Variations
1 kinds · tap one for a closer look
Spined loach
Peaceful, shy and mostly nocturnal.
- Spined loach needs cool water and makes a lot of waste, while Cardinal tetra is tropical.
- They need different temperatures (8–22 °C vs 23–29 °C). No setting suits both.
- Spined loach needs cool water and makes a lot of waste, while Serpae tetra is tropical.
- Only a narrow temperature range suits both: exactly 22 °C.
- Spined loach needs cool water and makes a lot of waste, while X-ray tetra is tropical.
- They need different temperatures (8–22 °C vs 24–28 °C). No setting suits both.
- Only a narrow temperature range suits both: 21–22 °C.
- Only a narrow temperature range suits both: 21–22 °C.
154 species in our list are a good match.
Care and water
Behavior
Peaceful, shy and mostly nocturnal. Needs sand and coldwater tankmates.
- cool
- sand
Food
Sinking pellets, frozen bloodworm, small live foods.
Tap a food to see what it is.
Male or female
Health
Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.
Breeding
Seasonal spawner · Hard
Spawns in spring in groups; seldom bred commercially.
Group in spring.
Coldwater tank or pond with sand and plants.
Cold winter then spring warming.
Hundreds of eggs.
Fry take infusoria and brine shrimp.
- No winter cooling
Where it lives in the wild
The story of the spined loach
A small European coldwater loach that burrows in sand and sleeps by day. Has a sharp spine under each eye.
Linnaeus described the spined loach in 1758. It spends much of its time buried in sand, sifting it for food. It is named for the small forked spine under each eye.
First described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758. Named for 'taenia' means 'ribbon' or 'band'.
- It sifts sand through its gills to find food.
- A small spine under each eye can be raised for defence.
- Its rows of dark spots help camouflage it on sand.