Beautiful Beaufortia Butterfly Loaches

It is quite possible that the common name “Butterfly Loach” may have been overused. As of the writing of this, I can find at least 20, (and there are probably twice this number) of fish that are currently or have at some time been called this. In regard to similar fish, the other name that can cause some confusion is “Hillstream” as it is often used in combination with the Butterfly bit. So, without further ado, let's talk about the Hillstream Butterfly Loach. Okay, that's probably not helpful after that preamble, so why don't we talk about Beaufortia kweichowensis, the fish many consider to be the original bearer of this name. In the sake of completeness, you also see this fish marketed as the Chinese Hillstream Loach, Hong Kong Pleco, Chinese Sucker Fish.

Beaufortia kweichowensis is native to fast moving, shallow and clean mountain streams of Kweichow, China (the root of its species name). In the time since its discovery, it has also been discovered in some neighboring provinces. There they are found in loose groupings consisting of several fish, with a mix of sexes. The iconic body shape of these fish helps them stay stuck to the rocks in the heavy current where they eat and breathe easily in the elevated oxygen levels that naturally occur in these environments. Hillstream Loaches bodies function like two separate suction cups, and this allows them to move in currents that would be too strong for them to swim. As a side note, this same adaptation makes them extremely adept at literally climbing glass in the home aquarium.

Contrary to what you might have read in the past, the primary need of a Hillstream Butterfly Loach isn't flow, it's oxygen. Flow can help you get there because the more contact the water has with air, the more air it absorbs, and we still suggest having a total flow volume of 10-15 times the total tank volume; airstones and powerheads can also be used to help get this job done. The other two components of maintaining a high oxygen level are bio-load and temperature. Cooler liquids hold gas better (look up Henry's Law), and so we suggest keeping your Butterfly Loach tank on the cool side for a tropical tank, between 70 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Aquariums that have a lot of decomposing material also struggle to maintain higher oxygen levels as much of the oxygen is taken up by the decomposition process. To this end, you want to have very strong filtration, it should turn over the entire volume of the aquarium an absolute bare minimum of five times an hour and more would be better (which has the added benefit of extra flow). We further suggest an aggressive weekly water change schedule. They are not overly sensitive to hardness levels or pH as long as they are within reasonable levels.

Clear, clean water that moves quickly isn't an environment that most aquatic plants do well in, but it's perfect for algae growth, and this is the primary food of the Hillstream Butterfly Loach. While they graze on this algae, they also end up eating a good amount of small invertebrates like aquatic insects and their larvae / pupae. When feeding your Loaches in the home aquarium, you should attempt to replicate this feeding regimen as closely as possible. Avoid foods that are super protein dense like bloodworms and tubifex (except for rare snacks). They will do very well on items like Nutramar's Algae and Color Boost Shots, which are a balanced diet and offers this fish a way to graze on the food, which is a natural behavior and a big plus. They can also be fed Gamma Brine Shrimp, and Mysis as a supplmental food to a more green diet like algae wafers or Gamma Vegetarian Diet. Some hobbyists will go so far as to have an algae farm; a brightly lit tank with plenty of smooth rocks but no grazing fish where the algae can grow, and these rocks are then transferred to the Hillstream Butterfly display for fresh grazing material. It's a great mechanism, but largely unnecessary for all but the most finicky fish. Another picky-fish-hack is to utilize an extra sponge filter in the display, which will collect food and grow algae for the Loaches to graze on.

As we previously referenced, the conditions these fish like aren't incredibly conducive to planted tanks, though the Hillstream Butterfly Loach won't actually bother the plants if you go down that road. That's really the story for most possible tankmates for Beaufortia kweichowensis, you're looking for peaceful fish that love current and cool water. We suggest keeping the Hillstreams in groups of five or more, which will make them more bold and adventurous. Males may squabble a bit, and will attempt to cover each other up in what amounts to harmless posturing in the end and is often referred to as “topping.” Other good tankmates are fish like other Hillstream Loaches (who will also get topped), Halfbeaks, Akysis Catfish, Danios and Rasboras etc.

The fish you choose to keep with your Hillstream Butterfly Loaches will have something to do with the tank you keep them in. Among all the fish that share these common names, Beaufortia kweichowensis are among the largest and even with that tidbit, they are still pretty small fish, never getting much bigger than two and a half inches long. You could keep a small group (five or six) in a tank as small as 20 gallons. If you wanted more fish than this, a little bigger tank could give you extra holding capacity. These tanks should be decorated with smooth rocks and pebbles or soft sand for substrate, with well worn wood if any is desired. We briefly touched on these fish being able to climb glass, and we weren't exaggerating, so make sure your aquarium is covered up snug. Lighting is really immaterial, but since these Loaches love to graze on algae, bright lights, or even a portion of the day with natural daylight will help the tank grow a nice crop of food for your fish.

The Hillstream Butterfly Loach is one of aquarium keeping's coolest fish. They are fun to watch, beautifully marked and shaped like nothing you've ever seen before. They are peaceful and quite hardy given the proper conditions. If you're the kind of aquarist who is interested in keeping such an amazing fish in their aquariums, head over to your Local Fish Store and ask them about getting your half a dozen Beaufortia kweichowensis from Aquatropic today!