Loaches Online Forum

I have a 72 gal bow front that I would like to put botias in. Has anyone kept Sidthimunki with botias? I was thinking Histrionica or Striata.

Also, would you put any other livestock in this tank?

Thanks!

I am - quietly - completing a slghtly smaller tank, 260 L, with sidhymuncki and Rasbora axelrodi. And perhaps 1 algae eater.

The benefit of having way different species is that they live in different parts of the tanks, this allows you to have really big groupes - I'm thinking of 15 sids - and the tank is much calmer.

Whether they withstand each other I don't know, but a school of 2 species mixed together will never be as nice as the same sized school consisting of only 1 species

a school of 2 species mixed together will never be as nice as the same sized school consisting of only 1 species

+1

A 72 is big enough for both species, and enough fish of each to make nice social groups.

I would add mid tank to upper tank fish of a similar size. Maybe just a bit larger.
Perhaps a school of Rasboras or some of the less common Danios.

I kept sids (10?) with striatas (6) & rasboras borapetensis & harlequin rasboras in a 75g, all was good. My histrionicas I kept in a separate tank but I wouldn't see any issues, they were not aggressive... well, maybe a bit rowdy for very small fish but should be ok with mostly adult- size sidthimunkis or zebras. Try it!

Thanks, all!

My girlfriend really liked the kubotai -- a fine fish I've never kept -- and I was thinking sids might actually be too small from the viewing area. So here's the new line-up:

4 B. kubotai
6 B. striata
10 bloodfin tetras

We'll see what I can get for gobies, but I would also like:

5 Stiphodon percnopteryionus or orange fins
5 Sicyopus zosterophorum
3 Sicyopterus lagocephalus red tail goby

The water has a fair amount of movement, so I'm not sure how dither fish will fare. The bloodfins looked about the right shape to swim into the current and I like that they school well. We'll see if they can take it. Any other dithers I should be looking at?

Really, loaches are best in 6 or more, get a few more. Stiphodon perc. are really small, barely an inch TL, may not be best with 4-5 inch botias. I haven't kept Sicyopus, they look small & wimpy...

I have a 300L tank with 30 sid's and 10 striatas and some other fish

no problems with the botias they not swim together but go out together when food is there no chasing or biting

sids swim all the time around in the tank with other fish, striatas always hide untill it's feeding time when 2 of the 4 lights are closed

5 striatas is imho a bare minimum to keep

sids are even more a group fish don't go for less then 10 and keep other fish for in the mid region of you aquarium sid's will be happy to swim witht hem

Ex : rasbora hengeli