Edit Leptobotia elongata
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Name
Scientific name
Leptobotia elongata
Described by
Authority Bleeker, Year 1870, Bracketed
Family
Botiidae
Common names
Imperial Flower Loach
Photograph credits
All 5 credited
Summary
The imperial flower loach, Leptobotia elongata, is a large botiid loach native to the middle and upper Yangtze River in China. Growing to 4…
Size and aquarium
Maximum size
500mm, standard length
Aquarium size
Minimum length 360 cm, Minimum depth 90 cm, Water movement High: fast-flowing river or riffle
Water
Water conditions
Temperature 15.5–21°C, pH 6.5–7.5
Hardness
5–20dGH
Conductivity
Not recorded
Behaviour
Temperament
Not recorded
Social needs
A shoal or group
Community suitability
Not for a community
Where it lives
Countries, regions, rivers and lakes
China, Yangtze
Writing
Etymology
Not written yet
Distribution
Described from and native to middle and upper sections of the Yangtze River (aka Chiang Jiang), China with a similar but unidentified fish being recorded from …
Habitat
Predominantly a riverine loach favouring clear, well-oxygenated, running water with substrates of rocks and gravel. Often present in bedrock and boulder-filled…
Aquarium size
Suitable only for public installations or the very largest private aquaria with minimum base dimensions in excess of 360 ∗ 90 cm. Considering its migratory lif…
Maintenance
Should ideally be kept in a set-up designed to resemble a flowing stream with a substrate of variably-sized rocks, gravel and some water-worn boulders. The tan…
Water conditions
Temperature: This species is subject to seasonal temperature fluctuations in nature and is active over the range 40 - 84°F/4.4 - 28.9°C, although prolonged exp…
Diet
Primarily a benthic predator hunting insects, crustaceans and smaller fishes. Smaller specimens should be offered a varied diet comprising live or frozen blood…
Behaviour and compatibility
Not outwardly aggressive towards fishes too small too swallow but its predatory nature and adult size naturally restrict the choice of suitable companions. It'…
Sexual dimorphism
Unknown but presumably females will be heavier-bodied once sexually mature.
Reproduction
Has not been accomplished in aquaria but there is at least one Chinese farm producing it via the use of hormones. It's a migratory, seasonal spawner in nature,…
Notes
This species is rare in the aquarium trade, increasingly so in nature and as a result prohibitively expensive when available. Given its adult size and probable…
References
References
7 on this profile