A small, peaceful botiid covered in fine yellow-and-dark vertical stripes, making it one of the most community-friendly loaches. Active and social but needs a group and stays modest in size.
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Western Ghats, Krishna River drainage, southern India
Origin
Old World
Climate
🌴 Tropical
Water type
💧 Freshwater
Family
Botiidae
Genus
Botia
Part of the Loaches
Bottom-dwelling, often social fish prized for sifting substrate, controlling pest snails, and adding constant motion to the lower levels of the aquarium. Most are scaleless or fine-scaled and sensitive to medications.
From the minimum an animal needs to be kept humanely, up to the ideal setup. Bigger is almost always better — minimums are floors, not targets.
Photo coming soon
Minimum
Long group tank
40 gal / 150 L (group of 5+)
Botia striata reaches 10 cm and is a social, peaceful loach. Group of 5+ ESSENTIAL — solo fish stressed and reclusive. Sand, caves, gentle flow, soft water (24–28 °C).
Recommended
Long planted community
55 gal / 200 L
Group of 6–8 in a long planted tank with abundant caves and driftwood. Pair with peaceful community fish. Eats snails — useful pest control.
Actuallychaos / CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Photo coming soon
Ideal
Indian stream biotope
75 gal+ / 280 L+ biotope
Long biotope with strong flow, sand, abundant caves, and large group. Natural pile-sleeping and clicking communication visible.
Life & growth stages
How this animal changes through its life — each stage often has its own care, diet and space needs.
Photo coming soon
Egg
Fish eggs are small, translucent spheres, often laid in clutches on plants, substrate, or in a nest — or carried/brooded by a parent in livebearing and mouth-brooding species. A dark eye spot and the curled embryo become visible inside as development progresses.
Photo coming soon
Fry
Newly hatched fry are tiny and semi-transparent, frequently still carrying a yolk sac that fuels them before they feed freely. They lack full fin structure and adult coloration, staying near cover until they can swim and forage on their own.
Photo coming soon
Juvenile
Juveniles look like miniature adults but with developing fins and muted or different markings; many species shift pattern and color as they mature. Growth is rapid at this stage given clean water and steady feeding.
Adult
Adults show the species' full size, finnage, and mature coloration, and are sexually mature. Many fish develop sex-specific differences in size, color, or fin shape, which can intensify during breeding.
Habitat & enclosure
A group of 5+ does well in a tank of 30 gallons or more with a footprint of at least 3 ft. Keep warm at 73-79 F (23-26 C), pH 6.0-7.5, and soft to moderately hard water (5-12 dGH). Moderate, oxygen-rich flow and shaded lighting reproduce their native forested-stream conditions.
They come from clear, fast hill streams in the Western Ghats of India, so clean, well-circulated water is important.
Substrate
Soft sand or smooth fine gravel protects their barbels as they sift. Provide abundant caves, driftwood, and leaf litter, as they like tight retreats and shaded resting spots.
Equipment & setup
Use efficient filtration with good aeration and a heater for stable tropical temperatures. A secure lid prevents jumping, and low or plant-shaded lighting keeps them confident and out in the open.
Diet
Omnivorous bottom feeder. Feed sinking wafers and pellets plus frozen bloodworms, brine shrimp, blanched zucchini and cucumber, and snails. They forage continuously and appreciate several small feedings.
Behavior & temperament
One of the most peaceful loaches, ideal for community tanks, but distinctly group-dependent; singletons become shy or stressed. Best kept in shoals of 5 or more, where they school and chase playfully. Excellent with tetras, rasboras, barbs, and other calm fish.
Health
Scaleless and prone to ich, especially when newly imported and stressed; quarantine and dose medications at half strength. Watch for skinny disease (internal parasites). Mature, stable water dramatically improves survival.
Tips, DIY & hacks
Add them to an established tank with mature biology to avoid ich-prone early losses. They help control pest snails while being gentle enough for planted community setups. Buy the whole group at once so the shoal settles together.
