I’m really excited to have these in the fishroom – they’re just gorgeous. They’re also somewhat variable in color. Schistura cf. balteata, or “Sumo Loach II”, is an active, out and about species in my fishroom. They tend to sit on top of my sponge filters and readily feed from the water column. Reports suggest they can be quarrelsome with each other, although I’ve not noticed anything serious between them. They otherwise seem to ignore other fish I’ve placed them with.
Most reports suggest these are fish which come from rapidly flowing water; I’m not giving them water current, but all holding tanks here are heavily aerated via their sponge filters. There are rumors that they’ve been successfully bred…I’d love to see those rumors turn into fact! What a great project it would be. The fish I’m offering for sale are varied in size; I’d say they average around 2″ in length.
Additional Reading:
http://www.loaches.com/species-index/schistura-cf-balteata
http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/schistura-balteata/
http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/content.php?sid=2598