TankBud

Zipper loach

Paracanthocobitis botia

Also known as Mottled loach, Acanthocobitis botia

FreshwaterFish

Zipper loach (Paracanthocobitis botia)
The Wet Spot Tropical Fish · Used with permission

Care at a glance

Temperature
70–79°F
21–26°C
pH
6.0–7.5
Adult size
3.9 in
10 cm
Minimum tank
29 gal
110 L
Temperament
Mostly peaceful
Social behavior
Shoaling
Swim level
Bottom
Diet
Carnivore
Difficulty
Easy
Breeding
No record
Rarity
Common
Family
Nemacheilidae
Origin
South and Southeast Asia: river basins from the Indus (Pakistan) east through the Ganges, Brahmaputra, Irrawaddy and Salween to the Mae Khlong (Thailand); core range the Brahmaputra in Assam, India

Overview

The zipper loach is a mostly peaceful stone loach for the sandy bottom of a community tank. It is easy to keep.

Did you know

Zipper loaches are tireless sand-sifters. They constantly take in mouthfuls of substrate and push it back out through the gills to pick out small food.

Caring for the zipper loach

Keep zipper loaches in a group of six or more, in a tank of 29 gal (110 L) or larger. The footprint should be at least 75 by 30 cm, and 90 cm or longer is better for a group. Kept singly or in pairs they turn shy and squabble, and even in a group rivals can fin-nip each other.

Give them room and plenty of cover, with smooth rocks, caves, leaf litter and some plants. Sand matters for them, so use a sandy substrate they can dig and sift through. Gravel does not pass through their gills the same way, and over time it can wear down their mouths and barbels. Add brisk, stream-like flow, with a filter turning over about 4 to 5 times the tank volume per hour.

Keep the water at 70 to 79°F (21 to 26°C), the cooler end of tropical, with a pH of 6.0 to 7.5. They want freshwater only, never brackish. Feed them as the micropredators they are, with small live and frozen foods like bloodworm, daphnia and brine shrimp. Add good sinking dried foods as well.

They are active on the bottom and safe with community fish. There is no reliable record of them breeding in an aquarium.

Good to know

The zipper loach, Paracanthocobitis botia, is a stone loach in the family Nemacheilidae. An often-cited FishBase size of 14.9 cm traces back to misidentified specimens, and real adults stay smaller. Almost all zipper loaches in the trade are wild-caught.

In the wild

Zipper loaches range across South and Southeast Asia, from the Indus in Pakistan east to the Mae Khlong in Thailand. Their range runs through the Ganges, Brahmaputra, Irrawaddy and Salween, with its core in the Brahmaputra of Assam, India. They live in flowing, well-oxygenated streams over sand and rock.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The zipper 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 zipper loach need?

A zipper loach needs at least 29 gal (110 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH does a zipper loach need?

A zipper loach is comfortable at 70–79°F (21–26°C) with a pH of 6.0–7.5.

What does a zipper loach eat?

A zipper loach is a micropredator that eats small live and frozen foods like bloodworm, daphnia and brine shrimp. It also takes good sinking dried foods.

How big does a zipper loach get?

An adult zipper loach reaches about 3.9 in (10 cm).

Does a zipper loach need a group?

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

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