Botia Angelicus

[Barracuda518]

Anyone keep Botia Angelicus? Ive been looking at them for a while and thinking about getting some. Ive been researching, but nothing is better then hearing things from people who have kept them. My plan is to keep them with my 3 Botia Striata until they all go together in a 55 gallon. Anyone have any comments?

Thanks

 

[The-Wolf]

I have B.angelicus with all my other botias
they have just as much personallity as any other botia
and live quite happily alongside them all, including B.striata

 

[Barracuda518]

Thats good. Are they as hardy as B. Striata? Im thinking of getting 3 or 4 of them.

 

[mikev]

I have them (currently 5) together with Clowns, Schisturas and Khulis.

very active and entertaining; the main problem to be aware of is that lots of them (my guess 30%-50%) come with internal parasites.

4 is better than 3.

 

[diademhill]

I have them (currently 5) together with Clowns, Schisturas and Khulis.

very active and entertaining; the main problem to be aware of is that lots of them (my guess 30%-50%) come with internal parasites.

4 is better than 3.

I have five swimming with B histrionica & I agree - quarantine & worming is essential.
They are active cleaners, get tame and will beg & click for food.

PS - you'll get more info searching for Botia kubotai

HTH
Sue

 

[Lateral Line]

Botia angelicus is not a valid name. It is a name that appeared in the trade before the fish was formally described and the official name, (Botia kubotai), was in use.

I'm guessing the name arose because "X. angelicus" where "X" is another genus generally referred to spotted fish, Synodontis angelicus for example. In the case of B. kubotai, the spotting has a different character, but I can see how it came about.

Nice fish.

 

[Barracuda518]

So I should I stay away from these because of the parasites?

LL, Have you heard of this?

Thanks

 

[diademhill]

So I should I stay away from these because of the parasites?

LL, Have you heard of this?

Thanks

It is good practice to quarantine & worm any wild caught fish - unless you are certain they have been treated & adequately quarantined by the supplier.
With the possible exception of discus & some individually expensive fish, few fish are quarantined to a standard where I would be confident to believe them adequately treated. Even then I still wouldn't add them to one of my ready stocked tanks.

 

[mikev]

diademhill,

If I may asj: what do you use for worming?

(UltraCarePX on this end.. but I'm not sufficiently confident with it so I'm looking for alternatives)

 

[diademhill]

diademhill,

If I may asj: what do you use for worming?

(UltraCarePX on this end.. but I'm not sufficiently confident with it so I'm looking for alternatives)

I use fenbendazole ( panacur)
This is approved for use in fish and I use the puppy liquid or horse granules depending what I can get hold of.
It is a pretty standard wormer for Discus.
I soak bloodworm in it as it defrosts & then mix in a few live bloodworm to encourage feeding. This is fed alternate days for two weeks.
I haven't purchased any for about a year so I'd have to look up the doses.

 

[Lateral Line]

>>> LL, Have you heard of this?

Yes, but the real point has already been made. The issue is not with that species per se, it is more the case that wild caught fish are more likely to pick up worms etc., then many farmed fish. That said, the hygiene at some farms is so poor, I do wonder.

Knowledge, a reputable dealer that genuinely quarantines fish, and your own quarantine regime are your best defences.

 

[Barracuda518]

Ok, I will definately do that. Whats the best way to quarantine loaches? How long do I need to do it, etc. The LFS where Im going to get them uses a pretty good supplier, but I will still quarantine them.

Thanks for all the help

 

[mikev]

>>> LL, Have you heard of this?

Yes, but the real point has already been made. The issue is not with that species per se, it is more the case that wild caught fish are more likely to pick up worms etc., then many farmed fish. That said, the hygiene at some farms is so poor, I do wonder.

I believe that most of CL's are farm-raised now...and we still see lots of parasites. It actually may be that bad farms are worse than nature.

Obviously agreeing with the point about the quarantine and treatment, let me observe that loaches are specifically parasite-prone. Bottom-feeding makes the risks of infection only higher.

But there seems to be a weird exception: did anyone ever heard about a khuli with a parasite?