Above: a nice young Zebra Butterfly Loach holding onto a Lava Rock in one of our aquariums.
Comments: This is a Premium Pet Fish, and we never see Premium Fish like this in any of the live fish stores or in the online stores that we visit.
Premium Pet Fish are more energetic, hardier, and have brighter colors with a beautiful metallic sheen.
Click here to learn more about Premium Pet Fish.
Origin: These Loaches are caught in the Western Ghats area of India, which is a mountain range that runs parallel to the western coast of the Indian peninsula, and these fish now live in aquariums throughout most of the world.
Maximum Size: In aquariums Zebra Loach can grow to be about 2.5" long, including their tails.
Behaviors: Zebra Loach are active swimmers and quarrel gently with each other but are rarely aggressive.
Compatibility: Some recommended tank mates include Barbs, Rainbowfish, Danios, Gouramis, and many other small to medium size aquarium fish.
Click here to read more about compatible groups of pet fish.
Temperature: They live well from about 75 to 80+ degrees F., but they're probably most comfortable at about 78 degrees F.
Click here to learn about aquarium temperature, aquarium thermometers, and aquarium heaters.
Feeding: Premium Fish Food Flakes when very small and small Premium Pellet Food when larger.
Click here to learn more about and shop online for premium fish foods.
Water Conditions: Zebra Loaches seem to be tolerant of a wide range of water conditions. Probably a pH of about 6.5 with moderate hardness is best.
Most water in the US has a higher pH and is harder but seems to be OK, so it's probably best NOT to adjust the pH or the hardness of the water.
Here in our facilities the water is hard and the pH is usually about 7.8. We ship them in this water.
Click here for a lot more information about aquarium water conditions.
Aquarium Size: It is probably best to house these fish in at least a 30-gallon tank, when they're less than 3" long, but a bigger aquarium is almost always better.
Decor: this Loach does not need gravel, and a layer of gravel more than 1/4" thick will usually fill with bits of uneaten food that will contaminate the water.
Click here for more about aquarium gravel.
Live Plants are beautiful and improve the water quality. Zebra Loaches seem to do better in aquariums with live plants.
Aquarium Filter: Bio-Wheel Filters are highly recommended. A Penguin 350B Filter in an aquarium with 30-gallons of water is OK to start with a few Zebra Loaches that are less than 3" long.
These fish need rapidly flowing very fresh water. So it is best to have an oversized filter.
The addition of Lava Rocks will keep nitrates in the ideal range. Click here to learn more about using Lava Rocks in aquariums.
Life Span: Zebra Loaches can live for quite a few years, if they're fed premium food and kept in a very well filtered aquarium aquarium with very fresh water.
Gender: As they mature females become larger and plumper than the males, who are raised in the same group.
Breeding: There've been a few reports of these Zebra Butterfly Loaches spawning in aquariums, but it's rare.
Popularity: Zebra Loaches are somewhat popular, but should become even more popular.
Variations: We now know of no variations.
We hope you've enjoyed reading these comments.
All of our fish are Premium Quality Fish from the best suppliers in the world. Our fish have better health, more energy and brighter colors, as you can see in our pictures on this website.
We have 380-aquariums with lots-and-lots of popular aquarium fish plus lots-and-lots of rare fish!
We consider ourselves to be the link between the world's best sources of fish and the world's best customers. We love our work, and we are very responsible about caring for our fish and then shipping them carefully.
We also offer lots and lots of information about keeping and caring for pet fish, all from the knowledge of the Bailey Brothers, who have a combined total of 100+ years of experience as breeders, wholesalers, and retailers of pet fish!
Our fish and our customers are treated with the best of care, and we work energetically everyday to make sure every customer enjoys their new fishy friends.
When you purchase pet fish from us, you know you're receiving premium quality fish and premium quality service.
"Received my fish last night and was so pleased! They all arrived alive and appeared to be healthy.
"Once in the tank, they became very active and are now thriving in their new home.
"Beautiful fish, I asked for color and aquariumfish delivered. Processing and shipping was extremely quick."
Nevin and DrTom, the Bailey Brothers
This website is owned and operated by the Bailey Brothers, DrTom and Nevin, who've been together in the fish business for more than 50-years.
The Product Manager has been with the company for more than 35-years.
So we feel very confident that this is the fishiest crew anywhere.