Gecko Loach

About

Found in the fast-flowing mountain streams of lower Myanmar and western Thailand, Homalopteroides modestus is a remarkably small balitorid loach that barely reaches three-quarters of an inch as an adult. Sometimes called a lizard or gecko loach, it earns the nickname honestly: its paired fins splay out horizontally, its body is flattened top to bottom, and its underside forms a suction-cup arrangement that lets it grip rocks in powerful currents. Rather than swimming freely, it crawls and hops across hard surfaces in a way that looks almost reptilian and endlessly entertaining to watch. The caudal fin carries a distinctive pattern of a dark bar near the base, another at the tip, and a blotch in between, which helps separate it from related species. In the wild it lives in groups, and this social tendency carries over into the aquarium. Keep at least six together and you will see bolder, more active behavior and genuine interaction between individuals. Tankmates should come from similar high-oxygen, flowing-water environments. Genera like Devario, Garra, Rhinogobius, and Nemacheilid loaches work well, though a little harmless squabbling with other bottom-dwellers is normal. Reproduction in captivity has not been documented.