TankBud

Tweedie's hillstream loach

Homalopteroides tweediei

Also known as Tweedie's lizard loach

FreshwaterFish

Tweedie's hillstream loach (Homalopteroides tweediei)
The Wet Spot Tropical Fish · Used with permission

Care at a glance

Temperature
70–79°F
21–26°C
pH
6.0–7.5
Adult size
1.6 in
4 cm
Minimum tank
14 gal
54 L
Temperament
Peaceful
Social behavior
Social
Swim level
Bottom
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
No record
Rarity
Rare
Family
Balitoridae
Origin
Forest streams of the Malay Peninsula and Borneo

Overview

Tweedie's hillstream loach is a small, mild-mannered loach that hops between perches on wood and leaf litter rather than pinning itself to boulders. It is best kept by someone with a little experience.

Did you know

Many loaches in its family use a broad, sucker-like underside to hold station in whitewater. Tweedie's hillstream loach barely clings at all, living instead in the quiet stretches where the current has already eased off.

Caring for the Tweedie's hillstream loach

A settled tank of at least 14 gal (54 L) houses a small group of Tweedie's hillstream loaches. Give them steady, gentle flow rather than a fierce current, with sand, leaf litter and wood on the bottom.

Oxygen and cleanliness still matter in calmer water, so keep it clean and well oxygenated. Aim for 70 to 79°F (21 to 26°C) and a pH of 6.0 to 7.5. They graze biofilm and take small foods, so provide fine sinking pellets and micro frozen foods along with well-grown surfaces.

Keep a few together, since they are social and peaceful. They mix easily with other calm fish that tolerate clean, oxygenated water. This loach is not known to have been bred in aquariums.

Good to know

Tweedie's hillstream loach, Homalopteroides tweediei, is one of the smaller members of the river-loach family Balitoridae. Herre described it in 1940. It honors Michael Tweedie, a curator at the Raffles Museum in Singapore who helped collect it. It is also sold as Tweedie's lizard loach.

In the wild

Tweedie's hillstream loach lives in gentle forest streams of the Malay Peninsula and Borneo. It keeps to moderate current among living and fallen vegetation rather than raging rapids.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The Tweedie's hillstream 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 Tweedie's hillstream loach need?

A Tweedie's hillstream loach needs at least 14 gal (54 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH does a Tweedie's hillstream loach need?

A Tweedie's hillstream loach is comfortable at 70–79°F (21–26°C) with a pH of 6.0–7.5.

What does a Tweedie's hillstream loach eat?

A Tweedie's hillstream loach grazes biofilm and takes small foods. Give it fine sinking pellets and micro frozen foods along with well-grown surfaces to graze.

How big does a Tweedie's hillstream loach get?

An adult Tweedie's hillstream loach reaches about 1.6 in (4 cm).

Related species