Erromyzon kalotaenia – Beautiful Red‑Spotted Loach (≈4.8 cm)

📦 Product Description

The Beautiful Red‑Spotted Loach (Erromyzon kalotaenia) is a rare and elegantly marked hillstream loach endemic to fast-flowing tributaries of the Guijiang River in Guangxi, China Reddit+15FishBase+15species.wikimedia.org+15. It reaches a maximum standard length of about 4.8 cm and features 9–12 distinctive, squarish reddish‑to‑brown blotches across its flanks, creating a subtle yet striking pattern fishbase.mnhn.fr+3FishBase+3treatment.plazi.org+3.

🧰 Care Instructions

Tank Requirements

• Minimum tank size: ~20 US gallons (≈75 L), with a long footprint

• Substrate: smooth sand or fine gravel

• Decor: flat river stones and driftwood for grazing and shelter

• Flow: Strong water movement mimicking river currents (turnover ~10–15× volume per hour)

• Lighting: Moderate to bright (to encourage natural algae growth)

Water Conditions

• Temperature: 64–75°F (18–24 °C)

• pH: 6.0–7.5 (neutral to slightly acidic)

• Hardness: Soft to moderately hard (up to ~12 dGH)

Diet

• Naturally grazes on algae and biofilm

• Supplement with algae wafers or spirulina sinking pellets

• Offer occasional blanched vegetables (spinach, zucchini)

• Provide live or frozen foods such as brine shrimp, bloodworms, or daphnia

Behavior & Tank Mates

• Peaceful species; best maintained in groups of 3 or more

• Compatible with other small, peaceful species such as danios, rasboras, gobies, and shrimp

• May exhibit mild territorial displays among conspecifics but no aggression

Maintenance

• Maintain stable, mature aquarium conditions with established algae

• Perform regular partial water changes (20–30% weekly)

• Avoid over-cleaning surfaces that support biofilm—this species relies on it for grazing