TankBud

Spottail loach

Yasuhikotakia caudipunctata

Also known as Spot-tailed botia

FreshwaterFish

Spottail loach (Yasuhikotakia caudipunctata)
The Wet Spot Tropical Fish · Used with permission

Care at a glance

Temperature
73–82°F
23–28°C
pH
6.0–7.5
Adult size
4.3 in
11 cm
Minimum tank
37 gal
140 L
Temperament
Mostly peaceful
Social behavior
Shoaling
Swim level
Bottom
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
No record
Rarity
Rare
Family
Botiidae
Origin
Mekong basin, Laos and Thailand

Overview

The spottail loach is a small, restless shoaling botiid that spends its time on and just above the bottom, sifting sand and exploring cover. It suits someone past their first tank.

Did you know

Spottail loaches, like other botiids, perform a so-called loachy dance. The whole group suddenly swims restless laps around the tank, often set off by feeding, a water change or new arrivals.

Caring for the spottail loach

Keep spottail loaches in a group of five or more, which keeps their lively pecking order contained rather than aimed at one victim. A mature, well-oxygenated tank of 37 gal (140 L) or more suits a shoal.

Give them a sandy floor, with rounded rock and driftwood for shelter and plenty of caves. Leave out any sharp-edged decor they could injure themselves on. They wedge into gaps and will jump, so fit a tight lid.

Keep the water clean and stable at 73 to 82°F (23 to 28°C), with a pH of 6.0 to 7.5 and moderate, oxygen-rich flow. Feed sinking pellets, wafers, frozen bloodworm and brine shrimp, and offer small snails, which they relish.

The spottail loach is mostly peaceful. Choose robust, quick tank mates, and avoid slow or delicate long-finned fish. No aquarium spawning has been recorded.

Good to know

Yasuhikotakia caudipunctata, also sold as the spot-tailed botia, is a botiid. Its name means spotted tail, for the dark speckling across the caudal fin that separates it from plainer-tailed relatives. The genus honors the Japanese ichthyologist Yasuhiko Taki, whose 1970s work on Mekong loaches still shapes their classification.

In the wild

The spottail loach lives in the Mekong mainstream and its tributaries in Laos and Thailand. It moves with the seasons between the river and its flooded margins.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The spottail 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 spottail loach need?

A spottail loach needs at least 37 gal (140 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH does a spottail loach need?

A spottail loach is comfortable at 73–82°F (23–28°C) with a pH of 6.0–7.5.

What does a spottail loach eat?

A spottail loach eats sinking pellets, wafers, frozen bloodworm and brine shrimp. It relishes small snails too.

How big does a spottail loach get?

An adult spottail loach reaches about 4.3 in (11 cm).

Does a spottail loach need a group?

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

How does a spottail loach breed?

The spottail loach has no recorded spawning in an aquarium.

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