Family: Cobitidae
Balkan Loach — a Cobitidae freshwater fish. Reaches 10–14.6 cm; keep at 18–26 °C.
Cobitis elongata of the family Cobitidae is an aquarium-kept Cobitidae. Peaceful bottom-dweller and omnivore with a carnivorous tilt; sinking foods, it grows to 10–14.6 cm and prefers 18–26 °C water. Other Cobitis species in our database include Cobitis lutheri, Cobitis shikokuensis, Cobitis sinensis.
Intermediate difficulty. Peaceful bottom-dweller; loosely social; keep in small groups.
Aim for 18–26 °C. Room temperature stable range; 18–26 °C typical for the genus.
Full size is 10–14.6 cm. Minimum tank: 256 L, with open swimming space along its bottom-dwelling habits.
Omnivore with a carnivorous tilt; sinking foods. It forages naturally over fine sand for burrowing, so let some food reach the bottom.
Peaceful bottom-dweller; loosely social; keep in small groups. Good company: Similar-sized peaceful community fish — Similar size and water needs. Keep away from Much smaller fish — May outcompete or bully tiny tankmates.
Its habitat is sandy stretches of slow rivers — gentle current, tolerates moderate oxygen levels.
Rare in home aquaria. Females noticeably plumper when mature.