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Chinese Hillstream Loach : 

 

Butterfly Loach, Hong Kong Pleco, Borneo Loach

Family: Balitoridae

 

The Chinese Hillstream Loach is a most unique looking loach that is gentle and non-aggressive!

 

The Chinese Hillstream Loach Beaufortia kweichowensis at first sight, suggests some type of flounder. But it is much smaller than most sole type fish, reaching only about 3 inches (8 cm). You will be intrigued when you see this curious loach as it is truly an eye catcher.

 

It is most often called the Chinese Hillstream Loach, but you may find this fish under a variety of names such as the Butterfly Loach, Hong Kong Pleco, Borneo Loach, Butterfly Hillstream Loach, Borneo Sucker, Chinese Butterfly Loach, Chinese Butterfly Pleco, and Chinese Sucker.

 

This interesting little fish has a light brown to golden background color that is patterned overall with dark spots. It also has a dark spotted line following the edge of the fins. It is a prime example of a "Sucker Belly Loach", designed to cling to the rocky bottom of fast moving waters. It is a peaceful little loach with a peculiar stop-and-go type of swimming motion. It can be quite quick, but it will not defend itself against aggressors.

 

This is a fairly hardy little fish. They do tend to be shy so be sure to provide plenty of hiding places. Because they are from cooler waterways, they will do best in a "river" type aquarium kept with other gentle tank mates. Good water movement along with hiding and resting places created with plants, rocks, and driftwood in will be appreciated. They also love to scavenge debris and graze on algae, even cleaning the glass on the sides of the aquarium. They enjoy the company of their own species and are best kept in a group of five to seven, with the suggested minimum being three.

 

  • Aquarist Experience Level: Intermediate

  • Size of fish - inches: 3.2 inches (8.00 cm)

  • Minimum Tank Size: 20 gal (76 L)

  • Temperament: Peaceful

  • Aquarium Hardiness: Moderately hardy

  • Temperature: 68.0 to 75.0° F (20.0 to 23.9° C)

 

Habitat: Distribution / Background : 

 

The Chinese Hillstream Loach Beaufortia kweichowensis(previously Gastromyzon leveretti kweichowensis) was described by Fang in 1931. They are found in Southeast Asia; Hong Kong. Other common names they are know by are Butterfly Loach, Hong Kong Pleco, Borneo Loach, Butterfly Hillstream Loach, Borneo Sucker, Chinese Butterfly Loach, Chinese Butterfly Pleco, Chinese Sucker, and Leverett's Hillstream Loach.

 

These fish are found in Xi Jang River system in southern China. They are also found in the upper part of the drainage in Guizhou Province and in Guangxi Autonomous Region and Guangdong Province. These areas of China are becoming a major concern for fish because it is very industrialized and has become very polluted. However it is not listed on the IUCN Red List.

 

These loaches normally live in the shallow, fast moving rivers and streams. Substrate is normally sand, smooth stones and boulders. Not much aquatic vegetation is present due to the current and substrate. The substrate is often leaf covered. As with most loaches they tend to prefer waters very high in oxygen. Their natural diet is composed of benthic algae and other micro organisms.

 

  • Scientific Name: Beaufortia kweichowensis

  • Social Grouping: Groups

  • IUCN Red List: NE - Not Evaluated or not listed

Description : 

 

The Chinese Hillstream Loach can reach just over 3 inches (8 cm) in length, though it is usually smaller in the aquarium, and has a lifespan of 8 years. This loach is a flat bellied, low profiled fish. Many confuse this fish with a Pleco. Its body is a yellow-brown covered in black polka dots. Its anal and dorsal fins are transparent with opaque strips.

 

  • Size of fish - inches: 3.2 inches (8.00 cm) - This fish may grow to be somewhat smaller in the home aquarium.

  • Lifespan: 8 years

 

 

Fish Keeping Difficulty : 

 

This loach can be quite hardy under the right conditions. They are not recommended for beginners however, because of their need for pristine water and they do not have scales. Not having scales make them more prone to disease and very sensitive to medications used to treat disease. Experience in treating scaleless fish is very important to be able to give your loach a healthy and long life.

 

  • Aquarium Hardiness: Moderately hardy

 

  • Aquarist Experience Level: Intermediate

 

Foods and Feeding : 

 

The Chinese Hillstream Loach is an omnivore, feeding mainly on benthic algae and other micro organisms in the wild. In the aquarium this loach will generally eat all kinds of live foods, sinking pelleted and tablet foods, flakes, and algae. They like frozen foods as well. To keep a good balance give them a high quality flake or tablet food everyday. Feed mosquito larvae, brine shrimp (either live or frozen), tubifex, daphnia, and some vegetable foods such as algae wafers and mashed peas.

 

  • Diet Type: Omnivore

  • Flake Food: Yes

  • Tablet / Pellet: Yes

  • Live foods (fishes, shrimps, worms): Some of Diet

  • Vegetable Food: Some of Diet

  • Meaty Food: Some of Diet

  • Feeding Frequency: Several feedings per day 

 Aquarium Care : 

 

For this loach to thrive, it is most important that the water be clean and well-oxygenated. The use of an over-sized filter is a minimum requirement. Weekly water changes of at least 30% are also needed to keep the loach healthy.

 

  • Water Changes: Weekly - Water changes of at least 30% weekly.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

 

 

Aquarium Setup ( Click here to know more about speciall aquarium set up )  : 

 

These fish are mostly bottom dwellers, but will be seen grazing on algae on the sides of the aquarium. They will do well in a medium sized aquarium (ideally 20 gallons or so) with plants and places for retreat such as rocks, caves, and roots. The substrate needs to be a fine gravel or sand that does not have sharp edges. They do best in soft, slightly acidic water.

 

The Chinese Hillstream Loach should have a tank that resembles their natural habitat. They need good water flow and this can be achieved with powerheads or a river manifold. These fish, like most loaches, need ample hiding places that can be constructed with larger smooth boulders and drift wood. Bright lighting is needed to aid in growing algae, but there must be areas of shade for the fish. Live plants aren't normal to their habitat but do help with water quality. A tight fitting lid is required to prevent escape as these loaches will climb the glass.

 

It is most important for the health of these fish that the water be clean and well-oxygenated. A high quality canister filter is best and will clean as well as help create water movement. We suggest the use of an over-sized filter as a minimum requirement. Installation of a rivertank manifold is recommended, though not essential, as it would not only provide an excellent alternative/additional form of filtration but bring with it the benefit of unidirectional water movement and more closely simulate what the fish experience in nature. Water turnover should ideally be in excess of 20 times per hour so additional powerheads/airstones can be used to achieve the desired flow and oxygenation in the absence of such a device.

 

  • Minimum Tank Size: 20 gal (76 L)

  • Substrate Type: Sand/Gravel Mix - Should have larger smooth boulders as well.

  • Lighting Needs: Low - subdued lighting - Can have strong lighting to encourage algae growth but must provide areas of shade for the fish.

  • Temperature: 68.0 to 75.0° F (20.0 to 23.9° C)

  • Range ph: 6.5-7.5

  • Hardness Range: 5 - 10 dGH

  • Brackish: No

  • Water Movement: Strong - This fish is accustomed to life in swiftly moving streams, as such it appreciates a strong current and requires highly oxygenated water.

  • Water Region: Bottom - This fish mainly keeps to the bottom although it will happily clean the aquarium walls of any algae growth.

Social Behaviors : 

 

A good community fish, they are gentle and peaceful. The Chinese Hillstream Loach will do well with non-aggressive tank mates as well as enjoy other members of their own species. It is recommended that they be kept in groups of at least 3, with larger groups of five to seven being recommended. They are rather shy, but when they move they are quite quick.

 

  • Venomous: No

  • Temperament: Peaceful

  • Compatible with:

    • Same species - conspecifics: Yes - This fish is very peaceful and is happiest in the company of its own kind. A group of 7 is considered an ideal number although 3 would suffice.

    • Peaceful fish (): Safe - Best if kept in groups of 3 to 7.

    • Semi-Aggressive (): Monitor

    • Aggressive (): Threat

    • Large Semi-Aggressive (): Threat

    • Large Aggressive, Predatory (): Threat

    • Slow Swimmers & Eaters (): Safe

    • Shrimps, Crabs, Snails: Safe - not aggressive

    • Plants: Safe

Sex: Sexual differences : 

 

Although the sex of these has not been determined, it is reported that males are typically larger than the females.

 

Breeding / Reproduction : 

 

There are reports of the Chinese Hillstream Loach having spawned for hobbyists but not much is known about their breeding habits. They are not yet bred commercially.

 

  • Ease of Breeding: Unknown - This fish will occasionally spawn in the home aquarium but little is known of its breeding habits.

     

 

Fish Diseases : 

 

Chinese Hillstream Loach are scaleless and prone to disease, so take caution when introducing these fish to an established tank. The Batik is also very sensitive to medication to treat many diseases; a separate hospital tank is needed. Cold water and condition changes can also cause stress to this fish which makes them even more prone to disease.

 

An outbreak of disease can often be limited to just one or a few fishes if you deal with it at an early stage. When keeping these sensitive types of fish, it is common to catch deteriorating water conditions and disease before other fish are affected. The best way to proactively prevent disease is to give your Chinese Hillstream Loach the proper environment and give them a well balanced diet. The closer to their natural habitat the less stress the fish will have, making them healthier and happy. A stressed fish is more likely to acquire disease.

 

Anything you add to your tank can bring disease to your tank. Not only other fish but plants, substrate, and decorations can harbor bacteria. Take great care and make sure to properly clean or quarantine anything that you add to an established tank so not to upset the balance. It is recommended to read up on the common tank diseases. Knowing the signs and catching and treating them early makes a huge difference. For information about freshwater fish diseases and illnesses, see Aquarium Fish Diseases and Treatments.

 

 

References

  • Animal-World References: Freshwater Fish and Plants

  • Dr. Rüdiger Riehl and Hans A. Baensch, Aquarium Atlas Vol. 1, Publisher Hans A. Baensch, 1991

  • Dr. R{uuml}diger Riehl and Hans A. Baensch, Aquarium Atlas Vol. 4 , Mergus Verlag (June 30, 2004)

  • Martin Thoene, Butterfly Hillstream Loach (Beaufortia kweichowensis), Loaches Online, 2009

  • Beaufortia kweichowensis (Fang, 1931), Fishbase.org

  • Bratz Walker, Sharks and Loaches, T.F.H. Publications, Inc., 1974

Breeding Sewellia :

( Courtesy to : Loaches On line Community Edition ) 

 

by Martin Thoene — last modified Feb 09, 2008 11:24 AM

Credit: Emma Turner

Introduction : 

 

It is easy to see why the Reticulated Hillstream Loach, Sewellia lineolata, caused such a stir when pictures first circulated on the internet, before exports from its native Vietnam began. Not only did this extraordinary fish instantly appeal to the ‘hardcore hillstream loach enthusiasts’, but to the fishkeeping world in general. Their outstanding dark markings on a bright yellow background colour are enough to rival any South American L-number pleco!

 

 

 

 

 

In August 2005, Maidenhead Aquatics @ Peterborough were the first store in the UK to import this species.

The shipment arrived on the whole, in very good order, and several weeks later, all still being well, I purchased 8 specimens for my River Tank. This aquarium was set up some months previously based upon Martin Thoene’s excellent uni-directional flow design, as featured here: Hillstream Loaches - The Specialists at Life In The Fast Lane. The River Tank principle not only encompasses this very natural one way flow as found in most large river systems, but also creates a very high level of oxygenation due to the amount of water movement involved – absolutely essential for keeping any type of hillstream loaches successfully. Other occupants of my River Tank at the time were two large adultSchistura balteata, Amano plant shrimps (Caridina multidentata), Eight Banded False Barbs (Eirmotus octozona), Daniosp. ‘Hikari’, and a couple of unidentified hillstream loach species, also from Vietnam (possibly one Annamia and oneHomaloptera species).

 

 The aquarium itself has a fine black sand substrate and many bogwood pieces, with smooth Scottish cobbles placed on the sand around the bases of the pieces of bogwood. Hillstream loaches have evolved to ‘hang on’ in fast flowing currents and graze on the algae that forms on rounded or smooth flat stones. As S. lineolata originate from boulder-strewn streams, I considered these smooth stones an absolute must for their wellbeing. I have several plant species that do surprisingly well under the extreme conditions in this river-style set up. Plants are not essential, as they are not found in abundance in the areas S. lineolata inhabit in the wild, but they can help with water quality and do look aesthetically pleasing.Anubias barteri, whilst slow-growing, always fares very well in most River Tanks, my plants being trained to grow on the bogwood along with Java moss, which always requires regular pruning. Cryptocoryne balansae and C. wendtii ‘green’ are planted in the gaps between the cobbles and have been growing remarkably well for some years now. As mentioned in the previous article, bright lighting is essential for all river tanks as it promotes decent algal growth over the cobbles and other décor. Hillstream loaches enjoy grazing this for the small micro-organisms it contains. The other crucial factor in the maintenance of this species is its preference for almost sub-tropical temperatures, to mimic the cooler hillstreams in which it naturally occurs.

The Flutter of Tiny Fins  : 

 

During the football World Cup of May/June 2006, I was carrying out some routine maintenance on the tank. Don’t get me wrong, I love football (I’m a loyal Norwich City fan!), but with the multitude of matches that were on in the early stages of the tournament, I kind of had ‘football overload’ and so left my other half watching the match whilst I attended to the external filter. The filter I use on this 180 litre tank is an Eheim Pro II 2028, which houses three media trays. With my attention wandering between filter maintenance and the match, I absentmindedly removed the top tray which held the phosphate-remover, Indian almond leaves, and fine filter wool. I then started to lift out the second tray, but stopped mid-way through to glance over at the TV. When I looked back down, I saw something tiny dart about between the ceramic media! I mentioned this to the football-engrossed other-half and just met with an, “Mmmm” type of ‘non-interested, eyes-fixed-on-telly reply’, like it was my wild imagination playing up again. I stared back down at the tray, still submerged in the filter, and saw not one, but several small fish darting about. After a bit more persuasion, I prized Steve away from the television in a fit of mad excited-ness! These fish could be loaches!

 

We hurriedly retrieved a small 12” x 8” tank that I normally use for photographing fish at Steve’s shop (http://www.fishkeeper.co.uk/store_details.php?storeid=33) and set it up using water from the main aquarium and an Interpet air-driven sponge filter. I actually use four replacement Interpet sponges on the intake end of my River-Tank manifold, so swapping one of the old ones for a new one, I quickly (and very conveniently) had an established sponge to run on the little filter in the baby tank.

 

The fry were tiny, 6mm TL maximum, and very difficult to catch. They would keep darting down between various ceramic tubes and balls in the bottom two trays, and so we literally had to remove the media piece by piece to minimize the risk of them becoming hurt when trying to net them out for transfer to the small tank.

 

The following four photographs were taken on
 16th June 2006

 

 

There turned out to be nine fry in total, and as they had began their lives in the darkness amongst the filter media, I decided to leave various bits and pieces of ceramic media in the baby tank as a temporary substrate for them to browse on and hide amongst. I did not add any lighting to this tank either.

 

A really exciting guessing game began! The only recent addition to the tank had been a few female S. lineolata, as most of my original group had turned out to be males.

 

 

 

 

Because of the relatively slender appearance and the presence of obvious barbels, many people were swift to assume they were likely to be Schistura balteata fry.
(24th June 2006)

However, as my series of developmental photographs show, the fry changed dramatically over a short period of time and it became apparent that these were actually a sucker-belly type hillstream loach, not only from the markings and ‘shrinking’ of barbels, but by their sudden ability to ‘cling’ to the glass and décor using their modified pectoral and ventral fins. Photograph opportunities were not always easy, due to the secretive nature of the fry.

 

To sidetrack slightly, shortly after this event, I managed to acquire a new and currently undescribed species ofSewellia, which we have been referring to as Sewellia

 

sp. ‘spotted’ due to the fact that these fish are of a dark base colour with a splattering of fine yellow dotted markings all over.

 

 

 

Sewellia sp. "Spotted"

These were said to occur in a location that overlaps that of S. lineolata, but we do not have any real proof that this is the case. All we know for sure is that they are Vietnamese and are wider and more heavily-bodied than S. lineolata. Unlike S. lineolata these fish are quite a cryptic species that remain hidden for most of the day, and only really venture out in the open with confidence when under blue moon lights or an absence of lighting altogether. S. lineolata adults are the opposite, and are always present, even under the brightest of lighting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

29th June 2006

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

29th June 2006

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10th July 2006

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7th August 2006

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

25th August 2006

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

25th August 2006

Dark coloured after just moving from dark substrate.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

28th August 2006

New fry in main tank.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Several months on, and at a TL of 20mm, I decided to prepare the S. lineolata fry for transferral to the aquarium in which they had originally been conceived. I added a small Maxijet powerhead (complete with impeller protection cage) to the fry aquarium to give an increased flow rate.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After a short period of adaptation, the young were obviously enjoying this new found current and were able to move about fantastically well.

 

This fry was much smaller and clearly from another spawning, which once again I had failed to witness. I was amazed at how it must have managed to survive in there, running the ‘Schistura gauntlet’.

 

 

 

The six remaining fry in the baby tank were acclimatised across and the small tank dismantled. The River Tank became a hive of activity with the little ones checking out their larger counterparts. I admit to being quite concerned about moving them across after nurturing them for some months, but I needn’t have worried!
(8th December 2006)

 

 

 The next evening, I was relaxing in front of the River Tank, observing the newly-transferred fry. Suddenly something caught my eye on the sand behind a hunk of bogwood. At no more than 5mm TL, this young fish had a bright yellow base colour with several jet black bars – completely different to the S. lineolata fry! Although concerned for its safety (it could easily have fitted in the mouths of those Schistura!) I tried to console myself with the fact that if it had survived to that stage, it should have a good idea by now of how to remain safe.

 

Thinking that it might be prudent to check the filter once more, I opened it up to find another thirteen S. lineolatafry in the bottom, this time under the media trays. No sign of any more of these stripy fellows though. So less than 24 hours after dismantling the fry tank, I found myself setting it back up again for these youngsters. There were two different sizes in this collection, evidence of more than one spawning.

 

Those thirteen S. lineolata grew well on a diet of Interpet Liquifry No. 3 finely powdered fry food, crushed JMC catfish pellets, Tetra Prima Mini Granules, frozen cyclops and baby brineshrimp. Exactly like the previous batch, these fry began clinging to surfaces at an early stage in their development and are fairly reclusive (much unlike the adults of the species).

 

 

 

 

 

10th December 2006

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12th December 2006

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

16th December 2006
Two youngsters fighting with one another.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5th January 2007

Size comparison with adult female.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

11th January 2007

Adult female with baby.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

11th January 2007

 

 

 

 

  

Conversely, the mystery stripy fry had not been attempting to cling very much, instead spending much of its time out in the open, foraging about on the sand. Its markings changed dramatically, and it would be several weeks before it began to cling. At that point I was confident that I had also managed to spawn the Sewellia sp. ‘spotted’ and have even found a second stripy fry (smaller) from another spawning! Must have been all those hormones floating about in the water!

 

Water parameters in the River Tank at the time of the first spawning were as follows: pH=6.6, dH=5 degrees, Nitrates=5-10ppm, Temperature=25 deg C.

 

 

 It had been assumed that S. lineolata, being a member of the Balitoridae family, might spawn in a similar way to that of its Chinese cousins, the Pseudogastromyzon species. P. cheni has been bred successfully in captivity by several accomplished aquarists, and observations of the actual spawning process have been made on a number of occasions.Pseudogastromyzon are known as ‘pit diggers’. During courtship, the male dances around the female, and when accepted by her, he digs a pit in the substrate by sliding backwards off of a cobble and swishing his tail to dig a hole. The female lays her eggs in this hole, which the male then fertilizes, and after spawning has ceased, he covers the eggs up with the substrate. Approximately two weeks later, the fry emerge. Despite many hours spent glued to the antics inside my River Tank, I saw no evidence of such behaviour in my Sewellia lineolata. 
Five months after I spawned my loaches, a German aquarist claimed to have bred S. lineolata in his tank. He said that he witnessed a male and female rising up to the water’s surface, entwining their bodies around each other and releasing a fine spray of eggs/milt into the aquarium. This was, at first, met with a little skepticism, as many people were still of the impression that S. lineolata were most likely to be pit diggers. However, the designer of the River Tank aquarium himself, Mr Martin Thoene, since observed his S. lineolata spawning in the same manner as the German aquarist. Sadly though, to date no fry have survived his initial observed spawning, although I’m sure it won’t be long until this happens. Since compiling this article, I too, have been privileged to witness a spawn (almost a year after finding my first fry) and concur with these reports. My observations followed a small partial water change, with the courtship behaviour starting a few hours later under blue moon lighting conditions. The male spent a long time trying to entice females into a small defended territory, and if she decided to stay, he would circle her again and again until she either swam away or accepted him. When a female did eventually accept him, and after 20 minutes or so of circle dancing and tender nibbling of the dorsal surface, they rose high up into the water column together, bodies absolutely rigid as they did so. They even appeared to be interlocked by one set of opposing pectoral fins (i.e. the females’ left pectoral and the males’ right pectoral). My River Tank is taller than may be conventional for these type of set ups and the fish were almost at the water’s surface when the eggs/milt were simultaneously released.
Looking back, this method of spawning does make great sense, as S. lineolata inhabit boulder-strewn waters where there is little or no substrate to dig into.

 

  

Sewellia lineolata in natural stream. Note hard rock base with no substrate.

  

It would follow, then, that the fish do rise up in the water column in their embrace, releasing the eggs/milt into the water to hopefully flow downstream to a place of safety where they can develop on to adulthood. It also explains why my external filter ends up drawing some of the fertilized eggs in, where most of the fry have begun their lives!

 

 

Sewellia lineolata

Sewellia sp. "Spotted"

To all Sewellia keepers out there: When carrying out aquarium maintenance, never throw away the water inside your external filter without examining the contents first!

 

 

 

   

Images: First photograph: Martin Thoene (taken @ Maidenhead Aquatics)

             River-Tank photo: Martin Thoene

             Natural stream photo: Miroslav Farkak, of Saigon Aquarium Corp

             All other photos : Emma Turner

    More and Good Articles about Hill stream loaches : 

 

 

 

20- Zebra Loach ( Click here for more information ) : 

 

Candy-stripe Loach, Striped Loach, Thin Line Loach

Family: Cobitidae

 

The Zebra Loach is a handsome shoaling fish that makes a lively addition to an aquarium!

The Zebra Loach Botia striata is a lively and attractively patterned fish. At first sight this loach appears to have lots of vertical bands, but basically it has about nine (very broad) dark bluish-green bands set on a yellowish green body. The bands have whitish lines inside that are generally straight, but sometimes can be broken or branched. These white lines lend to the many striped appearance. Due to its distinctive appearance it is also called a Candy-stripe Loach, Striped Loach, Candy Loach, and Thin Line Loach.

 

These are hardy, smaller sized loaches that can make a great choice for the beginner. They are not overly picky about foods and have no special demands on water conditions. As juveniles they will eat just about anything that is edible, though as adults they can get a bit more finicky. They are naturally nocturnal, but once they've become acclimated they will spend a good deal of time out and about during the day. They enjoy a planted tank with open areas to swim and places to hide or retreat to among rocks or wood.

 

These are some of the more peaceful Botias. Yet they are active fish that like to frolic with the company of their own kind as well as other non-aggressive loaches. They do best in a school of five or more, and can become withdrawn or more aggressive if kept singly. Keeping them in a pair or a smaller group of three are also not good choices. In groups that are too small, the dominant fish will get very aggressive towards the other, constantly harassing them and keeping them from feeding.

 

Though generally quite peaceful with their tank mates Zebra Loaches have been known to nip occasionally, usually it is just among themselves. They will also munch on snails and are good for snail control. The Zebra Loach is a very long lived, durable, and undemanding fish.

 

-Aquarist Experience Level: Intermediate

-Size of fish - inches: 3.9 inches (10.01 cm)

-Minimum Tank Size: 30 gal (114 L)

-Temperament: Peaceful

-Aquarium Hardiness: Moderately hardy

-Temperature: 73.0 to 79.0° F (22.8 to 26.1° C)

-Size of fish - inches: 3.9 inches (10.01 cm) - These fish can reach from 3 - 4 inches (7.8 - 10 cm), though often a bit smaller in the aquarium.

-Lifespan: 8 years - This fish generally has a lifespan of about 5 - 8 years, but has also been reported to live up to 15 or more years.

-Aquarium Hardiness: Moderately hardy

-Aquarist Experience Level: Intermediate

-Diet Type: Omnivore

-Flake Food: Yes

-Tablet / Pellet: Yes

-Live foods (fishes, shrimps, worms): Some of Diet

-Vegetable Food: Some of Diet

-Meaty Food: Most of Diet

-Feeding Frequency: Several feedings per day

-Water Changes: Weekly - Water changes of about 30% weekly.

-Minimum Tank Size: 30 gal (114 L)

-Suitable for Nano Tank: No

-Substrate Type: Sand

-Lighting Needs: Low - subdued lighting

-Temperature: 73.0 to 79.0° F (22.8 to 26.1° C)

-Range ph: 6.5-7.5

-Hardness Range: 5 - 12 dGH

-Brackish: No

-Water Movement: Weak

-Water Region: Bottom - These fish are mostly bottom dwellers, but will also swim in the middle of the aquarium.

-Venomous: No

-Temperament: Peaceful

 

 

  • Venomous: No

  • Temperament: Peaceful

  • Compatible with:

    • Same species - conspecifics: Yes - Best kept in groups of 5 or more.

    • Peaceful fish (): Safe

    • Semi-Aggressive (): Monitor

    • Aggressive (): Threat

    • Large Semi-Aggressive (): Threat

    • Large Aggressive, Predatory (): Threat

    • Slow Swimmers & Eaters (): Monitor - Will nip at slow swimming long-finned fish.

    • Shrimps, Crabs, Snails: May be aggressive

    • Plants: Monitor

  • Ease of Breeding: Unknown

  • References

  • Animal-World References: Freshwater Fish and Plants

  • Dr. Rüdiger Riehl and Hans A. Baensch, Aquarium Atlas Vol. 1, Publisher Hans A. Baensch, 1991

  • Dr. Rüdiger Riehl and Hans A. Baensch, Aquarium Atlas Vol. 4 , Mergus Verlag (June 30, 2004)

  • Mark in Vancouver, Zebra Loach (Botia striata), Loaches Online, 2009

  • Botia striata (Narayan Rao, 1920) Zebra loach, Fishbase.org

  • Botia striata, The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

  • Bratz Walker, Sharks and Loaches, T.F.H. Publications, Inc., 1974

 

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