Community Botias

[Big G]

Yello Again!

For those of you who have read my Glass Catfish thread, you will have learnt that I recently bought a pair of Skunk Botia, after being reassured that they are fine for a community tank, only to then be told (after buying I may add) that they are not very good for the community, and are in fact quite aggresive!

So, this leads me to my question... Which Botia ARE community tank friendly??

I was looking to get either the Chain Loach (dwarf botia) and/or the zebra botia, both of which I believe are good community fish, but again there seems to be some disagreement over this?

What are your opinions of the above two? Are there any other botia's and loaches that are community happy??

My current 80cm setup includes the following fish if it helps?

6 x Neon Tetra
6 x White Cloud Minnows
4 x Serpae Tetra
4 x Khuli loaches (Pink with Black bands, not black variety)
2 x Banjo Cats (Craggy headed I think??)
1 x Otocinclus (Would like more, but can't find any?)
1 x Chinese Algea Eater
2 x Skunk Botia

The 2 skunks and the algea eater will be going to a friends tank shortly, who has a much larger setup!

If I don't get the Zebras or Chains, then I'll prob just get some Cory's?

Cheers
Big G!

[Henk Hugo]

Cory's are always a good bet if you have a fine substrate..... i used to have a school (ie school 5 or more) of clown loaches in my old 2m tank.... problem withyour setup its rather short for "normal" botias.... if you cant find the dwarf ones rather go for a nice school (5 or more) cory's :D

[Big G]

Yer, it is a bit small for Botias, but the Zebra's seemed pretty Ideal, since they supposedly only grow to 2", and the Chains about 1.5". But before I went ahead and got some more, I thought I'd double check again with the wealth of knowledge that is this forum!

I do like the clown loaches, but yer they are too big for my tank! Especially since they do like to be in 'schools'. Any ideas where I may find any chains? I saw some nice looking Zebra's in N1 city, but the sales guy was saying they get very aggresive! I had been told otherwise, which is why I decided to double check here!

Cheers
Big G!

[Henk Hugo]

Heres some botias one of my books list as being under 10cm.... not all that sure on their agro levels....

B. Eos - 6cm
B. nigrolineata - 5cm
B. Rostrata - 6cm - not to be confused with B. robusta
B. sidithimunki - 6cm
B. stritata - 10cm

the test are all worm like loaches.... go see Nico at Panorama Pet shops - tell him i sent you... he will get you what you want :D

[Henk Hugo]

for got botia dario 6.5cm :D

[Big G]

Is B. Sidithimunki not also known as the Pakistani loach? I believe that they are very aggrexive, but they are incredibly beautifull! I'd have em if they were friendly!

Haven't heard of the others, but I'll look into them!

Interestingly, I've just found an american forum which has a chat about the skunks on it, and all seem to say that while it is agressive, it doesn't harm any fish. Alos that they only grow to 10cm max, where as I have been told that they'll grow to 22cm plus!

Cheers
Big G!

[Big G]

Oh, and I also saw a Polkadot Botia somewhere which was also rather cool looking! Again I've struggled to find any info on it!

Cheers
Big G

[Henk Hugo]

B. Sidithimunki - Dwarf Botia

looks like i missed another - Pakistania loach - B Lonchata - 7cm....

sorry man - working and typing forum replies and having fish books open doesnt gel :D

[Henk Hugo]

Skunks - B. morleti 22cm - also known as Hora's loach

[Henk Hugo]

i just found another fish with the name Pakastani Loach - B. almorhae - 15cm:stupid:

[Big G]

haha! Seems its not just me whose confuseselled then!

Itsa Botia Minefield out there!

Of course Sidmunthki is the dwarf/chain loach! I never was very good at latin! Haahhaa

Cheers
Big G!

[Big G]

http://www.loaches.com/species-index/yasuhikotakia-morleti

There we go! Another site with a different answer! Grrrr! Who are you suppoesed to believe??

Cheers!
Big and very confused G!!

[Henk Hugo]

hahahahahahahaha!

the biggest skunk i have seen would have been around 18 cm or so

[Big G]

Hmmm! Even more confusion! Just been on a website dedicated to loaches, which tells me that only a few of the Botias are actually aggressive! The Skunk being one of them and the Eos being another! Yet others that I have previously been told are very aggressive like the Pakistani, Polka-dot, Burmese and Bengal loaches are actually great community loaches provided they are kept in a group of around 5 or 6?!

Will I ever find a deffinative answer without buying all the botias and observing them myself?? The only fact that seems to be agreed on is that the more botia you have the better the aggresion is curbed as they work out a pecking order between themselves!

Another question, some say that only one species of Botia should be kept in a shoal, where as others suggest that a shoal built up of different types of similar sized botia is also fine! What do you folk think?

If I were to mix botias, and was not to worry about aggresion, I would have the following...

2 x Pakistani loaches
2 x Zebra loaches
1 x Polkadot loach

All of these are great to look at! And aslo don't forget the 2 skinks I currently have!

Cheers
Big G!

[Henk Hugo]

i would keep 5 of one sp. in a tank.... ie 5 per species of loaches :D

[Big G]

Yer, thats what common sense would suggest, but it just seems a shame to not be able to have different variations when they are all sooooo variable and colourfull!

Guess I'll just have to convince the wife we need another tank in the house! Maybe i could set it up with lots of noocks and crannies and keep it as a Botia tank!! that would be fun!

Cheers
Big G

[Henk Hugo]

dont you have a room that isnt being used - like a granny flat/maids room/double garage?

[Big G]

I wish mate! We are thinking of an extension, but in todays economic climate, it probably won't happen!

I did want to get a 1.5metre tank, but I just didn't have the space to set it up!

That would have been exactly what I'd have liked, but again funds don't permit!

Cheers
Big G!

[Big G]

Well, update time! I went ahead and bought two Zebra Loaches (Botia Striata) and absolutely love them!

Funny, but my two Skunks are half the zebras size, but they still chase them around and tell em whose boss! But no harm is ever done so that a good sign!

If I go ahead with my planned upgrade (see corner unit post) then I'll prob get some more Zebra's? Seem quite hard to find tho!

Cheers
Big G

[Henk Hugo]

told you so :P get rid of the skunk.... we had a problem on another forum where a user did not want to listen about his skunks... they killed off most of his fish eventually

[Big G]

oOooo! Nasty! Yer they will be going soon! Just waiting for a friend to finish resetting up of their tank! then the two skunks and the Chinese Algea eater will be departing!

Cheers
Big G!

[Henk Hugo]

good :D