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Dwarf LoachChained Loach, Monkey Botia, Mouse Loach, Sid Family: Cobitidae
Botia sidthimunki Photo � Animal-World: Courtesy Ken Childs The Dwarf Loach or Chained Loach is considered to be the best all around aquarium fish of the Botias. With its golden color and nice patterning it is also one of the most attractive Botias!This fish has a stripe along the side from its nose to its tail. Its body color is whitish below the middle stripe while above the stripe are golden blotches separated by dark markings and another dark stripe close to the top, giving it a 'chained' appearance. These chain markings show up when the fish is about 1 1/4" in size but are only present while it is a juvenile. It loses these markings as an adult. The intensity of the stripe can also change with its mood, varying from a dark heavy stripe to extremely light stripe that can be almost invisible. The tail is a light yellow. A very active yet peaceful fish, a small group of Dwarf Loach makes an attractive addition to a community aquarium. They enjoy the company of their own species and will do best in a group of six to eight, three is considered the minimum. Dwarf Loaches are not as shy of light as many Botias and will be active and playful during the day. For a comfortable home provide a soft substrate, some rocks and roots, and some plants for resting places. The water should be soft with regular changes. They are easy to care for and will eat any type of food that is provided, especially enjoying live and frozen worms. (Due to extreme over fishing in their natural habitat, the Dwarf Loach is not often readily available and can be expensive. Its close cousin The Black-Lined Loach, is very similar in both appearance and behavior, and can be a good substitution.)For more Information on keeping this fish see:
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Since they are omnivorous, the Dwarf Loach or Chained Loach is not a picky eater and will generally eat all kinds of live foods, sinking pelleted and tablet foods, flakes, and algae. They like frozen foods as well. To keep a good balance give them a high quality flake or tablet food everyday. Feed mosquito larvae, brine shrimp (either live or frozen), tubifex, daphnia, and some vegetable foods such as algae wafers.
This fish prefers a medium sized aquarium (20 gallons or so). Plants are nice as are rocks and roots to give them a places to rest. They do best in soft, slightly acidic water with frequent water changes of about 10% a week. Because they are found in muddy slow moving or still waters a soft substrate is best, such as a fine gravel or sand.
Distribution:
The Dwarf Loach or Chained Loach is found in northern India
and Thailand.
Size - Weight:
These fish generally reach from 2 - 2 1/4 - 6 inches (5 -
5.5 cm).
Social Behaviors:
A good community fish as they don't demonstrate the nipping
tendencies of some of their Botia cousins, and they are happiest when
kept in a school of their own kind. A group of six to eight is suggested,
with a minimum of three. They are also not as timid when it is light and
are active and playful during the day.
Sexual Differences:
Unknown.
Water Region: Top, Middle, Bottom:
Unlike most of the Botias which are bottom dwellers, this
fish tends to swim in the middle of the aquarium
Acceptable Water Conditions:
Hardness: soft, but ranging from 1-15 dH
Ph: 6.5-6.9
Temp: 76-82° F (24-28° C)
Breeding/Reproduction:
Most of the fish that
have been sold in the hobby in the past 10 years or so
were produced by the use of hormone injection spawning
in Thailand. The breeders used for the first attempts
had to be purchased from private collections because
wild fish were so rare. Since then, some new wild
populations have been found so new breeders have been
collected.
Availability:
The Dwarf Loach or Chained Loach use to be readily available
to the hobbyist but has become quite in recent years, mainly due to the
construction of hydroelectric dams. Their habitat was covered by reservoirs.
However some new wild populations have been found and collected for captive breeding and their availability should increase again. Its close cousin,
the Black-Lined Loach, is more readily
available and can be a good substitution.
Comments from people who have kept this fish:
I have been keeping Sids for a few years now (in a 50 Gal tank) and have had them spawn. I was force to relocate them to another 50 gal tank as the tank they were in started to leak. I did a head count as I was moving them and their number had increased by 8. Though I had never seen any signs of spawning or small Sids, their numbers increased.
Author: Clarice Brough. CFS.
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