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Photo courtesy of Aquascape fish imports

Best kept in groups the zebra loach is one of the most stunning fish in the family.

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Listed tank sizes are the minimum Size: 4" (10cm) Tank: 36 inches Strata: Bottom PH: 6.5 to 7.5 Hardness: Soft to medium. dH range: 5.0 - 12.0 Temperature: 73ºF to 81ºF (23-27°C) Classification: Order: Cypriniformes Suborder: Cyprinidae Family: Cobitidae Genera: Botia Species: Striata

Tunga River photo from Vaishya gurumath

Common name:

Zebra loach

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Distribution

Southern India, Tunga river system

One of the longer and thinner of the Botia, the zebra loach has the classic loach shape. The belly area is fairly straight and the back curves in a convex shape. The mouth has four pairs of barbels. As with most of the family the spine reaches to just below the eye

The body is brown with many vertical yellow stripes which vary in thickness. The translucent fins are marked with brown bands. The caudal fin is marked with a series of brown dots.

Zebra loaches have no special requirements on water conditions, they do however prefer a certain aquarium setup to be at their best. A tank size of 36 inches with a soft or fine textured substrate as they are continually probing the upper layers with their barbels for food. The tank should be planted, but also provide open areas for swimming as well. The lighting in the tank should not be overly bright. Zebras are happiest living in small groups and have been reported to be semi aggressive, sometimes nipping the fins of other species. Feeding is not difficult as they will accept all prepared foods and like all fish relish the addition of live foods especially small worms like tubifex or Blackworms. They are well known to eat snails and can be a welcome addition to any planted tank

Inhabits muddy, still and slow moving waters in southern India

Breeding:

Little (or nothing) is known of their sexing and breeding habits

Striata Botia Loach Click photo to buy Botia striata

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From: Michelle Dawson Date:6/06/08 I've got 2 Zebra loach and to be honest I'm disappointed with them as they are so shy. One comes out at feed time if you sit very, very quietly in front of the tank. The other one I see once in a blue moon, usually in the middle of the night, usually dashing back to his hiding place because someone is watching him! I have had this excessive shyness with Clown loaches too. The current Clowns are very confident and always on view. So excessive shyness may be an individual trait in Loaches. When you get the chance to see these fish they are very pretty but most of the time they are hiding. From: Mr. Morningstar Date:3/24/08 Quite easily my favorite loach. I currently have six in a well planted 120 gallon tank. They are living with 11 rainbows, 3 Bolivian rams, 2 opaline gouramis, 2 golden CAEs, 1 queen arabesque pleco, and 1 6" spotted Raphael. The Zebras play all day long under the plants and up the sides of the driftwood. Each one has it's own distinct personality and preference of playmates in the tank. One swims up and plays with the school of Boesamani, 2 follow one of the rams most of the day, two play hide and seek tag in a large sword, and another lounges (on his side) with the Raphael until feeding time. Each of them treats the Raphael like an elderly grandparent, checking up on him regularly and using his driftwood cave as a meeting place. One thing I recommend is looking for pattern variations when buying Zebras. It'll let you get to know each fish individually and adds to the fun of keeping these playful fish. WARNING. Some zebras may pester one individual fish relentlessly causing him to get stressed and eventually sick. From: Rachel Haych Date:2/13/06 I bought two zebra loaches two days ago to get rid of a ridiculous snail problem (over 100). There are only 10 snails left!! They've eaten all the eggs too! They are very pretty and get on with all my corys, even my rainbow shark. From: Cathy Dee Date:1/29/06 I love these little guys, they are a lot of fun with their love of play. Often found doing gymnastics in the bubbles, they really are a constant source of amusement. I have 3 of them in an 80x40cm fully planted tank. They get on fine with the other fish but beware because they DO EAT EGGS! They have cleaned the snail problem I originally bought them for too. From: Krista Date:07/04/02 I have two botia's and I have noticed they love to hide in this coral we have and only come out during feeding time. But they are very peaceful fish and hold their own against our other fishes. From: Sai Date:04/11/03 I recently purchased 3 zebra loaches, in order to reduce my snails outbreak. Initially I had purchased 2 clown loaches but 1 died due to ICK! Apparently zebra loaches will not catch ick as easily as clown loaches. All 3 of my zebra loach are ick free and are doing very well. But the snails are still out of hand... I think the loaches prefer sinking tablets instead and will only eat snails if nothing else is offered. I have to feed my fishes since my cory cats has to eat too ....!

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