Sumo loach
A small stream loach with a broad orange band across a dark body, holding station on rock in fast water and defending a patch of it. It is a hillstream fish rather than a community one, and it wants cool oxygenated current rather than a warm still tank.
Quick profile
- Scientific name
- Schistura balteata
- Adult size
- 5–7 cm (2–2.8 in)
- Lifespan
- 4–6 years
- Temperature
- 20–25 °C (68–77 °F)
- pH
- 6.5–7.5
- Hardness
- 4–12 °dGH
- Minimum tank
- 60 L (16 US gal)
- Minimum length
- 60 cm
- Swimming zone
- Bottom
- Social
- Loose group — at least 3
- Diet
- Micropredator
- Overall confidence
- moderate confidence
What keeping this species involves
Hardy in the conditions it wants and steadily worn down by the warm still water it is usually sold into. Flow, oxygen and a cooler tank are the requirements.
Fast shallow hill streams over gravel and boulder, cool, highly oxygenated and shaded.
Identity and names
- Common name
- Sumo loach
- Scientific name
- Schistura balteata
- Family
- Nemacheilidae
- Order
- Cypriniformes
- Class
- Actinopterygii
- Also sold as
- Schistura balteata, banded sumo loach, orange banded loach, Schistura sp. balteata
Adult size and growth
5–7 cm (2–2.8 in)
Typical lifespan in an aquarium: 4–6 years. Almost every animal sold in a shop is a juvenile, so the tank has to suit the size in the first line rather than the size in the bag.
Shape, which is what the compatibility engine reads instead of length alone: elongate with a small terminal mouth. Assigned from what is typical of Nemacheilidae, not examined for this species.
Water and tank requirements
A territorial stream fish that needs several defensible stations. Floor area and the number of separate stones decide how many can be kept, not volume.
Temperature (°C)
Scale: 0 to 36 °C.
pH (pH)
Scale: 4 to 9.5 pH.
Hardness (°dGH)
Scale: 0 to 30 °dGH.
Why these ranges: Shaded upland streams in the Thai-Burmese border hills, cool and fast. Warm still water is where this species declines quietly, and the ceiling here is set below general tropical practice for that reason.
Where these figures come from
Habitat class
Hill stream and rapids
Fast, cool, oxygen-saturated running water over rock and gravel, typically at altitude or on a steep gradient.
Oxygen and flow are the requirement, not the chemistry. A hill-stream species in still water at the right pH is being kept badly, and the failure is slow enough that the keeper usually blames something else.
- Conductivity
- 50–300 µS/cm
- Flow
- high
- Dissolved oxygen
- near saturation
- Seasonality
- moderate
These are figures for the KIND of water body, not measurements of this species. They are AquariumHQ’s summary of the general limnology and are given wide because the water is.
- TemperatureReasoned on this record
- This record states its own reason for this band. See the water section.
- pHReasoned on this record
- This record states its own reason for this band. See the water section.
- General hardnessReasoned on this record
- This record states its own reason for this band. See the water section.
| Requirement | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature | 20–25 °C (68–77 °F) | Stability matters more than hitting an exact figure. |
| pH | 6.5–7.5 | A stable pH outside the ideal band is usually better than an unstable one inside it. |
| General hardness | 4–12 °dGH | Check your supplier's published figure before choosing species. |
| Minimum volume | 60 L (16 US gal) | A floor, not a recommendation. |
| Minimum footprint | 60 cm long × 35 cm deep | A territorial stream fish that needs several defensible stations. Floor area and the number of separate stones decide how many can be kept, not volume. |
| Water flow | high | Match the outflow to this rather than to the filter's rating. |
| Lid required | Recommended | Reduces evaporation and prevents accidents. |
| Structure | Rounded stone and gravel with strong current across it, and caves beneath flat rock. Oxygen and flow are the habitat. |
Behaviour
- Perches on a stone facing into the flow and moves in short flicks rather than swimming continuously.
- Males display side by side with all fins spread, holding the posture for long periods without contact.
Telling males from females
Males are more intensely coloured with a broader orange band and become more so when displaying. Females are fuller-bodied and duller.
Feeding
Takes invertebrates from among gravel and will largely ignore floating food. It needs food delivered to the substrate.
- Diet type
- Micropredator
- Staples
- Frozen bloodworm, Live daphnia, Sinking micro pellets, Frozen cyclops
Breeding
- Strategy
- Eggs deposited among gravel in flowing water
- Difficulty
- challenging
- Parental care
- none
Tankmates and compatibility
Assessments are derived from stored traits by the compatibility engine, with the reasoning shown. A verdict is a statement about probability, not a guarantee — individual temperament can override it.
| Towards | Risk | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Small fish | none | Anything that fits in the mouth is at risk once this species reaches adult size. |
| Adult dwarf shrimp | moderate | Cover reduces losses but rarely prevents them where the risk is high. |
| Shrimplets | high | Determines whether a shrimp colony can grow rather than merely persist. |
| Snails | none | Applies to snails you wanted as well as snails you did not. |
| Long or trailing fins | none | Fin damage is an entry point for secondary infection. |
| Plants | none | Tough species such as Anubias and Java fern survive most grazers. |
Any pair in the catalogue can be assessed with the compatibility checker.
Welfare considerations
Points where the way this species is commonly sold or kept differs from what it actually needs.
- The trade name is used for several similar Schistura and the fish sold under it vary. The care described here suits the group and identification to species is rarely possible from a shop tank.
- A poor competitor for food against faster midwater fish. Feeding after the lights go off is the practical answer in a mixed tank.
Problems to watch for
Most problems in a tank containing this species are general rather than species-specific. Start with the troubleshooting index and work from the observation rather than from a guess at the cause.
What AquariumHQ does not yet hold
Species-level disease susceptibility is modelled in the graph and is not yet populated. Health pages will not be published until each condition has veterinary sourcing, because health content written without evidence is the most harmful thing this product could publish. The gap is recorded in the coverage report.
Where it comes from
- Native range
- Myanmar and the Thai border region — small clear hill streams
- Habitat
- Fast shallow hill streams over gravel and boulder, cool, highly oxygenated and shaded.
What the checklists say
2 distribution statements retrieved from GBIF checklists. Establishment means is reproduced from the source where it states one, and left unstated where it does not — a record of presence is not a record of origin.
| Status | Places | What this means |
|---|---|---|
| Recorded as present, establishment means not stated | 2 | The source records the species as present and does not say whether it is native or introduced. AquariumHQ does not fill that in. |
No checklist AquariumHQ holds positively calls this species native anywhere, so the native range above rests on AquariumHQ’s own reading of the literature rather than on a cited checklist.
Evidence
Every stored value with the kind of support behind it and where to check it. Evidence type and confidence are separate axes: an editorial position held confidently and a measurement held tentatively are different things.
| Claim | Value | Evidence type | Confidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| scientific name | Schistura balteata | Observed / measured | high confidence | Catalogue of Life; GBIF — Global Biodiversity Information Facility |
| native range | Myanmar and the Thai border region — small clear hill streams | Observed / measured | moderate confidence | GBIF — Global Biodiversity Information Facility |
| adult size | 5–7 cm | Aquarium-literature consensus | moderate confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| lifespan | 4–6 years | Aquarium-literature consensus | moderate confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| temperature | 20–25 °C | Aquarium-literature consensus | moderate confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| ph | 6.5–7.5 pH | Aquarium-literature consensus | moderate confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| general hardness | 4–12 °dGH | Aquarium-literature consensus | moderate confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| minimum tank volume | ≥ 60 L | AquariumHQ editorial position | moderate confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| minimum tank length | ≥ 60 cm | AquariumHQ editorial position | moderate confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| minimum group size | ≥ 3 | AquariumHQ editorial position | moderate confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
Last reviewed 2026-08-10. Values labelled as an aquarium-literature consensus are AquariumHQ editorial positions rather than measurements — see how evidence is handled.
Why we say this
What each figure on this page rests on, and how far that is from being independently established.
Every figure on this page has a provenance. Open any claim to see what AquariumHQ holds for it, which sources say what, and what a claim of that kind actually needs. Different claims need different evidence: an accepted scientific name is settled by one authority, while a legal restriction needs a current primary instrument. A single source is often the right answer rather than a thin one.
scientific nameAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableBased on a verified authoritative source.
AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.
What this kind of claim needs: accepted scientific name and classification — 1 authoritative source in an appropriate context. Checked against gbif on 2026-08-29. One authoritative backbone is what this class requires.
What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.
native rangeAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableLimited evidence — treat with caution.
AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.
What this kind of claim needs: where the species occurs — 1 authoritative source in an appropriate context. 2 distribution statements held, and not one of them states an establishment means. Presence without native-or-introduced is not a native-range claim, so this stays below requirement rather than being read as one.
What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.
adult sizeAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.
What this kind of claim needs: size a well-kept specimen reaches — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No external source is required for this class. AquariumHQ's position stands on its stated reasoning.
What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.
lifespanAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.
What this kind of claim needs: what aquariumhq advises for keeping — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No external source is required for this class. AquariumHQ's position stands on its stated reasoning.
What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.
temperatureAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.
What this kind of claim needs: what aquariumhq advises for keeping — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No external source is required for this class. AquariumHQ's position stands on its stated reasoning.
What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.
phAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.
What this kind of claim needs: what aquariumhq advises for keeping — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No external source is required for this class. AquariumHQ's position stands on its stated reasoning.
What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.
general hardnessAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.
What this kind of claim needs: what aquariumhq advises for keeping — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No external source is required for this class. AquariumHQ's position stands on its stated reasoning.
What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.
minimum tank volumeAquariumHQ's judgement — no authority publishes thisAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
No external authority publishes this. The rationale carries the reasoning.
What this kind of claim needs: minimum tank size — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No authority publishes this. AquariumHQ derives it, and the derivation is recorded with its inputs and assumptions.
What would improve this: Keep the rationale current. There is no source to find.
minimum tank lengthAquariumHQ's judgement — no authority publishes thisAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
No external authority publishes this. The rationale carries the reasoning.
What this kind of claim needs: minimum tank size — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No authority publishes this. AquariumHQ derives it, and the derivation is recorded with its inputs and assumptions.
What would improve this: Keep the rationale current. There is no source to find.
minimum group sizeAquariumHQ's judgement — no authority publishes thisAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
No external authority publishes this. The rationale carries the reasoning.
What this kind of claim needs: group size — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No external source is required for this class. AquariumHQ's position stands on its stated reasoning.
What would improve this: Keep the rationale current. There is no source to find.
Guides relevant to this species
Chosen from this record's own traits rather than listed on every page.
- Schooling and shoalingThis species is recorded as loose group, and the number it is kept in decides how it behaves.
- Wild conditions and aquarium recommendationsThe water band on this page is an AquariumHQ position with a stated reason, not a measurement of a river.
Group size and social behaviour
Males hold small territories and display at each other with flared fins. In a tank with enough rock the displays stay display; without it they do not.