Home / Fishes / Carp, barbs, minnows, loaches / Cobitidae / halfbanded loach
No federal permit to keephalfbanded loach
Pangio semicincta
Fishes › Carp, barbs, minnows, loaches (Cypriniformes) › Cobitidae (Spined loaches)
Pangio semicincta, the half-banded kuhli loach, is a species of cobitid loach in the genus Pangio found in the Malay Peninsula, Borneo, and Sumatra.
Care at a glance
Species-specific aquarium care
- Water: Freshwater.
- Layout: Uses both the bottom and open water: give open swimming space plus cover near the substrate.
Calculated from this species' own FishBase record: tank size from its typical adult length and swimming zone, water values from its recorded ranges. The group guide below fills in general care.
Care guide
Species care notes
- Tank: a base of at least 24 × 12 in (roughly 14 US gallons); space needed is rated “modest tank”.
- Water: soft, acidic water, 70–79 °F, pH 3.5–7, 0–8 dGH.
- Behaviour: a shoaling fish best kept in a group of six or more; suited to a community tank.
- Difficulty: Easy (Seriously Fish rating).
Short excerpts from the species profile:
- Setup: “Use a soft, sandy substrate since this species likes to dig and tends to spend some of its time completely buried.”
- Diet: “Chiefly a micropredator sifting mouthfuls of substrate through the mouth and gills from which insect larvae, small crustaceans and suchlike are extracted with a proportion of the natural diet also likely to comprise organic detritus and plant material from…”
- Breeding: “Several vague reports exist but none are supported by solid information or photographs.”
From the Seriously Fish profile for this species, which has the full habitat, maintenance, diet, behaviour and breeding write-up 167
Spined loaches
Applies to most species in this group. Habitat: Spined loaches inhabit freshwater bottoms from tropical Pangio forest streams and swamps to temperate weather-loach streams, wetlands and paddy fields. Individual species can differ, so compare with the species numbers above and the linked sources.
Housing & setup
- For Pangio semicincta, provide at least a 60 × 30 cm (24 × 12 in) footprint; adult Misgurnus anguillicaudatus need at least 120 × 45 cm (48 × 18 in).
- Use soft sand for burrowing; coarse gravel can injure fish and inhibit feeding.
- Provide shaded retreats beneath secured wood or smooth rocks, with leaf litter and low-light plants for Pangio.
- Cover the aquarium securely and protect filter intakes against entry by small loaches.
- Use mature biological filtration, gentle circulation and surface agitation rather than strong flow for Pangio and weather loaches.
Climate & lighting
| Water | 70–79°F |
Diet
- Sinking complete foods reaching the bottom.
- Live or frozen Daphnia and Artemia.
- Bloodworms and small worms as part of a varied diet.
Social life
- Keep Pangio in groups of at least five or six with peaceful companions. Weather loaches can be kept singly but appear more active with conspecifics; they may eat eggs, fry or tiny fish.
Health watch
- Skin injuries and feeding impairment from unsuitable burrowing substrate.
- Ammonia-related illness in immature aquaria.
- Nutritional deficiencies if bottom dwellers receive insufficient suitable food.
Understanding the animal
About this animal
About this animal
It is a very popular fish in the aquarium trade, however, it is often confused for and mislabeled as Pangio kuhlii, a slightly larger-bodied fish, which is rarely (if ever) found in the aquarium trade due to it being endemic to Java, Indonesia, where field-collection for the fish trade is a rare occurrence.
Quoted from the Wikipedia article “Pangio semicincta” (CC BY-SA 4.0) 174
In the wild
In the wild
From this species’ own FishBase record (habitat, bottom type, water and breeding data), not its family. Good care copies these conditions.1
| Where it lives | Lives in freshwater. Uses both the bottom and open water. Occurs in forest streams with muddy bottoms and dense shore vegetation. |
| Water it lives in | Freshwater. |
| Climate | Tropical climate. |
Native climate (measured)
Native climate (measured)
| Warm-season highs | about 89°F (up to 90°F in the hottest sampled areas) |
| Cool-season lows | about 72°F (down to 70°F in the coldest sampled areas) |
| Average temperature | 79–81°F across sampled records |
| Relative humidity | 80–83% on average (driest month about 78%) |
| Rainfall | about 2530 mm a year, spread fairly evenly |
Measured at 23 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.
From the sources
From the sources
Quoted from the matching sections of reputable sources for this exact species. Specialist databases are used first; Wikipedia (community-edited, CC BY-SA 4.0) only fills gaps. Other sources are short credited quotes.
| Overview | Pangio semicincta, the half-banded kuhli loach, is a species of cobitid loach in the genus Pangio found in the Malay Peninsula, Borneo, and Sumatra. It is a very popular fish in the aquarium trade, however, it is often confused for and mislabeled as Pangio kuhlii, a slightly larger-bodied fish, which is rarely (if ever) found in the aquarium trade due to it being endemic to Java, Indonesia, where field-collection for the fish trade is a rare occurrence. — Wikipedia (community-edited) |
| Where it lives | Home ranges Population dynamics Growth parameters Max. ages / sizes Length-weight rel. Length-frequencies Mass conversion Recruitment Abundance Life cycle Reproduction Maturity Maturity/Gills rel. — FishBase |
| Wild diet | Pangio species forage in the substrate and sift mouthfuls of sand through the gills to feed on insect larvae, small crustaceans, and other small animals. Pangio are social fish, living in large aggregations in the wild, and in home aquaria are often observed staying together, often packing themselves into the same cave or crevice. — Wikipedia (community-edited) |
| Appearance and size | Pangio semicincta, much like related taxa, is a long, eel-like fish, usually reaching 10 cm in length at maximum. Its body has nine to twelve uneven dark brown bands, with yellow in between them, and a pale white underside. Adult females are often slightly larger and heavier bodied than males, and in males the first pectoral fin ray is thickened. — Wikipedia (community-edited) |
| Biology | Facultative air-breathing; Occurs in forest streams with muddy bottoms and dense shore vegetation. Nocturnal, secretive species in creeks, living near the bottom among vegetation. Feeds on benthic organisms. — FishBase |
Data and studies
The numbers
The numbers
Each bar is what one source reports. Where several sources weigh in, the dashed gold band marks their average.
Water temperature
Range the species tolerates; aim for the middle.
pH
Water hardness
Adult length
Minimum tank footprint
Seriously Fish recommends a tank base of at least 24 × 12 in (about 14 US gallons).
Sources for this sheet
- 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.
- Seriously Fish — pangio semicincta Experienced keeper or breederAdded in the 2026 source-checked care-guide review.
- Seriously Fish — misgurnus anguillicaudatus Experienced keeper or breederAdded in the 2026 source-checked care-guide review.
- Merck Veterinary Manual — Disorders and Diseases of Fish Zoo, university or veterinaryAdded in the 2026 source-checked care-guide review.
- 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.
- 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.
More spined loaches
Acanthopsoides molobrion
Acanthopsoides molobrion
Aquarium hobby
Borneo loach
Pangio shelfordii
Aquarium hobby
Burmese loach
Lepidocephalichthys berdmorei
Aquarium hobby
Common spiny loach
Lepidocephalichthys thermalis
Aquarium hobby
Giant Kuhli Loach
Pangio myersi
Aquarium hobby
Golden Kuhli Loach
Pangio doriae
Aquarium hobby