Aral Loach - Cobitis aralensis
This is a small fish measuring 6—8 cm, rarely reaching 12—13 cm. It is found in Central Asia in the water bodies of the Amu Darya and Syr Darya river basins. In Kyrgyzstan, the loach inhabits the water bodies of the Chui Valley, as well as in Naryn and Kara-Darya.
The dorsal fin has II—III 6—7 rays, and the anal fin has II—III 5—6 rays. The body and head are strongly compressed from the sides and covered with very small scales. The eyes are covered with skin, and there is a sharp barb located under the eye. There are 6 whiskers, located at the tip of the snout and 2 at the corners of the mouth. The body is colored light yellow, with 10 to 18 brown spots on the sides, smaller spots located along the back, as well as across the tail and dorsal fins.
The loach prefers to live in quiet waters — ponds, river backwaters, springs with soft muddy bottoms. It spawns from April to June on sandy bottoms with clean, slow-flowing water. It lays from 500 to 1000 eggs in total.
The loach primarily feeds on detritus flakes and small benthic invertebrates. It is quite unpretentious and lives well in an aquarium.
Fish
