The Butterfly Loach For Community TanksWhile the natural habitat of Butterfly Loach fish is in fast moving streams of water, they adapt easily to aquarium life. The water in streams is fully saturated with oxygen and is usually cool in temperature, but the Butterfly Loach living in an aquarium adjusts to aquarium water temperatures with or without heaters, and can do without the constant moving waters of a stream quite nicely.Another name for Butterfly Loaches is “Hill Stream Loach”, because of where they live. The Butterfly Loach is quite entertaining to watch in an aquarium as they can often be seen sucking on the side of the aquarium glass. This gives you a view of their underbellies! The temperature of the aquarium water for your Butterfly Loach fish will depend on the other fish that share the tank since Butterfly Loaches can adapt to heated or unheated water. You will want to be sure the gravel at the bottom of the tank is under ¼ inch however, for optimum living conditions. Butterfly Loach fish are most commonly fed the standard floating flake food. You can choose to give them sinking food pellets if you wish, but too much of this food that doesn’t get eaten will pollute and contaminate the water so care must be taken if using pellet food. Butterfly Loach fish respond well to an occasional treat of frozen or life Black Worms and brine shrimp. Butterfly Loaches are quite compatible with many fish varieties, including Goldfish that are kept in outdoor, cool water ponds. Inside, heated aquariums can contain Butterfly Loach with Gouramis, Danios, Ranbows, Barbs, or a single Rainbow Shark or a single Red Tail shark. The typical life span of a Butterfly Loach is several years, with the maximum size averaging about 3” in length. |