Guntea loach

Lepidocephalichthys guntea

Fishes › Carp, barbs, minnows, loaches (Cypriniformes) › Cobitidae (Spined loaches)

Lepidocephalichthys guntea, also known as guntea loach, scavenger loach or peppered loach, is a species of cobitid loach native to southern and south-eastern Asia.

Aquarium hobby

Experience: Easy

FamilySpined loaches

Adult lengthup to 5.9 in

WaterFreshwater, brackish

Care at a glance

Species care notes

Tank: a base of at least 31 × 12 in (roughly 19 US gallons); space needed is rated “modest tank”.
Water: a fairly wide range, from slightly acidic to slightly alkaline, 68–77 °F, pH 6–8, 2–12 dGH.
Behaviour: a shoaling fish best kept in a group; suited to a community tank.
Difficulty: Easy (Seriously Fish rating).

Short excerpts from the species profile:

Setup: “Not difficult to keep but must be provided with a soft, sandy substrate since some of its time will be spent completely buried, or with only eyes protruding.”
Diet: “Chiefly a micropredator sifting mouthfuls of substrate through the gills from which insect larvae, small crustaceans and suchlike are extracted.”
Breeding: “Presumably a seasonal spawner in nature but hasn't been bred in captivity as far as we know.”

From the Seriously Fish profile for this species, which has the full habitat, maintenance, diet, behaviour and breeding write-up 167

Understanding the animal

About this animal

This species reaches a length of 15 centimetres (5.9 in) TL. It uses its intestines to breathe, which gives it the ability to adapt to live in a variety of stagnant and flowing environments. This fish is found in the aquarium trade.

Quoted from the Wikipedia article “Lepidocephalichthys guntea” (CC BY-SA 4.0) 175

In the wild

From this species’ own FishBase record (habitat, bottom type, water and breeding data), not its family. Wild conditions are context, not enclosure settings.¹

Where it lives	Lives in freshwater and brackish water. Stays near the bottom. Found in flowing or even clear standing waters.
Climate	Tropical climate.

FishBase species summary: Lepidocephalichthys guntea

Native climate (measured)

Warm-season highs	about 93°F (up to 104°F in the hottest sampled areas)
Cool-season lows	about 52°F (down to 46°F in the coldest sampled areas)
Average temperature	72–80°F across sampled records
Relative humidity	65–76% on average (driest month about 57%)
Rainfall	about 1906 mm a year, with strong wet and dry seasons

Measured at 130 wild occurrence records sampled against WorldClim 2.1 climate data (1970–2000 averages). Air conditions in the range are ecological context, not enclosure settings: microhabitats such as burrows, leaf litter or basking rocks can be cooler, warmer or more humid.

Data and studies

The numbers

Each bar is what one source reports. Where several sources weigh in, the dashed gold band marks their average.

Adult length

Average of sources5.9in

FishBase 1645.9

Seriously Fish species profiles 1675.9

Maximum recorded length. Measured as total length. Fish in home aquariums often stay smaller than wild records.

Federal legal snapshot

No federal permit to keep

No federal law singles out this species for private keepers. State and local rules still apply.

State law decides most of it. Each state sets its own permits and bans for exotic, native, venomous and dangerous animals, and cities and counties can be stricter. Find your state agency →

Not covered by the Animal Welfare Act

The Act only covers warm-blooded animals. Reptiles, amphibians, fish and invertebrates have no federal care standards, even at licensed facilities; state and local rules may still apply.

Kept in captivity?

Every species on this site needs evidence that people actually keep it. For this one:

Has a Seriously Fish aquarium species profile
FishBase records it in the aquarium trade (Aquarium=commercial)
2 iNaturalist observations of captive animals

Sources for this sheet

FishBase (Froese & Pauly, eds.), version 24.07 Peer-reviewed researchThe global scientific database on fishes, maintained by a consortium of research institutions; every value is referenced.
Seriously Fish species profiles Experienced keeper or breederLong-running aquarium reference written and peer-checked by experienced fishkeepers and ichthyologists; each profile covers habitat, tank size, water, diet, behaviour and breeding.
Wikipedia (species article) Community referenceFree encyclopedia; useful overviews with their own citations. Intro text is quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0.
iNaturalist (captive observations) Community referenceCommunity observation platform run by the California Academy of Sciences and National Geographic; observations marked captive show animals living in homes, zoos and aquariums.