Dwarf chain loach care
Ambastaia sidthimunki · Mae Klong and Chao Phraya basins, Thailand
Dwarf chain loaches stay small and play in groups: six or more in a 20 gallon long or larger tank at 75 to 82 °F with sand and plants.
- Tank size
- 20 US gal or larger
- Temperature
- 75 to 82 °F (24 to 28 °C)
- Group size
- 6 or more
- Temperament
- Peaceful
- Adult size
- 2.5 in
- pH
- 6.5 to 7.5
- Hardness (GH)
- 4 to 12 dGH
- Lifespan
- 5 to 8 years
- Diet
- Omnivore
- Care level
- Moderate
In a 20 gallon long
30¼ × 12½ × 12¾ in outsideHow to keep dwarf chain loaches
Dwarf chain loaches stay small and play in groups: six or more in a 20 gallon long or larger tank at 75 to 82 °F with sand and plants. They are a small-tank way to keep pest snails down.
Diet: Omnivore: sinking pellets, frozen foods, small snails. Fish food types compared · how often to feed.
Where they swim: Bottom of the tank.
Dwarf chain loach tank mates
Share the temperature and water, and neither side eats, nips or bullies the other. Check the full group in the stocking checker.
Platy
2.5 in · 10+ gal · 70–80 °F
American flagfish
2.5 in · 20+ gal · 65–79 °F
Odessa barb
2.5 in · 29+ gal · 68–79 °F
DrawingGolden pencilfish
2.6 in · 15+ gal · 75–82 °F
Colombian tetra
2.6 in · 30+ gal · 75–79 °F
Gardneri killifish
2.6 in · 10+ gal · 72–79 °F
Diamond tetra
2.4 in · 20+ gal · 72–82 °F
Bleeding heart tetra
2.4 in · 20+ gal · 72–80 °F
Keep apart
White cloud mountain minnow: No shared temperature: dwarf chain loaches need 75 to 82 °F, white cloud mountain minnows 64 to 72 °F.
Pea puffer: Pea puffers belong in a tank of their own.
Fancy goldfish: No shared temperature: dwarf chain loaches need 75 to 82 °F, fancy goldfish 64 to 74 °F.
Mystery snail: Dwarf chain loaches eat snails.
Zebra nerite snail: Dwarf chain loaches eat snails.
Assassin snail: Dwarf chain loaches eat snails.
What a dwarf chain loach tank needs
A tank of 20 US gallons or more (such as the 20 gallon long) with a cover, and the equipment below.
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Aqueon PRO QuietFlow Power Filter 10
Rated by the maker for up to 20 US gal, which covers a 20 gallon dwarf chain loach tank without being built for a far bigger one.
Aqueon QuietFlow Internal Power Filter 15–30 gal
Rated by the maker for 15–30 US gal, which covers a 20 gallon dwarf chain loach tank without being built for a far bigger one.
hygger Precise Aquarium Heater 100W
Dwarf chain loaches need 75 to 82 °F; most homes run cooler, so a heater holds the temperature.
API Freshwater Master Test Kit
Tests ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH, the readings that matter most before and after adding dwarf chain loaches.
Seachem Prime 100 mL
Removes chlorine and chloramine from tap water at every water change.
Fluval Edge Thermometer
Shows the water temperature at a glance, so you know it stays within 75 to 82 °F.
More choices, each with the reason it is in or out: Filters for a 20 gallon tank · Heaters for a 20 gallon tank. We don’t list fish food: any good brand of the foods under Diet will do. Plan the whole tank's equipment →
Common dwarf chain loach problems
- They eat small snails, including baby nerite and mystery snails.
Test the water first whenever fish look unwell: see what your readings mean, then match the symptom. For disease, a vet who treats fish can diagnose it and advise treatment.
More to compare
Sources
Name, origin and adult size checked against Wikipedia: Ambastaia sidthimunki. Temperature, pH, hardness, group size, lifespan and minimum tank size are common hobby guidance, not figures from that article. Ranges are the range the species tolerates; aim for the middle. Minimum tank sizes are for an adult group. Drawings are our own; photo credits follow.
Photo credits
Real photographs from Wikimedia Commons, resized and cropped to fit; each is used under the license named.
- Dwarf chain loach Stefan Maurer, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Platy Monika Korzeniec, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- American flagfish nat_t (iNaturalist), CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Odessa barb Anandarajkumar, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Colombian tetra Marrabbio2, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Gardneri killifish Tommy Kronkvist, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Diamond tetra SOK, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Bleeding heart tetra 5snake5, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
- White cloud mountain minnow Petrtyl, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Pea puffer Beta Mahatvaraj, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Fancy goldfish Benson Kua, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Mystery snail Gabriel Resende Veiga, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Zebra nerite snail TheJammingYam, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Assassin snail Steffi Klee, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Kuhli loach Iidkk, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Clown loach Vlad Butsky, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Reticulated hillstream loach Spiketooth, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Siamese algae eater aleander2137, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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