TankBud

Polka-dot loach

Botia kubotai

Also known as Burma Border Loach

FreshwaterFish

Polka-dot loach (Botia kubotai)
Lerdsuwa · CC BY-SA 3.0

Care at a glance

Temperature
72–82°F
22–28°C
pH
6.0–7.5
Adult size
5.9 in
15 cm
Minimum tank
42 gal
160 L
Temperament
Mostly peaceful
Social behavior
Shoaling
Swim level
Bottom
Diet
Omnivore
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
No record
Rarity
Rare
Family
Botiidae
Origin
Myanmar, Thailand

Overview

The polka-dot loach is a boldly patterned botiid that explores the wood and rock on the bottom of the tank. It sits a notch above the easiest community fish.

Did you know

The polka-dot loach was formally described in 2004 by the ichthyologist Maurice Kottelat. He named it after Katsuma Kubota, the collector who first brought the loach and its locality to scientific attention.

Caring for the polka-dot loach

Keep polka-dot loaches in a group of six or more, where they form an active shoal and squabble less with their tank mates. A group needs 42 gal (160 L) or larger. Build a landscape of smooth stones and driftwood full of caves and passages over a sand or fine gravel bed.

Hold the water at 72 to 82°F (22 to 28°C) with a pH of 6.0 to 7.5 and brisk, well-oxygenated flow. Clean, stable water and plenty of shaded retreats let the group forage boldly and show its full pattern.

Feed a mixed diet of sinking pellets, frozen bloodworms, snails and the occasional vegetable. They root through the substrate and eagerly hunt down pest snails.

Polka-dot loaches are mostly peaceful but busy, and they can be a little pushy, so pair them with robust, active community fish. Breeding is not recorded in home aquaria, and the fish in the trade are wild caught or farmed.

Good to know

Botia kubotai is a botiid loach, also sold as the Burmese border loach or the angelicus loach. Young fish carry pale spots and rings on a dark ground. With age the pattern grows into a complex network of bars and blotches. Like its relatives it has a sharp, erectile spine below each eye that it can raise in defense.

In the wild

Botia kubotai comes from the Ataran River basin on the border of Myanmar and Thailand, a tributary system of the Salween. It lives there in clear, flowing water over rock and gravel.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The polka-dot loach is a mostly peaceful, shoaling species that keeps to the bottom. These picks share a community profile with it, are safe together in both directions, and overlap on water type, temperature and pH.

Check the full mix in the stocking calculator

Common questions

What size tank does a polka-dot loach need?

A polka-dot loach needs at least 42 gal (160 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH does a polka-dot loach need?

A polka-dot loach is comfortable at 72–82°F (22–28°C) with a pH of 6.0–7.5.

What does a polka-dot loach eat?

A polka-dot loach eats a mixed diet of sinking pellets, frozen bloodworms, snails and the occasional vegetable. It eagerly hunts down pest snails.

How big does a polka-dot loach get?

An adult polka-dot loach reaches about 5.9 in (15 cm).

Does a polka-dot loach need a group?

Yes. A polka-dot loach is a shoaling species and should be kept in a group, not singly.

How does a polka-dot loach breed?

The polka-dot loach has no breeding record in home aquariums. The fish in the trade are wild caught or produced on commercial farms.

Related species