Myanmar Loach
Yunnanilus brevis
The Myanmar Loach (Yunnanilus brevis) is a peaceful fish that's a good step up once you have a little experience. Give it a tank of at least 100 litres (26 US gallons), water held at 72-81°F, and a pH of 6.5-7.5. Always keep a group of at least 6 - they feel safest in numbers.
Captive lifespan reflects typical experience in a home aquarium, not maximum recorded age; genetics, sourcing, and care vary.
Natural distribution
Southeast Asia
- East & Southeast Asia
Regional colours match the stocking calculator's origin map.
Myanmar Loach Tank Setup
Give them at least 100 litres (26 US gallons) and a tight-fitting lid, since many loaches are escape artists. Keep the water at 72-81°F with a pH around 6.5-7.5; soft sand suits the ones that like to burrow. Always keep a group of at least 6 of their own kind - kept alone or in pairs they tend to turn shy, nippy, or wash out in colour.
What Do Myanmar Loaches Eat?
They're bottom feeders, so give them sinking wafers, tablets, or frozen treats like bloodworm once the lights go down. Flakes that never reach the bottom leave them hungry even when the tank looks well-fed.
Myanmar Loach Tank Mates
Keep in groups of 6+. Peaceful loach suitable for community tanks. The Myanmar Loach is peaceful, which is the first thing to weigh up when you choose tank mates. It's a shoaling fish, so settle a group of 6 or more of its own kind before adding anything else - a stressed, lonely fish is far more likely to nip or hide. Before you buy, run your full stocking list through our stocking calculator. It weighs temperament, adult size, and water needs together, which a single species page can't do on its own.
Are Myanmar Loaches Good for Beginners?
Doable once you test water regularly and catch problems before fish look sick. If this is your first tank, pick something more forgiving and come back later.
Myanmar Loach - frequently asked questions
What size tank do Myanmar Loaches need?
Myanmar Loaches need a tank of at least 100 litres (26 US gallons). A bigger tank is always easier to keep stable, and gives them more room to settle in and behave naturally.
How many Myanmar Loaches should I keep together?
Keep a group of at least 6. Myanmar Loaches are a shoaling species and become stressed, lose their colour, or hide when kept singly or in pairs.
What water parameters do Myanmar Loaches need?
Keep them at 72-81°F with a pH of 6.5-7.5, steady rather than chased to an exact figure. In a cycled tank, ammonia and nitrite should both read 0 ppm, with nitrate kept low through regular water changes.
What do Myanmar Loaches eat?
Myanmar Loaches are bottom feeders. Give them sinking wafers, tablets, and frozen foods that settle on the substrate, ideally after the lights go off. Feed small amounts once or twice a day, and remove anything they don't eat.
Are Myanmar Loaches good for beginners?
Myanmar Loaches are best for keepers with a little experience. They are manageable once you test water regularly and catch problems early; a complete beginner may prefer something more forgiving first.
Common mistakes with Myanmar Loaches
- Buying fewer than 6 - Myanmar Loachs need a proper school to feel secure; isolated individuals hide, fail to colour up, or become stressed.
- Underestimating tank size - the minimum footprint is 100 litres (26 US gallons); impulse buying into a smaller tank leads to stress and shortened lifespan.
Building a community? Run the full list through the stocking calculator before you add anything else.
Great tank mates
Chosen from temperament, overlapping temperature/pH bands, plausible minimum tank footprints, and size versus yours in App-aquatic data. Hobby nuance always wins - verify stocking and temperament before purchasing.
Fish to avoid mixing with Myanmar Loaches
These well-known species are commonly sold alongside this fish but are not recommended tank mates - verify before purchasing.
- OscarPredator - Oscar will eat or injure smaller tank mates
- Pea PufferPredator - Pea Puffer will eat or injure smaller tank mates
- Betta (Male)Predator - Betta (Male) will eat or injure smaller tank mates
