Loaches Online Forum

Hi loach fanatics. I am Jeroen from Belgium and I am new here.

I am working on different biotopes in a smaller aquaria (70*30*50) to complete my fishroom. I am in doubt about the Botia striata biotope.

As I understood it is known from Bhadra, Tunga, Koyna and Panchganga river systems, and possibly anything in between?

I expected them to only exist in fast flowing systems, but there seems to be found in low flowing muddy systems too. I set up a biotope with fine sand, completely covered with rocks. Could this setup be biotope correct?

I am also in doubt about sympatric fishes. Western Ghats is a pretty diverse area with lots of different species. I am looking for a smaller Pethia or Barbus that lives together with Botia striata in a rocky biotope.

Is there anyone who can give me more information?

HI!

I keep striatas on a fine-grained sandy substrate and they love playing on it! IMO in their natural habitat they live not only on a gravel but also on a sand. And what's important (and sad ), there is a problem of building dams in this region so their habitat is still changing :/
Pethia conchonius is a good tank mate for striatas - indeed, they live together in nature. I keep mine with zebrafish - they also are good partners.

jerre050978 wrote: I set up a biotope with fine sand, completely covered with rocks. Could this setup be biotope correct?

IMO it would be a lil bit unnatural, because generally in streams we've got sth like gradation - the faster the flow is, the bigger grains exist in the substrate. And it changes fluently - when we have a sandy substrate, the rocks are usually quite small. When it is a gravel - the rocks are bigger - and so on. If You will have a sand and a lot of rocks on that it wouldn't be that good - it would better work with a gravel as a substrate.

In my judgment the tank with total length = 70cm is too tiny for striatas. They requires at least 80cm IMHO - yes, those 10cm makes the difference.

Hi Jerre

jerre050978 wrote:...... in doubt about the Botia striata biotope.

As I understood it is known from Bhadra, Tunga, Koyna and Panchganga river systems, and possibly anything in between?

I expected them to only exist in fast flowing systems, but there seems to be found in low flowing muddy systems too. I set up a biotope with fine sand, completely covered with rocks. Could this setup be biotope correct?

I am also in doubt about sympatric fishes. Western Ghats is a pretty diverse area with lots of different species. I am looking for a smaller Pethia or Barbus that lives together with Botia striata in a rocky biotope.

I keep B.striata and tried to find information on it's natural biotope. Very hard to find valid informations ....

During my serach I found these infos:
https://akwarystykatradycyjna.wordpress ... -biotopow/
http://acquariofiliaconsapevole.it/pesc ... ae_biotopo
It seems to be very rare in having under water fotos or films on hillstreams loach biotopes and habits.
Nothing about B.striata up to now.

You're interested in my loach-tank ?
It's an 80x40x50cm tank.



Filtration / water flow is around 700L/h. This is more than 4 times tank-volume and I feel, this is better for the animals. They come out of their hiding places even more than in calm water. I will try even more power - during monsoon rivers should also flow much faster.

They are co-housed with 7 Danio kyathit.

B.striata was caught together with Danio rerio. I found the rerio to "simple" (? ? sorry, this isn't my mother language) and chose the more colorfull D.kyathit from Myammar. Somewhat similar biotopes.

B.striata likes wood pieces to hide. The whole group (7 individuals) sleeps below that larger piece of wood at the left side of the tank.
As long as there are nice wood hiding-places for them, they don't use tubes oder something like that.

I have them for about 1 year in this tank - and they grow very slow.

Before I had a larger tank in the same kind at 110x50x50cm size (12 individuals) for 2 years together with 14 P.nigrofasciata. Here I used a Tunze 6015 for water flow.

The fish behave more or less the same in the smaller tank.
Allthough I would recommend a typical 80x35x40cm (europe industry-tank-standard sieze for 80cm tanks) as a minimun for B.striata.
Having a little smaller tank a heavy current could make it "feel" a bit larger for B.striata.
And keep in mind: it's a social loach ! the more the specimen, the better for the group.
So keep a good compromise between tank size and group size.

How does your tank look like ? Still finished ?

Your Loach aquarium looks great

Thanks for sharing