Burmese border loach

Care at a glance

Overview

The Burmese border loach is an active, curious bottom dweller that lives in a group in a large tank. It is a step up from the easiest fish.

Caring for the Burmese border loach

Keep Burmese border loaches in a group of at least five or six, and ten or more is better. A single fish or a pair gets stressed and skittish and tends to bully its tank mates. Plan the tank around the whole group from the start, at 53 gal (200 L) or larger.

Give them a soft sand or fine gravel bed and plenty of caves and crevices built from rock and driftwood. They will pack themselves into any gap that fits, so round off sharp edges and seal narrow openings before they go in. They are strong jumpers, so a tight lid is essential.

Hold the water at 72 to 82°F (22 to 28°C) with a pH of 6.0 to 7.5, moderate flow and good oxygenation. They are sensitive to organic waste and low oxygen, so keep the tank mature and spotless with weekly water changes of 30 to 50 percent. Like most loaches they can carry and pass on ich, so quarantine new arrivals and go carefully with medication that is harsh on scaleless fish.

They are mostly peaceful, but they are known fin nippers, so skip long-finned, slow or delicate tank mates. Hobbyists do not breed them, and commercial stock is produced through hormone induction rather than natural spawning.

Good to know

The Burmese border loach, Botia histrionica, is a botiid loach in the family Botiidae. It is also sold as the gold-banded loach or the golden zebra loach.

In the wild

Burmese border loaches come from clear, flowing rivers and streams in Myanmar, across the Ayeyarwady, Sittaung and Salween drainages. Their range reaches into Manipur in northeast India and Yunnan in China. The bottom there is sand and rounded stone, with plenty of rock and wood to hide under.

Common questions

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