Polka-Dot Loach
Cobitoidea sp.
The Polka-Dot Loach (Cobitoidea sp.) is a peaceful fish that's a good step up once you have a little experience. Give it a tank of at least 160 litres (42 US gallons), water held at 72-82°F, and a pH of 6-7.8. 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
Asia
- East & Southeast Asia
Regional colours match the stocking calculator's origin map.
Polka-Dot Loach Tank Setup
Give them at least 160 litres (42 US gallons) and a tight-fitting lid, since many loaches are escape artists. Keep the water at 72-82°F with a pH around 6-7.8; 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. They reach about 15 cm as adults, so don't be misled by the small juveniles sold in stores.
What Do Polka-Dot Loaches Eat?
They're not fussy eaters - feed a varied diet, rotating good-quality dry, frozen, and gel foods rather than the same thing every day, and match the food size to their mouths.
Polka-Dot Loach Tank Mates
The Polka-Dot Loach is peaceful, which is the first thing to weigh up when you choose tank mates. It's a known fin-nipper, so avoid bettas, guppies, and other slow, long-finned fish. 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 Polka-Dot 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.
Polka-Dot Loach - frequently asked questions
What size tank do Polka-Dot Loaches need?
Polka-Dot Loaches need a tank of at least 160 litres (42 US gallons). A bigger tank is always easier to keep stable, and gives them more room to settle in and behave naturally.
How many Polka-Dot Loaches should I keep together?
Keep a group of at least 6. Polka-Dot Loaches are a shoaling species and become stressed, lose their colour, or hide when kept singly or in pairs.
What water parameters do Polka-Dot Loaches need?
Keep them at 72-82°F with a pH of 6-7.8, 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 Polka-Dot Loaches eat?
Polka-Dot Loaches are omnivores and aren't fussy eaters. Feed a varied mix of good-quality dry, frozen, and gel foods, and match the food size to their mouths. Feed small amounts once or twice a day, and remove anything they don't eat.
Are Polka-Dot Loaches good for beginners?
Polka-Dot 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 Polka-Dot Loaches
- Buying fewer than 6 - Polka-Dot 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 160 litres (42 US gallons); impulse buying into a smaller tank leads to stress and shortened lifespan.
- Mixing with long-finned fish - Polka-Dot Loachs will nip at bettas, angelfish, and other fish with flowing fins, causing stress and infection risk.
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.
Check Polka-Dot Loach against any other fish → Compares water parameters, predation risk, fin nipping and tank size, and draws both at life size.
Fish to avoid mixing with Polka-Dot 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
- Common GoldfishGoldfish - prefer cooler, harder water that tropical fish cannot tolerate
