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Botia Dario and Botia Stiata

chris1004

Member
Joined
27 Dec 2008
Messages
565
Just bought some loaches for the first time ever to deal with a growing snail problem, initially I wanted a group of Botia Striata. I located some on the internet phoned the store up to check and drove the 25 or so miles to get them. I bought all that the fish shop had 5 loaches but when I got home I discovered that only 3 of them were Botia Striata's the other 2 are Botia Dario's (queen loaches). In the fish shop they were moving so quick that you just couldn't tell. Anyway because the shop is so far away and because they all seem happy together I've decided to keep the Dario's. They are striped in not an unsimilar way to the striata's only thicker bands and have distinctive black marks on their tails and dorsal fins and slightly smaller. At the moment they are all swimming together all of the time and are currently in my quarentine tank. I have three questions.

1/ I have read that loaches often house internal parasites and that it is best to treat them prior to adding them to an established tank, can anyone recomend a treatment for this or has experience of this happening, what should I look for?

2/ Will the Striata's and the Dario's continue to live in mutual harmony? I relly hope they do as they make a lovely active shoal together and I have two species for the price of one...

3/ Has anyone kept Botia Dario's before and do they like snails?
 
You should find both species get on well together. Not as natural as a group of just striata, but there shouldn't be aggression or anything, and they will tend to stay in a group together.
I think most loaches are partial to snails. Not sure how effective the darios are first hand, but even if they're not very effective you'll find that the striata clear them soon enough, they did for me :D

As for internal parasites, I've never heard of that, and haven't treated mine for it, and they're doing just fine.
 
I have 3 Boita Straita in my 4ft tank, and when first put in i had snails just like you have.

After a few days no more snails, and have never seen any since, i have had them for about 2 years now.

I think ony reason people say abouy the internal parasite is because they are a bottom dweller, but i have never had any problems.

Cheers Gordon.
 
I'm not sure about your other questions, but I find with fish and behaviour it's a kind of balancing act. If you remove one fish, or add a few more, change their suggoundings - anything like that and they could change their behaviour. They can also change their behaviour over time, but I would say the'd continue to shoal together.
 
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