Tri-band sumo loach

Care at a glance

Overview

Like the sumo loach, this is a one-per-tank fish unless the aquarium is large and broken into many territories; it bullies its own kind and similar bottom dwellers. Robust midwater fish above, a cave it can own below, and meaty sinking foods keep it content.

In the wild

The tri-band sumo loach lives in upper reaches of the Ataran drainage on the Myanmar side of the Thai border, in flowing oxygen-rich water. Give it a river-style tank: current, cobbles, caves, 22 to 26 degrees Celsius, pH 6.5 to 7.5.

Good to know

Schistura ataranensis was formally separated in the 2023 revision of the Schistura cincticauda group and reaches about 8 centimeters. It is a close relative of the sumo loach, wearing three broad saddle bands where its cousin wears two.

Did you know

Traded for years as a color form of the sumo loach, it needed DNA work published in 2023 to make the third band official.

Common questions

Related species

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• 

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• 

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