Skunk loach

Care at a glance

Overview

The skunk loach is a small but famously feisty botiid, and keeping it in a group of six or more is the best way to spread out its nipping and squabbling. It works the bottom, foraging through sand and cover for food and taking pest snails. It is mostly peaceful toward larger fish but can harass slow or long-finned tankmates, so choose quick, robust companions and avoid keeping it with timid species. Feed sinking pellets, frozen bloodworms, and small frozen foods, with the odd vegetable. Give a group plenty of caves and broken sightlines in a tank of around 140 liters or larger.

In the wild

Yasuhikotakia morleti is found in the Mekong and Chao Phraya basins across Laos, Thailand, and Cambodia, living in flowing rivers and streams and moving into flooded zones in the wet season. The water is warm at 23 to 28 C and slightly acidic to neutral, about pH 6 to 7.5. A good tank uses a soft sand bed, driftwood and smooth rock arranged into a network of caves and hiding places, and moderate, oxygen-rich flow. Plenty of retreats and broken lines of sight are important, since crowding this territorial loach into open space brings out its temper.

Good to know

Yasuhikotakia morleti is a botiid loach that reaches only about 8.5 cm, with a pale, pinkish-grey body and a single dark stripe running along the back and around the base of the tail. Like its relatives it has a sharp, erectile spine beneath each eye, used in defense and easily snagged in a net, so it needs careful handling. Breeding is not recorded in home aquaria, so the fish in the trade are wild caught or farm raised.

Did you know

The skunk loach takes its name from the single dark line that runs the length of its back, like the stripe of a skunk. Despite topping out under 9 cm, it is one of the scrappiest loaches for its size and will boss fish several times larger.

Related species

• 

  Sun loach

  Yasuhikotakia eos

  4.3 in (11 cm)53 gal (200 L)73–82°F (23–28°C)

• 

  Redtail loach

  Yasuhikotakia modesta

  9.8 in (25 cm)75 gal (285 L)73–82°F (23–28°C)

• 

  Leconte's loach

  Yasuhikotakia lecontei

  5.9 in (15 cm)53 gal (200 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)

• 

  Zebra loach

  Botia striata

  3.5 in (9 cm)37 gal (140 L)70–79°F (21–26°C)
• Black-lined loach

  Ambastaia nigrolineata

  3.1 in (8 cm)24 gal (90 L)72–81°F (22–27°C)
• Gangetic loach

  Botia rostrata

  4.7 in (12 cm)42 gal (160 L)66–81°F (19–27°C)