Redfin tiger loach

Care at a glance

Overview

The redfin tiger loach is a large botiid with a lively temper that patrols the bottom, digging through sand and probing rockwork. It falls in the middle for difficulty.

Caring for the redfin tiger loach

Keep redfin tiger loaches in a group of five or more, which keeps their lively temper focused within the shoal. They grow large and active, so a group needs a long tank of 50 gal (190 L) or larger.

Give them a soft sand bed to sift and dig, with smooth stones and driftwood arranged into caves. Numerous shaded hiding spots settle them and give each fish somewhere to retreat between feeding forays.

Keep the water clean and well filtered at 70 to 79°F (21 to 26°C), with a pH of 6.0 to 7.5 and strong, oxygen-rich flow. Feed sinking pellets, frozen bloodworms, brine shrimp and the occasional vegetable. They also make short work of pest snails.

The redfin tiger loach is mostly peaceful but boisterous, and it can be nippy. Choose sturdy, fast midwater tank mates rather than timid ones. In the wild it is a scatter-spawning, migratory breeder, and there is no established record of it spawning in home aquaria. The fish for sale are collected from the wild.

Good to know

Syncrossus berdmorei is a botiid loach, also sold as Blyth's loach. Its pale body is boldly barred. The reddish fins give it its common name and make it one of the more colorful tiger loaches. Like all members of Botiidae it has a bifid, erectile spine tucked below each eye. The spine flicks out in defense and can snag in a net.

In the wild

Syncrossus berdmorei is native to Myanmar, chiefly the Irrawaddy and Sittang basins. Its rivers and streams flow over sand and gravel, and the water is warm and slightly acidic to neutral.

Common questions

Related species

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