Chinese emperor loach

Care at a glance

Overview

The Chinese emperor loach is a lively, subtropical botiid that lives on the bottom and does best with its own kind. It is best with a little experience.

Caring for the Chinese emperor loach

Keep Chinese emperor loaches in a group of four to six or more, in 70 gal (265 L) or larger with room to cruise. A single fish turns withdrawn or starts picking on tank mates of a similar shape. Build caves and channels from smooth, rounded rocks and driftwood over a sand or fine gravel floor.

This subtropical loach suits an unheated or lightly heated room, at 64 to 79°F (18 to 26°C) and a pH of 6.0 to 7.5. Give it brisk, oxygen-rich flow from a strong filter. It resents stale water, so keep nitrate low with regular water changes.

It stays busy sifting the floor and rooting through cover. Feed sinking pellets, wafers, frozen bloodworm and brine shrimp, plus the odd snail. When you need to move it, use a container rather than a net.

The Chinese emperor loach is mostly peaceful but boisterous and fast. Choose sturdy, active midwater tank mates, and avoid slow or long-finned fish and anything small enough to bully. There is no aquarium breeding record, and imported fish are wild caught.

Good to know

Parabotia maculosus is one of the true botiid loaches in the family Botiidae, and it is also called the spotted parabotia. Its scientific name circulates in both the maculosus and maculosa spellings. Like its relatives it carries a sharp, movable spine below each eye that flicks out when the fish is stressed or netted. It is long-lived, often passing fifteen years in good care.

In the wild

The Chinese emperor loach ranges through the Yangtze and Pearl river systems of China. These subtropical waters run cooler than a typical tropical tank.

Common questions

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