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Peppered LoachPeppered Dojo Loach, Guntea loach, Scavenger LoachFamily: Cobitidae Lepidocephalichthys gunteaPhoto © Animal-World: Courtesy Ken ChildsLatest Reader Comment - See More This fish are so nice.My peppered loach clean my aquarium fallen food.Like all loach,when day hide in the cave. bruno The Peppered Loach is one of those cute but shy burrowing loaches, that will quickly disappear!Peppered Loach Contents The Peppered Loach Lepidocephalichthys guntea is absolutely a wonderful looking fish. This is a moderately sized loach that can grow to between 4 to 6 inches (10 - 15 cm) in the wild, but will usually stay smaller in the aquarium. Its form is long and cylindrical, almost eel-like. Being quite timid, if it is frightened it will disappear quite quickly, wiggling into the substrate. The Peppered Loach has a rather grayish or yellowish body color with a paler belly. There is a light horizontal stripe running the length of the body with various sized blotches and specks above and below it. There are also as numberous dark specks on the dorsal and tail fin. All this splotching and speckling gives rise to a rather "peppered" looking fish, as its common name implies. Other common names it is known by are Guntea loach, derived from its scientific description, Peppered Dojo Loach, reflecting its similar shape and behaviors to those of the popular Dojo Loach Misgurnus anguillicaudatus, and Scavenger Loach. Being quite shy, the Peppered Loach likes to burrow into the substrate to hide. It will use the first spine on its dorsal fin to help dig itself in. It truly is a Scavenger Loach, as it also likes to root out various worms and other foods it can find buried. It will quite litteraly take mouthfuls of the substrate and filter them through its gills for food morsels. Provide a soft substrate of sand or fine gravel and have a good filter for the detritus they stir up. They are equiped to deal with adverse conditions however. These are one of the many Cobitidae species that have a unique intestine that can act as a respiratory organ. They can dart to the surface to gulp air. This is indicative of their coping abilitly during dry periods in their natural habitat. The water can become sluggish or stagnant, often taken over by macrophytic algae blooms that result in depleted oxygen. So rather than using their gills, they will gulp surface air to breathe. The Peppered Loach is hardy and not difficult to keep as long as they have the right environment. They are most active at night and will retreat during the day, squeezing under the ornamentation. Wood and flat river type rocks work well. Plants are nice but be sure they are potted. This loach is peaceful with most tank mates, and is suitable to keep in a community environment with other peaceful fish. For Information on keeping freshwater fish, see: |
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Care and feeding: Since they are omnivorous, the Peppered Loach will generally eat all kinds of live foods, sinking pelleted and tablet foods, flakes, and algae. They like frozen foods as well. To keep a good balance give them a high quality flake or tablet food everyday. Feed mosquito larvae and brine shrimp (either live or frozen), tubifex, daphnia, and some vegetable foods such as algae wafers.
This fish prefers a good sized aquarium (30 gallons or more) with places for retreat such as flat river type rocks and wood. Also use subdued lighting. They do best with frequent water changes of about 10% a week. Because they are constantly scavenging for tidbits and burying themselves in the substrate, use a sand or fine gravel that does not have sharp edges. Be sure to provide hardy plants with the roots protected.
Distribution: The Peppered Loach Lepidocephalichthys guntea are found in Asia: Pakistan, northern India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand, and the Salween basin. Other common names they are known by include Guntea loach, Peppered Dojo Loach, and Scavenger Loach.
They inhabit slow moving and sluggish waters of streams as well as calm waters of swamps and flooded areas. They feed by sifting the substrata through their gills, extracting insect larvae, small crustaceaons, and other micro foods.
The Peppered Loach is a medium sized loach that is long and cylindrical. It has a rather grayish yellow body color that is paler on the belly. A light horizontal stripe runs from its nose back to the base of its tail with a series of dark blotches above and below the length of the stripe. This gives it a rather 'peppered' look. There are also numerous small dark spots on the dorsal and tail fin. It also has a two-pronged spine under the eye and four pairs of barbels.
Size - Weight: These fish are can reach about 4 - 6" (10 - 15 cm) usually staying smaller in the aquarium.
Social Behaviors: A peaceful community fish, they get along well with other non-aggressive tank mates. They are quite lively and active, especially in the evening. They will scavenge about the substrate for tidbits of food and love to dig and burrow.
Water Region: Top, Middle, Bottom: These fish are mostly bottom dwellers.
Acceptable Water Conditions: Hardness: unknown
Ph: 6.5-7.5
Temp: 75 -80° F (24 -27° C)
Breeding/Reproduction: The Peppered Loach have not yet been bred in the aquarium and they are not yet bred commercially.
Availability: The Peppered Loach is occasionally available.
- Animal-World References: Freshwater Fish and Plants
- Dr. Rüdiger Riehl and Hans A. Baensch, Aquarium Atlas Vol. 1, Publisher Hans A. Baensch, 1991
- Dr. R{uuml}diger Riehl and Hans A. Baensch, Aquarium Atlas Vol. 4 , Mergus Verlag (June 30, 2004)
- Lepidocephalichthys guntea, Seriously Fish, 2011
- Leptobotia elongata (Bleeker, 1870), Fishbase.org
- Bratz Walker, Sharks and Loaches, T.F.H. Publications, Inc., 1974
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