We have received a very small number of one of the smallest and definitely one of the prettiest loaches in Thailand: Schistura pridii. These cute black and white dwarfs grow to only 3-4.5 cm in length. As far as known, this species, which was only scientifically described in 2003, only occurs in shallow, fast-flowing forest streams 30-100 cm deep with stony, gravelly bottoms in the upper Mae Teng River basin in Chiang Mai Province.
Due to its limited range, only a few specimens are caught each year so as not to endanger the population. Fortunately, a large part of the known occurrences are located in a nature reserve (the Doi Chiang Dao Wildlife Sanctuary). For dedicated aquarists, breeding these cute fish is a wonderful challenge. We are not aware of any breeding reports, but it can be assumed that breeding is similar to that of hillstream loches (Sewellia).
The water in its natural habitat has a high current speed, is cool (64-75°F), relatively hard, and slightly alkaline. The substrate should consist of gravel that is not too fine in order to accommodate the high current speed; hollow, slightly larger stones serve as resting and hiding places. The species is not picky about food. Sexual differences are only slight and consist mainly in the slightly larger body size of the female. The animals are sociable and fairly peaceful, apart from small, harmless scuffles. From the above, it is clear that Schistura pridii should be kept by experienced keepers with breeding ambitions.
For our customers: the fish have code 454982 on our stock list. Please note that we only supply wholesale customers.
Text & photos: Frank Schäfer
