Burmese border loach

Care at a glance

Overview

Keep them in a group of five or six at the very least, with ten or more being better, in a tank of 200 liters or larger. A single fish or a pair gets stressed and skittish and tends to bully tankmates, so plan the volume around the whole group from the start. They are active, curious bottom dwellers that are mostly peaceful, but they are known fin nippers, so skip long finned, slow, or delicate tankmates. Hold the water at 22 to 28 C with a pH from 6 to 7.5, keep it mature and spotless since they are sensitive to organic waste and low oxygen, and run weekly water changes of 30 to 50 percent. They are strong jumpers, so a tight fitting lid is essential.

In the wild

Burmese border loaches come from clear, flowing rivers and streams in Myanmar across the Ayeyarwady, Sittaung, and Salween drainages, with populations reaching into Manipur in northeast India and Yunnan in China. The bottom is sand and rounded stone with plenty of rock and wood to hide under. Match that with a tank of at least 200 liters, a soft sand or fine gravel bed, and lots of caves and crevices built from rock and driftwood. Round off any sharp edges and seal narrow gaps, since these fish wedge themselves into tight spots. Keep the water tropical, around 22 to 28 C, with a pH from 6 to 7.5, and give them moderate flow with good oxygenation.

Good to know

This is a botiid loach in the family Botiidae, reaching about 13 cm as an adult. Hobbyists do not breed it, so commercial stock is produced through hormone induction rather than natural spawning in the home tank. Like most loaches it can carry and pass on ich, so quarantine new arrivals and go carefully with any medication that is harsh on scaleless fish.

Did you know

These loaches are strictly tropical freshwater fish with no brackish or cool water needs, which is unusual to spell out, but it matters because they are sometimes lumped in with hardier hillstream and temperate loaches. They also wedge into crevices so readily that they will pack themselves into any gap that fits, which is why you seal narrow openings and round off sharp rock before they ever go in.

Related species

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• 

  Polka-Dot Loach

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• 

  Zebra loach

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• 

  Yoyo loach

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• 

  Skunk loach

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