Order Cypriniformes ( Cypriniformes )
Family Cobitidae ( Cobitidae )
Subfamily Botiinae ( Botiinae )
Genus Botia — Botia.
A recent revision distributed these fishes among the genera Botia, Chromobotia, Leptobotia, Parabotia, Sinibotia, Syncrossus, and Yasuhikotakia. Inhabiting Southeast Asia, these small fish dwell in shallow streams. The body is elongated, with six barbels on the head, three on each side. Sexual dimorphism is not clearly expressed. Females are somewhat larger than males; additionally, mature females have a characteristic belly line. Males are slimmer and slightly brighter colored, which is especially noticeable during the pre-spawning period.
Loaches possess sharp bony suborbital spines located below the eyes, which they can use to inflict pricks. In a calm state, they remain in their “sheaths”, but at the slightest danger or fright, the spines pop up. Given this, it is not recommended to transport adult fish in plastic bags. When transplanting loaches, caution should be exercised; with the powerful rays of their pectoral fins, they can get tangled in the net, and pricks from these rays are painful. Loaches should be purchased at a size of 5 cm (except Y. sidthimunki), smaller ones acclimate poorly, and you should avoid sickly-looking fish and those with clamped fins.
Peaceful fish, slightly timid, sometimes keeping in small groups, sometimes friction occurs within the group and the fish swim separately. Keep in schools of 3-6 individuals with not-too-small fish, otherwise they become aggressive. Kept singly, the fish languishes. You should not keep too many loaches in a small territory at once, as many conflict with each other and bully fish of other species. The overwhelming majority of species are characterized by strict territorial adherence.
Skirmishes are frequent, during which loaches display their weaponry, emit loud clicking sounds, intimidating the rival. If the aquarium is large enough and properly arranged, skirmishes do not entail serious consequences. Intra-specific aggression in loaches is higher than intergeneric. However, some species keep in groups and peacefully coexist side by side. The most aggressive are all members of the genus Syncrossus and most members of the genus Yasuhikotakia.
Most are active at dusk and at night. During the day, they mainly hide, leaving their shelters only at night in search of food. Because of this timidity and love for dark corners, you should place plenty of plants in the aquarium (Microsorium pteropus, Anubias, Hygrophila polysperma), flat stones and driftwood, PVC pipes, ceramic pots. Hardy plants should be planted in pots. Very often loaches try to squeeze into narrow crevices, often in groups.
Any types of decorations with rough or sharp edges can be dangerous for these curious fish. They can get stuck in narrow spaces without a through passage. It is better to use driftwood and flat stones to build many natural caves for the fish. To see loaches more often, shelters should be clearly visible. Do not use large stone structures, as they can undermine and collapse them.
Bottom-dwelling fish, they need a soft substrate so as not to damage the belly, scaleless body, and sensitive barbels. The fish lack scales, which causes a large amount of mucus to be secreted, which they rub off against fine substrate particles. They love to dig in the substrate. Loaches tolerate sudden changes in conditions poorly. The water must be aerated. Frequent water changes are mandatory. They eat food that has fallen to the bottom and eat snails. Plant supplements and vegetables must be present in the diet: cucumbers, zucchini, lettuce, cabbage, and peas. Plants and algae are also an important part of nutrition.
They should be fed in the morning and the main portion in the evening, before turning off the lights. A varied diet is important for keeping fish in good condition, as this will ensure they get all the necessary vitamins, carbohydrates, fats, and proteins required for health and growth.
Breeding loaches is quite difficult; the fish spawn in pairs or groups, the males catch the female with their pectoral fin under the belly (behind the gill cover) and thus rise to the water surface, where spawning occurs. Loaches are very sensitive to medications, especially copper. Loaches are most often affected by flagellates (Costia, Octomitus). A wonderful therapeutic effect is provided by raising the water temperature to 34-36°C (exposure for 2 days) and adding table salt to the aquarium (1-2 g/l). Recommended keeping conditions: temperature 24-26°C, hardness 3-15°, acidity 6.0-7.5.
— Bengal Loach — Botia dario [Hamilton, 1822]. Synonym: Cobitis, Botia geto, Diacanthus, Canthophrys flavicauda, zebra. (Eng.: Bengal Loach, Indian Loach, Queen Loach, Scarf Botia). India, Bangladesh, Ganges and Brahmaputra river basins. 10-12 cm. Moderately elongated and laterally compressed body, has four pairs of barbels. Body ranges from light to dark yellow, golden, yellowish-green with 7-9 vertical blue, green, gray, or black stripes, sometimes connected horizontally together, gaps are significantly thinner than the stripes.
The pattern and size of the stripes can be varied. Another feature of this species is spots on the caudal and pectoral fins, and faint black spots at the base of the anal and ventral fins. As they grow and mature, the coloration fades.
Peaceful, schooling, crepuscular fish, can be kept with non-aggressive species. A spacious aquarium with plenty of hiding places, dense vegetation, and floating plants to tone down the lighting is required. Soft, sandy substrate. These loaches become active at dusk, actively swimming all over the aquarium in search of food. They will appreciate a large number of plants, caves, plastic and ceramic tubes, and other places to hide. The fish like to explore bottom labyrinths, rummage in plant thickets, reluctantly coming out into brightly lit areas. They usually swim along the substrate, tilted at an angle of about 30 degrees, in search of food.
They love to sort things out in a group, constantly pushing or nipping each other. Some fish may lie on a stone and zealously guard it, while other dario will certainly try to win this place. Their behavior is all the more interesting the larger the school. They need to be kept in a school of their own kind, where hierarchical relationships are established. Like other loaches, dario grow unevenly. Out of five to six fry, in a couple of months two fish will inevitably be larger, and one or two will turn out smaller than their siblings. They easily get along with other loaches.
Snails do not get along with dario, as they are a delicacy for them. Flake food, pellets, spirulina tablets, frozen bloodworms or Artemia, as well as cucumber slices and lettuce leaves are used for feeding. Do not put these fish in biologically immature aquariums; water should be soft and slightly acidic. Active filtration and aeration, regular water changes. They react acutely to water and substrate pollution, against which bacterial infections and ulcer processes occur. Successful antibiotic treatment is possible only in the early stages of the disease. They live about 7 years. pH 6.5-7.5; dH 5-10°; T 23-26°C.
Identification: Bengal Loach — Botia dario.
Botia almorhae, Botia histrionica.
Chromobotia macracanthus, Clown Loach. 
