Home / Fishes / Carp, barbs, minnows, loaches / Nemacheilidae / Kittipong's cave loach
No federal permit to keepKittipong's cave loach
Schistura jarutanini
Fishes › Carp, barbs, minnows, loaches (Cypriniformes) › Nemacheilidae (Stone loaches)
Schistura jarutanini is a species of stone loach that is endemic to Thailand. The specific name is in honor of Kittipong Jarutanin, a Thai ichthyologist and aquarist who collected the type specimen.
Intro from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Care at a glance
Species-specific aquarium care
- Tank: At least 24 in long and 12 in front to back for one adult (adults commonly reach about 2.6 in / 6.72 cm).
- Water: Freshwater.
- Layout: Lives on or near the bottom: floor space and hiding places matter more than height.
- Availability: Rarely or never seen in the aquarium trade; expect to source it from specialists or not at all.
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
- Behaviour: a shoaling fish best kept in a group of six or more; not a community fish.
- Difficulty: Moderate (Seriously Fish rating).
Short excerpts from the species profile:
- Diet: “Apparently feeds on benthic microorganisms.”
From the Seriously Fish profile for this species, which has the full habitat, maintenance, diet, behaviour and breeding write-up 167
Stone loaches
Applies to most species in this group. Habitat: Eurasian stone loaches include oxygen-rich stream dwellers such as Schistura and small Vietnamese river species such as the hovering zebra loach. [fg157-sumo, fg157-hover]. Individual species can differ, so compare with the species numbers above and the linked sources.
Housing & setup
- For Schistura balteata groups use a floor at least 90 × 30 cm (36 × 12 in).
- Build a stream layout with sand, rounded rocks and driftwood forming numerous caves and broken sight lines.
- Use strong filtration, aeration and some flow for Schistura; change 30–50% of water weekly.
- For hovering zebra loaches use at least 60 × 30 cm (24 × 12 in), dense plants and well-oxygenated but non-turbulent water.
- Introduce hovering zebra loaches only to a biologically mature aquarium; pH 6.0–7.5 and hardness 2–12 dGH suit both profiled species.
Climate & lighting
| Water | 71.6–78.8°F |
Diet
- Small live or frozen Daphnia and Artemia.
- Bloodworms for Schistura.
- Moina, microworms and Artemia nauplii for hovering zebra loaches.
- Appropriately sized dried foods alongside invertebrates, not as the sole Schistura diet.
Social life
- Schistura defend individual caves and can harass placid bottom dwellers; groups require territories. Hovering zebra loaches are peaceful and need at least 8–10 companions.
Health watch
- Territorial fin injuries in poorly structured Schistura tanks.
- Freshwater ich, a general aquarium risk.
- Stress-associated bacterial infections.
Understanding the animal
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, in caves. Stays near the bottom. A troglobitic species, strictly living in cave stream. Feeds on benthic microorganisms. |
| Water it lives in | Freshwater. |
| Climate | Tropical climate. |
| Behavior to plan for | Breeding: open water/substratum egg scatterers. |
Native climate (measured)
Native climate (measured)
| Warm-season highs | about 92°F (up to 95°F in the hottest sampled areas) |
| Cool-season lows | about 58°F (down to 57°F in the coldest sampled areas) |
| Average temperature | 75–79°F across sampled records |
| Relative humidity | 74–77% on average (driest month about 61%) |
| Rainfall | about 1859 mm a year, with strong wet and dry seasons |
Measured at 6 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 | Schistura jarutanini is a species of stone loach that is endemic to Thailand. The specific name is in honor of Kittipong Jarutanin, a Thai ichthyologist and aquarist who collected the type specimen. — 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 |
| Appearance and size | This species grow to an average length of 38.5 mm but their sizes can range from 22.6–62.0 mm. The eye diameter is around 0.45 mm. They have 8 and a half branched dorsal-fin rays and 17 branched caudal-fin rays with 9 upper and 8 lower. — Wikipedia (community-edited) |
| Biology | A troglobitic species, strictly living in cave stream. Feeds on benthic microorganisms. Known only from the 22 specimens comprising the type series. — FishBase |
| History and naming | Schistura jarutanini is a stone loach meaning that it belongs to the family Nemacheilidae. The most closely related species to Schistura jarutanini is Schistura mahnerti. — Wikipedia (community-edited) |
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.
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.
- Seriously Fish: Schistura balteata Experienced keeper or breederAdded in the 2026 source-checked care-guide review.
- Seriously Fish: Micronemacheilus cruciatus (formerly Yunnanilus cruciatus) 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.
- Wikipedia (species article) Community referenceFree encyclopedia; useful overviews with their own citations. Intro text is quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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