Banded Stone Loach Care Guide
Schistura balteata is a Myanmar stone loach with bold dark-and-orange banding, an energetic, territorial fish needing fast, oxygen-rich water.
Compiled by Aquairi from published sources · Published · Updated
Overview
Schistura balteata is a stone loach of the family Nemacheilidae, recognised by bold dark and orange banding. It is an energetic, territorial bottom-dweller of clear, fast-flowing waters that occupies and defends a chosen shelter.
Taxonomy
- Family: Nemacheilidae
- Genus: Schistura
- Scientific name: Schistura balteata
Habitat
Seriously Fish reports the species from the Great Tenasserim (Tanintharyi) river system in southern Myanmar and western Thailand. It inhabits clear, well-oxygenated, fast-flowing watersheds and headwaters with rocky substrates and forest cover.
Tank requirements
- Minimum tank volume: 100 L
- Temperature: 22-26 °C (72-79 °F)
- pH: 6.5-7.5
- GH: 5-12 °dGH
- Water flow: high, well-oxygenated
- Maximum size: about 7-8 cm
- Lifespan: 4-6 years
Diet
It is primarily carnivorous, feeding on small insects, worms, crustaceans and other zooplankton with minimal plant matter. In aquaria it accepts live and frozen foods such as Daphnia and bloodworm, supplemented with sinking prepared feeds.
Compatibility
It is territorial and somewhat aggressive; once acclimatised, individuals select and defend a particular cave or sheltered space against conspecifics. Provide rocky structures and broken lines of sight, and keep with robust hillstream loaches rather than slow-water fish.
Banded Stone Loach (Schistura balteata) Breeding Guide
Overview
Schistura balteata is a stone loach of the family Nemacheilidae, genus Schistura — the most species-rich nemacheilid genus, with some 190 members. According to Seriously Fish it inhabits clear, well-oxygenated, fast-flowing water around watersheds and headwaters in Myanmar and Thailand, in high-gradient streams and even cascades with substrates of coarse sand, gravel, rocks and boulders and minimal aquatic vegetation.
Sexing
Males can be identified by noticeably enlarged mouthparts and 'cheeks', most visible when the fish is viewed from above or head-on. Females tend to be slightly thicker-bodied, especially when full of eggs.
Breeding Setup
A breeding-oriented setup recreates the natural high-gradient stream: clear, cool, strongly oxygenated, fast-moving water over coarse sand, gravel, rocks and boulders, with little plant growth. This environment supports adult condition and is the basis for any experimental spawning attempt.