botia striata or Botia kubotai most playful/active?

[karl71]

I was thinking of getting group of these guys but dont know which are the most activeand playful. My friend has botia striata and are very pretty but seem to hide a lot. Are Kubotai the same or are they more playful?

[bookpage]

IMO, Kubotai are more active, but they do get larger than the botia striata. What size tank are you going to put them in?

[karl71]

Its a juwel 125 and got just a few barbs in it right now? Will 5 kubs be ok for that size?

[bookpage]

That is only 33 US gallons. the Kubotai get 5" in length and would be too big for that size tank. http://www.loaches.com/species-index/botia-kubotai

Might be better to go with the botia striata; they only get 4". The 33 US gallon is still a little small for them. http://www.loaches.com/species-index/bo ... %20striata

Even better would be Dwarf Loach (Yasuhikotakia sidthimunki); http://www.loaches.com/species-index/ya ... idthimunki

or the Rosy Loach; http://www.loaches.com/species-index/tu ... rakanensis

[karl71]

I was really wanting to get the Kubotais. What about 4 for that tank?

[glenna]

I have three and I swear they are a bit cramped in a 75 gallon. They are ACTIVE fish who like to swim. I would think about Bookpage's suggestions!
I have striata in a 46 gallon and they seem very happy in there. They are BEAUTIFUL, active loaches. When you really think about how big they will get, I'll bet you would be pleased.

[artem1961]

I was thinking of getting group of these guys but dont know which are the most activeand playful.?

I have a 9 Botia kubotai live in October 2007. There was a flock of Botia striata of 7 fish, but 3 of them died last August, when Moscow was extreme heat. Comparing their kubotai and striata, I can say that kubotayi more open, Bezalel and sociable fish. Striatal do not like large neighbors, often hiding in shelters. IMHO.

[cloudhands]

In my experience, the kubotai grow pretty slowly, so if you have long term hopes of getting a larger tank, you'd have a while.

In our tank we seem to have an unusually active and visible school of striata, for whatever reason. Indeed, one of the striata seems to be the dominant fish for the whole tank. They are probably more visible than the kubotai much of the time, but it's close.

The kubotai have a somewhat goofier and perhaps more "playful" style, but it's hard to say why that is. Somehow the striata have a more "serious" quality, and the kubotai look more fun - to me.