Zollinger's lizard loach

Balitoropsis zollingeri

Also known as Homaloptera zollingeri, Black Lizard Loach

FreshwaterFish

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
Origin: Sundaland: Sumatra, Java and Borneo
Family: Balitoridae

Overview

Standard lizard-loach care applies here: a small group on the bottom of a mature tank with pumping flow, cool-leaning warmth, and plenty of oxygen. It grazes the film on smooth rock and wood and takes fine sinking foods, so keep good grazing surfaces going and add small sinking pellets and frozen bloodworm or daphnia. It is peaceful and sociable at low density, and strictly a look-not-touch neighbor: tankmates should be other fish that want the same fast, clean water. About 90 liters with strong current gives a group room to settle.

In the wild

Zollinger's lizard loach lives in swift streams across the Sunda region, spanning Sumatra, Java, and Borneo. It needs current and the oxygen that comes with it, along with smooth rock and wood to rest on, temperatures of 21 to 26 degrees Celsius, and pH around 6.0 to 7.5. A hillstream tank driven by strong pumps, with mature grazing surfaces, comes closest to the fast water it lives in.

Good to know

Long known as Homaloptera zollingeri, this species is now placed in the genus Balitoropsis. It reaches around 8 centimeters, occasionally a little larger, and belongs to the river-loach family Balitoridae, a dark, near-black loach with faint blotching. It was named by Pieter Bleeker in 1853 for the Swiss naturalist Heinrich Zollinger, who supplied the specimens. No spawning has been reported in home aquariums.

Did you know

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

Tank mates

Zollinger's lizard loach is a peaceful, social species that keeps to the bottom. These picks match on water type, temperature, pH, size and temperament.