Lina fish

Lina fish, scientific name Liniparhomaloptera disparis, belongs to the family Balitoridae (River loaches). Named after the famous Chinese ichthyologist Shu-Yen Ling. It occurs naturally in the river systems of the southern provinces of mainland China and northeastern Vietnam. Inhabits mountain shallow rivers. Prefers places with fast, sometimes violent currents, and rocky substrates.

Description

Adults reach a length of about 8 cm. It has an elongated body with a small flattened (cone-shaped) head. The mouth is located on the lower part of the head, as in gastromisons, due to a similar feeding strategy – eating algae plaque from stones. The pectoral fins are large, fan-shaped, thanks to which the Lina fish clings to the ground, holding in place in rough waters. She moves more along the bottom than she swims. The color of the body is light with a dark gray pattern, which allows it to merge with the sandy-stony bottom.

Sexual dimorphism is weakly expressed. Males look smaller than females, but in an uneven age group, it will not be possible to determine the sex composition by this criterion.

Behavior and Compatibility

Peace-loving friendly fish, prefers to be in a group of relatives. Compatible with many other non-aggressive species of comparable size. However, given the characteristics of the environment (the presence of a moderate or strong current), the number of neighbors in the aquarium is noticeably limited.

If you are not zealous with the imitation of turbulent streams, then Cardinals, Danio, Rasbor and some other cyprinids can be considered as compatible fish. Among the bottom dwellers, the gastromisons mentioned above, the catfish akisis and its relatives will become good neighbors.

Brief information:

• The volume of the aquarium – from 70 liters.
• Temperature – 20-24°C
• Value pH — 6.5–8.0
• Water hardness – soft to medium hard (5-12 dGH)
• Substrate type – rocky, sandy
• Lighting – bright
• Brackish water – no
• Water movement – moderate or strong
• The size of the fish is about 6 cm.
• Nutrition – any sinking food with a high content of plant components
• Temperament – peaceful
• Keeping in a group of 3-4 individuals

Maintenance and care, arrangement of the aquarium

The optimal size of the aquarium for 3-4 Lina fish starts from 70-80 liters. The decoration is simple and consists of coarse sand, stones, boulders and a few snags. The lighting is bright.

It is recommended to provide a sufficiently strong current with a water turnover of 10–15 times per hour. For this purpose, you can use a productive filtration system or separate pumps. The filter power is calculated as follows – an 80-liter aquarium will require an installation capable of pumping at least 800-1000 liters through itself in one hour.

Fish are sensitive to water quality. It is impossible to allow the accumulation of organic waste that can affect the main hydrochemical indicators. Despite active filtration, a weekly replacement of part of the water (20–30% of the volume) with fresh water is mandatory.

Food

Algae are, although the main, but not the only food of the Lina fish. The diet also includes various insect larvae, aquatic worms and other invertebrates that live in the ground. In a home aquarium, the daily diet may consist of popular sinking foods (granules, flakes) with a high content of plant components.