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This page will give a completely detailed profile of the selected
fish, from A to Z. The profiled fish will be chosen randomly by Badman,
and will come from the complete genre of tropical fish. New profiles
are added on a regular basis. If you would like to submit a profile
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with this fish by filling out the
Psuedogastromyzon cheni
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Overview:
One of the more popular loaches on this site. The Cheni loach is best
for the specialist and kept in a river
tank set up. Much of this information was gathered from a chat transcript,
hosted for badman's and the speaker was Martin Thoene, probably the
most knowledgeable expert in the river loach field. You can view the
transcript
here
Thank you Craig for the photos.
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Quick stats:
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Listed tank sizes are the minimum
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| Size: |
Up to 2.5" (6cm) Total Length |
| Tank: |
55+ gallons |
| Strata: |
Bottom |
| PH: |
6.5 to 7.5 |
| Hardness: |
Soft to medium. dH range: to 9.0 |
| Temperature: |
72ºF to 76ºF (22-24°C) |
Classification:
| Family: |
Balitoridae |
| Order: |
Cypriniformes |
| Class: |
Actinopterygii |
| Genera: |
Psuedogastromyzon |
| Species: |
Cheni |
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General Body Form::
Streamlined and aerodynamic the hillstream loaches are perfect for
their environment. Flat on the bottom with a large rounded head and
a trailing body.
Coloration:
Not a striking fish the body is basically brown with an interesting
molted pattern. The Dorsal fin is often fringed with a bright red edge.
Maintenance:
The most important aspect of keeping the Cheni is water quality. The
aquarium must have fast flowing water from one side to the other This
not only serves to keep the fish active but keeps up the oxygen levels
they need. The substrate should be small rounded pebbles, with driftwood
and larger stones placed in areas directly in the water flow but not
enough to hinder it. Plants may be added in the sheltered areas where
the current will naturally be less. Bright light is needed to promote
a nice growth of algae on the rocks and wood. The Cheni will graze on
the algae but it should not be considered the staple of its diet. High
quality flake food as well as brine shrimp and frozen food should be
given regularly. The temperature needed by these fish is not really
tropical and if you try to keep the water warmer its ability to absorb
oxygen will be reduced and the fish will suffer. Hillstreams are not
schoolers but will tolerate others of the same species. Good tankmates
could include the White cloud mountain minnow, Zebra danio and the leopard
danio.
Biotope:
Algae covered wood and stones in fast flowing clear streams of southern
China
Breeding:
Pseudogastromyzon cheni have been bred by quite a few people. Their
courtship consists of the male dancing around the female, fluttering
his fins. He digs a spawning pit under the edge of a rock with his tail.
The fish spawn, then bury the eggs. Babies hatch and are quite big when
they first appear above the gravel.The babies are quite slow growing
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