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Zollinger's lizard loach

Balitoropsis zollingeri

Also known as Homaloptera zollingeri, Black Lizard Loach

FreshwaterFish

Zollinger's lizard loach (Balitoropsis zollingeri)

Care at a glance

Temperature
70–79°F
21–26°C
pH
6.0–7.5
Adult size
3.1 in
8 cm
Minimum tank
24 gal
90 L
Temperament
Peaceful
Social behavior
Social
Swim level
Bottom
Difficulty
Difficult
Breeding
No record
Rarity
Rare
Family
Balitoridae
Origin
Sundaland: Sumatra, Java and Borneo

Overview

Zollinger's lizard loach is a dark, peaceful hillstream loach that takes standard lizard-loach care. It is a fish for experienced keepers.

Did you know

Zollinger's lizard loach is named for the Swiss naturalist Heinrich Zollinger, who was mainly a botanist and whose name many plants still carry. He collected across the Dutch East Indies and sent his fish specimens to Pieter Bleeker. Bleeker returned the compliment by naming this loach after him.

Caring for the Zollinger's lizard loach

Keep a small group of Zollinger's lizard loaches on the bottom of a mature hillstream tank of at least 24 gal (90 L). Drive it with strong pumps, since this loach needs current and the oxygen that comes with it. Add smooth rock and wood for it to rest on.

Keep the water cool-leaning, at 70 to 79°F (21 to 26°C), with a pH of 6.0 to 7.5. It grazes the film on smooth rock and wood and takes fine sinking foods. Keep good grazing surfaces going, and add small sinking pellets and frozen bloodworm or daphnia.

Zollinger's lizard loach is peaceful and sociable at low density, and strictly a look-not-touch neighbor. Its tank mates should be other fish that want the same fast, clean water. No spawning has been reported in home aquariums.

Good to know

Zollinger's lizard loach was long known as Homaloptera zollingeri and is now placed in the genus Balitoropsis. Bleeker named it in 1853, and it belongs to the river-loach family Balitoridae. It is a dark, near-black loach with faint blotching, and it is also sold as the black lizard loach.

In the wild

Zollinger's lizard loach lives in swift streams across the Sunda region, spanning Sumatra, Java and Borneo.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The Zollinger's lizard 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 Zollinger's lizard loach need?

A Zollinger's lizard loach needs at least 24 gal (90 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH does a Zollinger's lizard loach need?

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

What does a Zollinger's lizard loach eat?

A Zollinger's lizard loach grazes the film on smooth rock and wood and takes fine sinking foods. Small sinking pellets and frozen bloodworm or daphnia suit it.

How big does a Zollinger's lizard loach get?

An adult Zollinger's lizard loach reaches about 3.1 in (8 cm).

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