Yaoshania pachychilus – Panda Schmerle Rarität

Yaoshania pachychilus, the panda loach, comes from a very limited range near the mouths of a few rivers in the Dayao mountains of Guangxi, South China. It reaches a maximum size of 6 cm, which also makes it interesting for keeping with dwarf shrimp in smaller tanks.

The juvenile pattern resembles a small bamboo shark and changes over time into a grey striped pattern. In the wild it lives in good current on sandy ground with smooth stones and grazes biofilm and its microorganisms. We recommend a mostly plant based diet, such as tablet food, and avoiding mosquito larvae entirely, as they are too rich in protein.