Pinky Loach

About

Found across Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia, this obscure Southeast Asian cobitid, Lepidocephalus macrochir, turns up in the hobby only occasionally and often commands a higher price than more common loaches when it does appear. It goes by several trade names including 'pinky loach' and 'deep water kuhli loach', which hints at both its coloration and its somewhat secretive nature. It's a small, slender fish that shares its genus with just one other species. The remarkable eyeless L. spectrum from Borneo. Like all true loaches in the family Cobitidae, it carries sharp sub-ocular spines that normally lie flat beneath a fold of skin but extend outward when the fish is stressed or handled, so extra care is needed when using nets to avoid tangles or injury. In the aquarium it's peaceful toward tankmates and other members of its own kind, and keeping a group of four or more really does bring out more natural behavior. The main practical challenge is that it's naturally shy and will lose out at feeding time if housed with boisterous, fast-moving loaches. Calmer companions like Pangio species, small rasboras, or pygmy gouramis are much better choices. Breeding has not been documented in captivity.