Angelicus Loaches

[aparker2005]

Well, I think I've decided that clowns aren't for me. However, I found out about the Angelicus Loach. They are BEAUTIFUL fish and I almost like them more than clown loaches. Would these be a good bottom fish in my new 75 gallon tank with 8 cory's? They have some at my Petsmart for $21.99 each, so I think I may order online because that's a LOT for a fish! I would like to get 5-6 of them with 8-12 corys. Would this be okay in a 75 gallon?

 

[Lateral Line]

When these first appeared in the trade, they were "unknown" and the unofficial name Botia angelicus drifted around. They are now identified, and are correctly called Botia kubotai. If you search the board for kubotai, you will find several threads dealing with them.

These are smaller then CL's, typically maxing out at 130-150mm. As with most Botias, they grow quickly when small but at about 2/3 max size, slow down, and those last few mm can take a few years. Social and peaceful fish, but active and "playful" so can disturb sensitive fish, but should be fine with Corys.

The price you quote seems excessive to me. When they were new, they were that sort of price, but they are a fairly common stock item now, you might want to look around a bit.

 

[Rubix]

21.99 each?!?!?! your talking about botia kubotai right?? petsmart has lowered their price of 19.99 to 9.99 permanently i thoguht...21.99 is outrageous, highway robbery!!!... i keep several of these and i LOVE them, theyd do fine in your tank and i'd recommend getting five of them, if you have room of course. minimum you should get is three... however at 21.99 you should consider ordering them online... what makes you think clowns arent right for you anyway?

 

[loachman]

21.99 each?!?!?! your talking about botia kubotai right?? petsmart has lowered their price of 19.99 to 9.99 permanently i thoguht...21.99 is outrageous, highway robbery!!!... i keep several of these and i LOVE them, theyd do fine in your tank and i'd recommend getting five of them, if you have room of course. minimum you should get is three... however at 21.99 you should consider ordering them online... what makes you think clowns arent right for you anyway?

So far, they're my favorite botia I've kept. Really nice looking and their patterns will change alot as they mature. They start mostly tan and the black sections expand along their lateral line and fill in until they have tan-ish polka dots on a mostly black background.

Petsmarts around here also lowered their price from $19.99 to $9.99 about 3 months ago. I was actually looking for some more last night and I noticed the store closest me still has the $19.99 label on them, so it may be worthwhile to actually have someone run it through the register.

 

[aparker2005]

Well, everyone has told me that my 75g tank will be to small for 3-4 clowns. Plus I love the polka dot coloring of these loaches. I was wondering about the coloring, because none of these had the pretty polka dots on them. Just stripes. Is there any way to find out if my Petsmart has them or can sell them for cheaper than 21.99 a piece? None of the other loaches are near this price.

Would 4-5 of these be okay with 8-12 Cory cats?

 

[Lateral Line]

Would 4-5 of these be okay with 8-12 Cory cats?

I'd say so, yes.

Do look around though. I don't know where you are, but as I and the others have suggested, the price you quote is a bit steep.

 

[aparker2005]

I am in the US, in Little Rock, Arkansas

 

[Rubix]

yea 4-5 would be great with the cories... if they dont really have polka dots but rather more gold stripes theyre still young, the black will take over and the gold will recede as they mature... theyre my favorite too not only are they beautiful but i love studying their behavior, i love how they interact, like similiar species theyre very social.... to reiterate the above, look around before paying 21.99 at a petsmart, at that price i would order offline rather than petsmart - youll get healthier fish and it will be more worth it in the end... out of the five i originally bought at a petsmart only three of the five made it, fortunately the first two knocked off before the refund period was up. they were also skinny and somewhat unhealthy looking, one of them was very faded. this was months ago, since then the most unhealthy looking faded one has become the most popular and the largest he's pretty chubby and seems to be most healthy and i hate to admit i have a favorite - but he's it, one of his gold areas is a perfect circle! ill snap a picture sometime. the other two - one has fattend up a bit and the third is still skinny and his color is a little off plus his gold has receded much, but he eats and behaves fine *knock on wood*
let us know if you get some


edit: sorry about poor punctuation, im in a hurry!

 

[kuhliloacher]

I have 3 of these-AKA Burmese Border Loaches or Polkadot Loaches-in my 55 gal aquarium with 4 Yoyo loaches, 10 Corys (6 Pandas, 2 Skunks and 2 Bronze) and many Kuhlis. They all go great together. I paid $15.99 each for mine at my favorite LFS, but they make up for their high prices for me with frequent discounts, free fish, and gauranteed replacement since I practically live there They had to special order these for me. That was a month ago, and there are still 2 left at the store. They are truly beautiful fish. I want to get 3 Zebra Loaches (Botia Striata) to go with them Oh, and by the way, the Botia Kubotia like to "flash" (rub against substrate) often. Do not panic, they are fine and this seems to be normal behavior.

 

[aparker2005]

Ok guys...........I'm NOT going to be able to get a 75 gallon tank. Instead, I'm getting a 55 gallon. Now, would 4 of these angelicus loaches be okay with 8 Corys? I have 8 right now, but I'd like to get a few more as well. But, with 4 loaches, and up to 12 Corys, will this be too many?

My other fish in the tank will be guppies, mollies, platys, and angelfish