Loaches for Sale: Tropical Loach Fish for Your Aquarium

Most loaches are social and do best in groups of five or more of the same species. Kept alone, they become shy and stressed.

The clown loach grows slowly but can eventually reach 20cm or more and live for many years, so a group needs a very large tank as adults. Our clown loach guide explains how to plan for them.

Kuhli loaches are peaceful, eel like fish that love to burrow, so give them soft sand, plenty of hiding places and a group of six or more. They are most active at night and can squeeze through small gaps, so keep the tank covered.

Clown loaches and yoyo loaches are well known snail eaters, which helps control pest snails but means they should not be kept with ornamental aquarium snails or shrimp.

The Borneo sucker hillstream loach comes from fast flowing streams. It grips smooth rocks and grazes biofilm and algae, and needs strong water flow, high oxygen and slightly cooler water of around 20 to 24°C.

Kuhli, clown and yoyo loaches do well between 24 and 28°C. Hillstream loaches prefer cooler, faster moving water.

Loaches have tiny scales and can be sensitive to some fish medications, so check the label and use a reduced dose where advised.

Every fish is quarantined and health checked before it leaves us. Live fish are dispatched Monday to Wednesday by DEFRA approved overnight courier, so they spend just one night in transit, and every order is covered by our Live Arrival Guarantee. Read more about how live tropical fish are delivered.