Family: Balitoridae
Vanmanenia lineata — a Balitoridae from southern Chinese mountain streams, calm but assertive around its chosen perch. Reaches 7.4–10.8 cm; singly or in a loose group on open rockwork. 18–26 °C.
A Balitoridae species native to southern Chinese mountain streams: Vanmanenia lineata lives bottom-dwelling on rock surfaces over fast-flowing mountain streams, clinging to rocks. Calm but assertive around its chosen perch. Adults reach 7.4–10.8 cm. It is one of the aquarium-kept Vanmanenia species we profile, alongside Vanmanenia pingchowensis, Vanmanenia stenosoma, Vanmanenia gymnetrus.
Intermediate difficulty. Calm but assertive around its chosen perch; singly or in a loose group on open rockwork.
Aim for 18–26 °C. Cool, highly oxygenated water; 18–26 °C typical for the genus.
Expect 7.4–10.8 cm as an adult, living bottom-dwelling on rock surfaces. A 140 L tank or larger gives it room.
Grazes rock surfaces; feed spirulina-rich foods. It forages naturally over bare rock and coarse gravel, so let some food reach the bottom.
Calm but assertive around its chosen perch. Recommended tankmates: Other cool-water stream fish — Share the need for oxygen and flow. Avoid Large aggressive cichlids — Disrupt the calm grazing regime.
Comes from southern Chinese mountain streams: fast-flowing mountain streams, clinging to rocks. Expect very strong, highly oxygenated current and requires very high dissolved oxygen.
Spawning unknown in home aquaria. Difficult to distinguish.