Horse loach
| Horse loach | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Horse loach ( Acantopsis dialuzona ) |
||||||||||||
| Systematics | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Acantopsis dialuzona | ||||||||||||
| van Hasselt , 1823 |
The acantopsis dialuzona ( acantopsis dialuzona , Syn. : Acantopsis choirorhynchos ) is a kind from the family of the loach (Cobitidae).
It lives in both fresh and brackish water of various fast flowing rivers and streams in Southeast Asia . There it colonizes the soil region of the slightly different habitats . Some of them are also found in flooded rice fields in this region.
After Europe , the acantopsis dialuzona was first in 1929 by Edmund Riechers in Hamburg introduced.
A species very similar to the horse loach is the elephant loach ( Acantopsis octoactinotos ). It differs from the horse loach in its head shape and the water region in which it usually resides. However, they are very similar in their behaviors and claims.
origin
The horse loach prefers clear, mostly fast-flowing waters in Southeast Asia. They are mainly found in India , Indonesia and Vietnam as well as in the lower Mekong . It rummages through the sandy or slightly gravelly soil of its original waters for food and almost completely buries itself there. It is able to adapt itself in color to the subsoil of these habitats.
Appearance and behavior
The horse loach is elongated and narrow and grows up to 22 cm long. Their light, gray to slightly beige-colored body is decorated with black-gray spots and stripes.
It is usually a solitary and nocturnal fish that is very rarely seen during the day. It behaves peacefully towards other fish and can easily be socialized.
attitude
Horsehead loaches can be kept in a tank from 100 cm and need sand or fine gravel. Acantopsis dialuzona is a loner, but it can also be kept in pairs in a tank from 120 cm. There should be enough shade for the loach to hang out in. Caves and floating plants are well suited for this. Instead of floating plants (e.g. small duckweed ), other large-leaved aquatic plants (e.g. sword plants ) can also be used.
food
The horse loach eats mosquito larvae , nematodes , small insect larvae , frozen food and tablet feed . But it also rummages through the ground for food, such as B. Algae .
literature
- Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia: Fishes: Thomson Gale; 2nd edition (June 2003), ISBN 978-0-7876-6572-2 .
Web links
- Horse loach on Fishbase.org (English)
- Acantopsis dialuzona inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Posted by: Allen, D., 2012. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
- Loaches pictures at Fishbase