Skip to content
underwatergreen
Menu

Species profile

Red-Tailed Squirrel Loach

Aborichthys elongatus

Common names: Red-Tailed Squirrel Loach

Recognized speciesLoaches
Red-Tailed Squirrel Loach (Aborichthys elongatus)

Adult size

Up to 12 cm

Typical adult length 8.4–12 cm.

Up to 12 cm

Countries of origin

  • See all stock from India

Good fit for your tank?

Good fit for

  • Keepers able to provide at least a 100 cm aquarium with the substrate, current, and cover this loach needs.
  • A mature aquarium where bottom-feeding fish receive targeted food and regular maintenance.

Think carefully if

  • The aquarium is shorter than 100 cm or cannot support the recommended social group.
  • The aquarium has coarse substrate, unprotected filter gaps, or aggressive competition at the bottom.

Red-Tailed Squirrel Loach is a bottom-dwelling loach requiring a 100 cm or longer aquarium, suitable substrate, stable water, and species-appropriate social housing.

Appearance and Identification

An elongated, flexible stream loach with dark vertical bars, a pointed snout, and red colour in the tail.

An energetic burrower and crevice user that needs a tight lid.

Sexes are difficult to distinguish reliably outside breeding condition. Mature females may become fuller through the abdomen, while males of some species develop stronger colour, fin shape, or breeding tubercles.

Tank Requirements

Suggested filter
About 560–700 litres an hour
Suggested heater
About 150–200 W for this tank
Minimum tank volume
140 litres
Minimum tank length
100 cm
Minimum group size
3
Recommended group size
5
Activity level
Moderate
Flow preference
High
Planting preference
Lightly planted
Hiding places
Yes
Lid recommended
Yes
Jumping risk
Medium

Set up a mature aquarium at least 100 cm long with clean, well-oxygenated water, smooth gravel and sand, rounded rock piles, crevices, and a secure lid. Arrange several separate shelters and keep detritus from collecting beneath hardscape.

Behaviour and Tankmates

Red-Tailed Squirrel Loach is a bottom-dwelling stream loach that searches among stones and crevices for small prey. It may rest in cover, then move quickly into current or across the substrate when feeding.

Keep 3 to 5 where the species is peaceful and space permits. For more territorial forms, a single fish or carefully observed group in a larger footprint is safer.

Adults may defend caves, rock gaps, or feeding areas from similar-shaped fish. Provide broken sight lines and multiple retreats.

Choose peaceful or moderately active stream fish that share the same temperature and oxygen needs. Avoid tiny shrimp, slow bottom fish, and combining several territorial loaches in a small footprint.

Check tankmates for this species

Water Parameters

Temperature
18–25 °C
pH
6–7.8
GH
3–15
KH
1–10
TDS
60–260
Stability importance
Important

Maintain stable, clean water within the stated range. Oxygenation, low organic waste, and gradual acclimation are more important than forcing an exact pH or hardness value.

Parameter caveat
Match the supplier water during acclimation and change temperature or mineral content gradually. Rare wild-caught loaches may arrive adapted to narrower conditions than the general range suggests.

Feeding

Diet types
Carnivore, Insectivore, Omnivore
Feeding frequency
Daily
Preferred foods
  • Quality sinking carnivore or omnivore pelletsUse a small pellet suited to the fish’s mouth.
  • Frozen insect larvae and crustaceansOffer varied foods such as bloodworm, cyclops, Artemia, or Daphnia.
  • Live aquatic invertebratesUse occasionally for conditioning and natural hunting behaviour.

Offer small sinking foods rich in aquatic invertebrate protein. Combine a dependable prepared staple with frozen or live insect larvae, Artemia, Daphnia, or similar foods.

Feed small portions at more than one point because territorial fish may guard food in a confined area.

Breeding

Breeding type
Egg Layer, Egg Scatterer
Breeding difficulty
Difficult
Breeding temperature
21.5 °C
Breeding pH
6.9
Brood or egg count
Unknown or variable; species-specific aquarium counts are not dependable.
Incubation
3 days
Parental care
None
Baby foods
  • Infusoria or cultured microscopic foodUse when newly free-swimming fry are too small for Artemia.
  • MicrowormsIntroduce once fry actively search the bottom.
  • Newly hatched Artemia naupliiUse after fry are large enough to swallow nauplii.

Captive breeding is poorly documented. The fish is expected to scatter or deposit small eggs among gravel, stones, or vegetation without parental care. Seasonal cooling or warming, increased flow, and live-food conditioning may be important, but claims should be treated cautiously unless documented for this species.

Habitat and Origin

Geographic origin
Asia, India, South Asia
Natural habitat
Fast Stream, Freshwater Stream, Rocky Shoreline
Aquarium contexts
Freshwater Aquarium, High-Flow Aquarium, Species-Only Aquarium
Audience level
Specialist

Classification

Profile type
Recognized species
Genus
Aborichthys
Family
Nemacheilidae
Species group
Fish, Loaches

Have you kept this species?

You can write a note about what worked for you, or send a photograph. We check everything before it appears here.

Share a note or photo

JPG, PNG, or WebP, up to 5 MB.

Redfin Tiger Loach

Syncrossus berdmorei

Care level
Advanced
Adult size
17.5–25 cm
Minimum tank
400 litres
Temperature
24–30 °C

Reticulated Hillstream Loach

Sewellia lineolata

Care level
Specialist
Adult size
5.6–8 cm
Minimum tank
80 litres
Temperature
20–26 °C

Rosy Loach

Tuberoschistura arakanensis, Yunnanilus sp. "Rosy"

Care level
Intermediate
Adult size
2.8–4 cm
Minimum tank
45 litres
Temperature
20–26 °C

Saddleback Loach

Homaloptera orthogoniata

Care level
Specialist
Adult size
9.8–14 cm
Minimum tank
140 litres
Temperature
22–27 °C

Plan it with our tools