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Encyclopedia / Loaches / Hillstream loach
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Variations

1 kinds · tap one for a closer look

Hillstream loach

Sewellia lineolata · Reticulated hillstream loach, Butterfly loach, Gold ring hillstream

Needs strong flow, cool, oxygen-rich water and algae-covered rocks.

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6 cmBody length, without tail ✓
20–24 °CTemperature ✓
6.5–7.5pH ✓
80 LSmallest tank ✓
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Tank mates
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Not recommended
  • Giant gourami eats animals up to about 10 cm. Hillstream loach only grows to 6 cm.
Not recommended
  • They need different temperatures (20–24 °C vs 26–30 °C). No setting suits both.
Not recommended
  • Oscar eats animals up to about 12 cm. Hillstream loach only grows to 6 cm.
With conditions
  • Only a narrow temperature range suits both: 23–24 °C.
With conditions
  • Only a narrow temperature range suits both: exactly 24 °C.
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible

271 species in our list are a good match.

Facts checked against sources on 16 Oct 2026. ✓ means a source backs it; ? means no reliable source yet. See sources

Care and water

Hardness ✓1–10 dGH
Group size ✓6 or more
Temperament ?Peaceful
Swims at ✓Bottom
Care level ✓Moderate
Diet Herbivore
Lifespan ?Unknown
Size in shops 3–4 cm
Growth Slow

Behavior

Needs strong flow, cool, oxygen-rich water and algae-covered rocks.

Food

Algae, biofilm, wafers.

Tap a food to see what it is.

Male or female

Seen from above, males are slimmer with a squarer snout and pectoral fins held at near right angles to the body; mature males grow small raised 'fences' of tubercles on the pectoral fins. Females have a broader body.

Health

Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.

Breeding

Rarely bred in captivity ·

Has been bred in aquaria (first in 2006) in mature, fast-flowing tanks; courtship and spawning are still poorly documented. Fry are raised on infusoria, then baby brine shrimp.

Pairing

Keep a group in a cool, fast-flowing tank.

Setup

Strong flow, clean cool well-oxygenated water, rocks with biofilm.

What starts it

Cool water and strong flow.

Eggs

Small clutches reported rarely. Hatch in a few days.

Raising the fry

Very fine foods and biofilm.

Common mistakes
  • Warm, still water
  • Low oxygen
  • Too little biofilm
Full breeding guide, day-by-day plan and simulator →

Where it lives in the wild

RegionCentral Vietnam
Rivers and lakesCoastal rivers of central Vietnam
HabitatFast, rocky, oxygen-rich streams
Native rangeAbout 250 km across
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The story of the hillstream loach

Described by Valenciennes in 1846. Its flat, sucker-like body lets it cling to rocks in shallow, fast-flowing, oxygen-rich streams of central Vietnam.

Achille Valenciennes described this loach in 1846, originally in the genus Homaloptera. Its flattened body and wide fins form a suction surface that holds it to rocks in fast water. In aquariums it needs strong current, cool water and plenty of oxygen.

First described by Achille Valenciennes in 1846.

  • Its flat body clings to rocks in fast water.
  • It grazes biofilm and algae.
  • It needs very high oxygen levels.

Sources

16 facts checked with sources