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Loaches
/ Botiinae / Dwarf Loach
Dwarf Loach, Chain Loach
Botia sidthimunki | Pictures
Synonyms: None
Physical description: An elongated Loach with a forked caudal fin.
The back is light brown while
the flanks are copper colored.
The flanks are marked two lateral brown bands.
One runs from the snout, and near the
ridge of the back, while the other runs laterally through the eye and along the mid-section.
These bands are connected by a number
of transverse stripes which run from the apex of the back, to the second band.
The belly is silver and the fins are
colorless.
Size/Length: To 2.4" (6 cm)
Similar species: None
Habitat: Inhabits muddy, still and slow moving bodies of water in Southeast Asia; India and
Thailand
S: bottom, middle
Aquarium: A tank measuring 24" (61 cm) with a capacity from 10-20 gallons (38-76 L) is suggested.
Follow
suggestions for B. morleti
.
Water chemistry: pH 6.2-7.7 (7.4), 1-15 dH (4), 77-86°F (25-30°C)
Social behavior: An active schooling species which is suitable for most community tanks.
This
peaceful species is day active.
Only keep in groups of five or more, as single specimen do poorly.
Suggested companions: Barbs, Danios, Rasboras, Gouramis, tetras, Hatchetfish, Loricarids,
Corydoras,
Rainbowfish, Livebearers
FOOD: Tablets; live; worms, insect larvae, aquatic insects, crustaceans; flakes
SEX: Only distinguishable when the female is preparing to spawn and is noticeably rounder
than the male.
Breeding techniques:
Spawnings have occured accidentally on a couple of occasions.
Details are not available.
Breeding potential: 10.
This species has spawned rarely in captivity.
Remarks: During courtship, this species is said
to undergo a color change.
Difficulty of care: 4.
A schooling, community fish that requires a regime of frequent partial water changes to
be at its best.
Recent articles about fish
Overfishing may hurt Amazon forest trees
(2/5/2008) Overfishing is reducing the effectiveness of seed dispersal by fish in the Brazilian Pantanal, reports Nature. The research suggests that fishing practices can affect forest health.
Scientists find fish that literally lives in trees
(10/17/2007) Scientists have found a fish that literally lives in trees, according to research published in The American Naturalist and highlighted in New Scientist Magazine.
Piranhas originated when Amazon was flooded by seawater
(12/4/2007) South America's piranha family of fish -- notorious as eaters of flesh -- can be traced back to a single ancestor which dispersed when the Amazon was flooded by seawater some five million years ago, report researchers from the Institut de Recherche Pour le Developpement (IRD). Today piranhas are exclusively freshwater fish found from the Orinoco River basin in Venezuela to the Parana in Argentina.
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