''Beaufortia kweichowensis'' is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

of gastromyzontid

loach Loaches are ray-finned fishes of the suborder Cobitoidei. They are freshwater, benthic (bottom-dwelling) fish found in rivers and creeks throughout Eurasia and North Africa, northern Africa. Loaches are among the most diverse groups of fish; the ...

. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

where it is known from the

Xi River The Xi River (; ) or Si-Kiang is the western tributary of the Pearl River in southern China. It is formed by the confluence of the Gui and Xun Rivers in Wuzhou, Guangxi. It originates from the eastern foot of the Maxiong Mountain in Quji ...

. The common names for this popular

aquarium An aquarium (: aquariums or aquaria) is a vivarium of any size having at least one transparent side in which aquatic plants or animals are kept and displayed. fishkeeping, Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, aquati ...

species are Chinese hillstream loach, Hong Kong pleco, butterfly hillstream loach, and Chinese sucker fish.

Habitat

''Beaufortia kweichowensis'' can be found in fast-flowing

highland Highlands or uplands are areas of high elevation such as a mountainous region, elevated mountainous plateau or high hills. Generally, ''upland'' refers to a range of hills, typically from up to , while ''highland'' is usually reserved for range ...

and in-land

stream A stream is a continuous body of water, body of surface water Current (stream), flowing within the stream bed, bed and bank (geography), banks of a channel (geography), channel. Depending on its location or certain characteristics, a strea ...

s in

In the aquarium

Aquarium maintenance

An aquarium that duplicates the natural

habitat In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...

of the Chinese hillstream loach is ideal since these fish require high

oxygen Oxygen is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol O and atomic number 8. It is a member of the chalcogen group (periodic table), group in the periodic table, a highly reactivity (chemistry), reactive nonmetal (chemistry), non ...

levels. They need excellent water-flow, adequate

aeration Aeration (also called aerification or aeriation) is the process by which air is circulated through, mixed with or dissolved in a liquid or other substances that act as a fluid (such as soil). Aeration processes create additional surface area in t ...

and numerous hiding places inside the

. Adequate lighting is necessary to promote

algal Algae ( , ; : alga ) is an informal term for any organisms of a large and diverse group of photosynthetic organisms that are not plants, and includes species from multiple distinct clades. Such organisms range from unicellular microalgae, s ...

growth in the aquarium. Other live plants, however, are not necessary although they may assist in maintaining water quality. Suitable plants for high-flow tank environments are ''

Anubias ''Anubias'' is a genus of aquatic and semi-aquatic flowering plants in the family Araceae, native to tropical central and western Africa. They primarily grow in rivers and streams, but can also be found in marshes. They are characterized by broad ...

'' species and ''

Microsorum pteropus ''Leptochilus pteropus'' (synonym ''Microsorum pteropus'') is a species of aquatic or semi-aquatic fern, commonly known as Java fern (after the Indonesian island of Java). It is predominantly known from Malaysia, Thailand, Northeastern India and ...

'', which can be grown on rocks or

driftwood Driftwood is a wood that has been washed onto a shore or beach of a sea, lake, or river by the action of winds, tides or waves. It is part of beach wrack. In some waterfront areas, driftwood is a major nuisance. However, the driftwood provides ...

. Chinese hillstream loaches normally thrive in an aquatic environment with medium water hardness (12 dh maximum), with water temperatures from , and with pH readings ranging from 7.0 to 8.0. A tank size of minimum is preferable. They can be kept in groups of three to seven. Chinese hillstream loaches can grow to

total length Fish measurement is the measuring of individual fish and various parts of their anatomies, for data used in many areas of ichthyology, including taxonomy and fishery biology. Overall length Standard length (SL) is the length of a fish measured f ...

Compatibility

''B. kweichowensis'' is characteristically not too aggressive an aquarium fish, but like the Bornean ''

Gastromyzon ''Gastromyzon'' is a genus of gastromyzontid loaches native to Borneo. Species There are currently 36 species recognized in this genus:Kottelat, M. (2012)Conspectus cobitidum: an inventory of the loaches of the world (Teleostei: Cypriniformes: ...

'' species, it is territorial and may engage in skirmishes or "topping", where one fish will try to cover another fish. These clashes seldom result in damage, because one fish will eventually cease from engaging in the topping behavior.

Feeding

Chinese hillstream loaches have small mouths thus necessitating the offering of good quality

fish food Aquarium fish feed is plant or animal material intended for consumption by pet fish kept in aquariums or ponds. Fish foods normally contain macronutrients, trace elements and vitamins necessary to keep captive fish in good health. Approximately ...

such as flakes, sinking pellets, algae wafers, thawed frozen bloodworms,

mysid shrimp Mysida is an order (biology), order of small, shrimp-like crustaceans in the malacostracan superorder Peracarida. Their common name opossum shrimps stems from the presence of a Brood pouch (Peracarida), brood pouch or "marsupium" in females. The ...

s, blanched

spinach Spinach (''Spinacia oleracea'') is a leafy green flowering plant native to Central Asia, Central and Western Asia. It is of the order Caryophyllales, family Amaranthaceae, subfamily Chenopodioideae. Its leaves are a common vegetable consumed eit ...

kale Kale (), also called leaf cabbage, belongs to a group of cabbage (''Brassica oleracea'') cultivars primarily grown for their Leaf vegetable, edible leaves; it has also been used as an ornamental plant. Its multiple different cultivars vary quite ...

and natural algae.

Breeding

There are minimal differences between males and females in ''Beaufortia kweichowensis'' but the males often display stronger coloration. Although ''B. kweichowensis'' are not normally bred in captivity, they may reproduce in pits under rocks inside tanks that mimic riverine settings.

References

Footnotes

Bibliography

#https://web.archive.org/web/20070926235810/http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/pfk/pages/species.php?tsn=639788 #http://www.answers.com/topic/hillstream-loach

#http://www.ubio.org/browser/details.php?namebankID=2822735 {{Taxonbar, from=Q134048 Beaufortia (fish) Freshwater fish of China Endemic fauna of China Taxa named by Fang Ping-Wen Fish described in 1931