Loaches Online Forum

My LFS has a tank labled "Chain Loaches" which I want 6 of bady due to thier small size.

However they sure dont look like Chain loaches. I came home to look them up and and the loaches they have labled Chain loaches look EXACTLY like Botia Histronica. At least in the images http://www.loaches.com/species-index/botia-histronica

Do Chain loaches not obtain the silver coloring untill they age? Keep in mind these are VERY young or are these not really Chain loaches?

not sure if this really answers the question but the small sids that I've seen do have the horizontal lateral line. They were sub-1 inch in length.

I have bought many juvi sids (http://www.loaches.com/species-index/ya ... idthimunki). They look nothing like histronica. They could be confused with http://www.loaches.com/species-index/ya ... grolineata.

If they are Chain Loach - Y. Sidthimunki that is what they will look like even as small as 1/2", out of my group of 36 at least 6 were very small but there was no difference in their markings.

This is a picture of some of my first group of 10


some of the second group of 10


some of the final group of 16


and all settled together


As you can see there is quite a size difference in some individuals but very little difference in basic Sidthimunki markings.

Hmm these are definatly not Chain loaches then.......That sucks because they are what I was looking for.