Gecko Loach

About

Found in the forested blackwater streams of Peninsular Malaysia and western Borneo, Homaloptera ogilviei is a small, flattened loach that rarely exceeds two inches. Its body is a pale pinkish-brown scattered with irregular dark markings, the most prominent of which forms a saddle across the back and reaches into the dorsal fin. What sets it apart from close relatives is its vertically oriented paired fins, rather than the horizontal arrangement typical of other balitorids, which researchers suspect reflects a preference for submerged wood and vegetation over open rock. At rest the fish props itself up on the tips of its pectoral, pelvic, anal, and caudal fins, giving it that lizard-like posture that has earned the whole group the nickname gecko or lizard loach. In aquaria it clings to surfaces and crawls in that characteristic balitorid fashion rather than swimming freely in open water. This species is a genuine rarity in the hobby, showing up occasionally as accidental bycatch in shipments of other fish. It is not aggressive, but its blackwater origins mean tankmate selection takes some research. Keep a group of six or more. Solitary individuals are shy and subdued, while a proper group will cluster together facing the current and interact in ways that are genuinely entertaining to watch. Breeding in captivity has not been documented.