Anyone Familiar With Botia Lohachata?

[hannibal]

Hi everyone, i'm new to the site, I just found your site after doing some research for my next tank.

I've kept various Botias over the years, and keep 2 species now. I have Stiata ( Clown ) and Kubotai ( Polka-Dot) now.

The undoubted king of snail removal is the Striata, but as has been said can be quite playful and is not always the best tankmate for some species. The Kubotai, although it will eat snails is not in the same league as the Clown, and it can be a bit nippy of long finned fishes, although not in a truly aggressive way.

After the Clown for snail removal your best choice would probably be Pygmy chain loach, Yasuhikotakia (Botia) Sidthimunki. These will make short work of any snails and in my experience will not disturb your plants.

Away from the Botias you could also try The Striped talking catfish, Platydoras costatus, but the drawback with these is that they get pretty big and will eat smaller fish like neons.

 

[Lateral Line]

>>> I have Stiata ( Clown )

The Clown Loach is Botia macracanthus, not Botia striata. Striata are very good snail eradicators. Botia kubotai is another fairly peaceful species. Most Botias are active and will chase other fish to a certain extent, only a few are really aggressive though, (morleti, hymenophysa etc.).

Botia sidthimunki is protected now in Thailand and is classed as "critically endangered" in the IUCN red book. Lovely fish, but always expensive.

 

[jollysue]

Uh, Yeah, a minor drawback in a community tetra tank. lol Are you talking about the kubotai, also known as Botia angelicus, which was somewhat recently discovered near Thailand?

The reason I ask is that the scientific name for the Clown Loach is Botia macrancanthus. The Botia striata is known as the Zebra Loach. If that is the scientific name you were refering to?

 

[Lateral Line]

Botia kubotai was first described last year. It is from Burma though, not Thailand. Botia angelicus is not a valid Linnaen name, kubotai began to be sold with that as a common name because of it's resemblence to several other X angelicus species where X was all manner of things, basically spotted fish!

 

[jollysue]

You beat me to it, and with more authority I might add.

Spotty Bob, I know you just made mispoke. But it was hard for me to know how to take you with that particular error about the two main species being discussed: replacement for my clown loaches.

Given the information I've gotten, I would have to chose the striata.

 

[hannibal]

Sorry guys for the error in my first posting, i'd just been reading about the Striata and had the word stuck in my head, obviously I know that the Clown is Macracanthus. As for the Polka-Dot, they have been readily available in the UK for a couple of years now, although they started out as being quite expensive they have now come down quite a lot in price and can be found in nearly all lfs.

 

[jollysue]

pics from Feb., 2003, for kubotai are online

With acknowledgements of kubotai at the Museum in London. (Do I have this right?)

 

[jollysue]

I only have a moment, Spotty Bob, then I have to do the morning cannibal rush. It's not a problem

 

[Lateral Line]

>>> w/ pics from Feb., 2003, for kubotai

There will always be a lag between a species appearing and it being formally described. In the case of a highly desirable fish, it can be that it has a strong commercial sale before it is described. It is this effect which gives rise to "odd" names like Botia "angelicus" - which has never existed in science, but was running around like wildfire in the trade.

There are a number of other fish from Burma which fall into the same category. Exports have begun for a number of fish yet to be formally described, so there is a degree of confusion. Burma's relatively strict regime has not made it easy for scientific surveys there. Many new species are likely to appear as the country opens up.

 

[jollysue]

Understood.

I have a small colony of scarlet dario dario which includes females. I got them at my lps. There is interest that I got 3 or 4 females when the true enthusists can't import any. Now there is pressure for me to breed them, which I did promise to do. It's rather addicting. It's the BTS: Breed Them Syndrome

So my choice, if I can stick to it, of striata is approved?

 

[Lateral Line]

I would say so.