Dojo loaches can grow up to 30 cm long, but may only reach a length of 15 cm in captivity. They also come in a variety of colors, such as pink, orange, albino and gray, and can vary in colour from yellow to olive green, to a common light brown or grey with lighter undersides. Like many other loaches, Dojo loaches have slender, eel-like body. The mouth of the loach is surrounded by three sets of barbels, which are used to sift through silt or pebbles to find food, and also to dig under gravel and sand to conceal the fish out of nervousness or self-defenses, unlike the other loaches who use the spines beneath the eyes.
Dojo loaches are very hardy fish that can live in poor-quality water, and can survive short periods of drought by producing a layer of moisture-trapping mucus to keep themselves damp.