Photo thanks to JayIII

Name:
Scientific name: Sewellia lineolata - Reticulated Hillstream Loach
Common name: Reticulated Hillstream Loach
AKA: Tiger Hillstream Loach.

Country of origin: Asia - Vietnam

pH: 6.0 - 7.5
Temperature: 20 - 24c
Hardness: kH 10 - 15
Water flow: High
Oxygenation: High. Prefers faster running water (using filter outlets) and additional oxygenation with airstones.

Maximum size: Grows up to 6.5cm.

Photo thanks to JayIII

Diet: Algae, algae wafers, spirulina, pellets, vegetables, frozen brine shrimp, blackworms. They are omnivores, however mine only ate algae from walls, and ensuring they had adequate supplies & stick-to-the-wall pellets was an issue.

Breeding: They are egg scatterers in the gravel, which can be provoked by a rise in temperature by 2c, then a cool water change. They do not predate on the fry once they reach 5mm, but will prior to this. Suitable infusoria can be provided once the fry have been noticed, as no timeline for hatching has been recorded to date.

Photo thanks to Gmale. The thread is here:
http://www.aquariumlife.com.au/showt...llia+lineolata

Tank companions: Not seen to hunt shrimplets past 2 days. If you're wanting to breed them then having them in a species tank is wise. Having them with shrimp is not an issue, but I found that having them with microfish was a major problem. Although they are said to be the most assertive of loaches, they are certianly not more assertive than other varieties of fish. When algae tabs were stuck on the wall nearby to them, to supplement their feed, before they were able to move the inch over to them, other fish would move in and intimidate the loach, which would miss out every time.

Its habitat does not normally contain plants, only fast moving water, which allows the growth of algae on rocks which the loaches feed on. It can have plants in the tank, as the plants would provide a greater surface area for algae.

Sewellia lineolata are NOT legal imports to Australia as of 20/10/2013:
http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiv...mport-list.pdf
however they may have been on previous import lists, have entered Australia prior to the implementation of import lists, or been misidentified on importation.

The IUCN Red List reports Sewellia lineolata as a species which is vulnerable, with a decreasing population trend at 20/10/2013:
http://www.iucnredlist.org/search

It is very important not to release any aquarium specimens into our waterways. Any that are not sold or re-homed/ given away, can often be re-sold to aquarium stores. If they are homed in ponds, care should be taken that they cannot escape in run-off into our waterways. Even if fish are native & local they should not be moved from one waterway to another, as this can transfer disease. If they are not local fish, they can both spread disease and either out-compete or eat local fish, shrimp & plants, causing their demise.

It is a good fish for experienced hobbyitsts.


Photo thanks to loaches4all