Today I was aware someone had imported a cobitid they were trading as a moosefaced loach. The species in question is more traditionally called the gongota loach, Canthophrys or Somileptes gongota, from shallow and slow-moving streams in northern India, Nepal, and Bangladesh. Reports of its natural presence in the state of Orissa, in eastern India, seem to be false. This species is best documented from piedmontane hill streams. They can also be called a moosehead, or even a jaguar loach.
This species grows to about 13 centimeters, or 5 inches, and is thus a nice size for many home tanks. It is considered quite an uncommon loach in its range, and the extent of its natural distribution is disputed among ichthyologists. Gongota loaches have a reputation among aquarists, as a very difficult species to maintain alive. However a minority of loach keepers have reported that this species, when it's needs are provided for correctly, can be undemanding.
According to the literature, mooseface or gongota loaches are reportedly present indiscriminately on muddy, sandy, and gravelly bottoms in the wild, although they are of benthic habits as would be expected of a loach species. However these loaches definitely feed by sifting through fine substrates, and thus they require a sand substrate in order for them to behave safely and normally. When they are in our aquariums, they definitely fare far better when they have access to fine silver sand substrates, which facilitate certain of their natural behaviors.
These include their habit of self-concealment by burrowing activities, and for this reason their eyes are positioned quite dorsally and elevated. Such a configuration of the face allows them to spy above the level of the sand, whilst they are otherwise buried safely out of the view of predators. Decor is therefore not essential to them as hiding places, as long as they can burrow into the sand to hide, which is exactly as they would do when in the wild. These are a very demersal fish indeed.
Some aquarium literature claims that this species requires cooler water, for example a temperature of 18 to 22 or 16 to 24 degrees centigrade Such matches recommendations and norms for sympatric species, as the small carps Danio rerio and Pethia ticto. However its natural range extends a bit further south than some people seem to assume, and it appears not to be strictly a piedmontane fish, as some people maintain.
With this species, perhaps, their location of origin should be used to determine the proper temperature for these fishes, if this may be possible. In fact in southern parts of their range, the temperature of the water averages at 25 to 26 degrees centigrade, and seasonally may drop closer to 20, ànd rise nearer to 30 degrees. In these waters, which are always flowing but not too powerfully, the pH is between 7 and 8, and thus circumneutral whilst leaning towards the alkaline side. This is contrary to some online opinion, that this species requires very soft and acidic water.
The feeding habits of gongota loaches are to sift morsels such as insect larvae from a fine substrate, expelling the non-food ingesta via their gills and retaining edible particles for digestion. Therefore the most appropriate diet for these fish, would be small, defrosted foods of suitable nature, or sinking dry foods if they will accept them. Although newly imported gongata loaches have a reputation for being difficult to feed, and generally for dying after importation, they can fortunately adapt to eating dry preparations.
With their own species, gongota loaches gregarious, and they are properly housed together in groups. Although they are very tolerant and peaceful by nature, their feeding habits can complicate their care in the ordinary community tank. This is because many other fishes are eager to snatch the same first of food items, that the gongota loach needs to eat, and their nature is to feed only at the bottom of the aquarium. More active fishes that are present in the same aquarium as gongota loaches, might eat the available food before the nocturnal sifters can access it.
Otherwise feeding these loaches is unproblematic, assuming that they have already been acclimatized - provided that the food particles they are offered are sufficiently small in size. They can even take to eating flakes once they have become waterlogged and sunk to the substrate. Gongota loaches seem to be a fish that perishes too often through the importation process, but are not in principle difficult, as long as certain special needs they have, are anticipated and provided for.