High Fin Banded Shark Loach

The Chinese Hi Fin Banded Shark Loach , also known as the Hi Fin Banded Sucker or Freshwater Batfish, is a very impressive species that is long-lived and grows to a large size. This Yangtze River native inhabits spacious rivers with lots of swimming space and moderate to high river flow. A gentle giant, the Chinese Hi Fin Banded Shark is a gregarious species that is not particularly territorial and feeds on small invertebrates as well as a great deal of algae and plant matter. It has very distinct tan and brown striping as a juvenile, but its color changes to a mostly uniform dark brown as it matures. While this fish is commonly referred to as a “shark” or “loach,” it is actually its own type of suckermouth cyprinid that is related to loaches. It unfortunately is in steep population decline in many of its native areas, but it is captive-bred by many farms.

The habitat of the Chinese Hi Fin Banded Shark Loach should include plenty of plants, rockwork, and driftwood for it to explore. The Chinese Hi Fin Banded Shark Loach is an active species that also needs plenty of clear room in the aquarium for swimming. It is generally peaceful to other species too large to be considered prey, but due to its eventual large size, it should not be kept with invertebrates