Loach Fish is a distinctive fish species from the family Cobitidae, which lives in the waters of North East India. The loach fish is a small fish with a blunt nose and spikes on its body.
It is also known as “The Loch Ness fishes.” The loach-fish has an unusual way to protect itself. It can produce tiny bubbles out of its mouth and spit them out at predators.
This makes these fishes difficult to catch because they can become temporarily invisible. This small fish is very much a lively fish. It has a strong jumping ability and is found in the slow waters of North East India. It is one of the most common loaches in North East India.
The Loach prefers to live in slow-moving streams, ponds, and rivers with mud bottoms. These fishes are found in abundance in various waters of Manipur and Assam.
They are not usually found upstream of rapids or waterfalls, but they can be located downstream of these types of water flows.
Loach Fish Characteristic
The loach has a flat body with large scales and a blunt nose. The loach is an active hunter swimmer, outrun most other fishes in the river.
Loach’s are very small in size and cannot be seen when you look at them underwater. Loaches range from 5-8cm in length, but they can reach up to 10 cm long when they grow big. Pink stripes can recognize a loach on its pale head and eyespots.
The appearance
The loach has a dark brown body with black bands on its body. The stripes are very prominent and can be seen far away. When the loach is threatened, it can temporarily disappear under the mud due to the presence of tiny air bubbles.
The body of the loach fish is flattened, with sensitive barbels (whiskers) around its mouth, which help it locate prey and detect movement in the water.
Life Spam
The life span of loach fish is approximately 10 years.
In the wild, loaches are predators; they feed on small crustaceans and insects in the mud.
Loach fish can produce tiny bubbles out of its mouth and spit them out at predators. This makes these fishes difficult to catch because they can become temporarily invisible.
Small Indentions on their bodies also help them produce sounds that distract the predator from its prey.
Habitat
In ponds and brooks, the loach fish lives on the soft bottoms of slow-flowing rivers and canals. It is rarely found upstream of rapids or waterfalls, but it can be located downstream of these types of water flows.
The loach fish are carnivores and eat mollusks, crustaceans, and insects. They also feed on worms, insects, tiny crustaceans, and a small amount of plant matter.
Loach Fish Feeding
The loach fish is an omnivorous animal and will eat small insects, crustaceans, worms, scrapes, and fish fry. Their favorite food is crayfish and small fish like their own kind.
They have a unique feeding technique; they use their sharp teeth to suck up mud from the bottom of the river.
Farming Benefit Of Loach Fish
Here are the Best 10 Tips For Farming Benefit of Loach Fish
1. Loach fish have a great taste and is a popular food in Thailand.
2. A very popular fish to fry and eat – the best way to eat them is fresh, straight out of the water.
3. Popular aquarium fish are not aggressive and are active swimmers with a nice finnage. They look great with water lilies around them, too, in natural aquariums, as well as any other plants that you might find suitable for this habitat.
4. They can tolerate changing water quality and pH levels, but they prefer a pH of 6 to 8, with a temperature of 25-28 degrees Celsius, plus they should have some water movement.
5. They prefer neutral or slightly acidic (pH from 6 to 7) with a temperature in the range of 15-26 degrees Celsius in their natural habitat (river/lake bottom).
6. They will eat almost anything that they can fit into their mouths, such as shellfish, insects, crustaceans, etc.
7. They will eat any plant life in the tank, just as long as it is not poisonous to them and they can get enough nutrition from it.
8. Treat your loach fish with proper care. Water quality is crucial to the health of your loach fish.
9. You can breed these fish in aquariums by providing a suitable environment for them to breed in (as described above).
10. When keeping Loach Fish, think about their size before purchasing them.
Conclusion
Loach fishes are great fish to keep in your aquariums. They are really fun to watch, and they don’t require special care. Loach fish can be fed with live food, a good variety of vegetables, and some fruit. They can also be provided with artificial food found in pet shops.
Loaches will eat almost anything they can fit into their mouths, including dead or dying tank mates or other loaches if there are no other options available. Thank you for reading this article
