about 7 cm and was described in 2007 from the Ataran drainage in Myanmar. It is not a loach at all: its family is a separate line of cyprinoid fishes that has independently taken on the flattened, current-gripping shape of true loaches. It has no aquarium breeding record.

Did you know

Its loach-like look is a case of convergence. The torrent minnows are only distant relatives of true loaches, yet fast water has shaped both into the same low, broad-finned body built to cling in the current.