Animal-World > Aquarium Tropical Fish > Loaches > Redtail Botia

Redtail Botia,

Blue Botia, Orange-Finned Loach, Redtail Loach

Family: CobitidaeRedtail BotiaYasuhikotakia modestaPhoto © Animal-World: Courtesy Ken Childs

The Redtail Botia is an attractive and popular loach, a favorite species for many aquarists!

The Redtail Botia Yasuhikotakia modesta is a very common freshwater loach and is quite attractive with a very distinct body shape and coloration. It has a compact heavy body build, but can get quite large. This loach can reach up to 12 inches (30 cm) in length in the wild, though in the aquarium they are a bit smaller, getting up to about 8 to 10 inches. Its coloration is quite variable ranging from blues to grays, and sometime tints of green, with fins and a tail that can be yellow, red, or orange. As juveniles they can have more intense green accenting as well as some dark stripes.

With this variability of color, its not surprising that the Redtail Botia has a number of descriptive common names. It is also known as the Blue Botia, Orange-Finned Loach, Blue Loach, and other variations of these. There are also sometimes dyed varieties of pink, green, yellow, orange, purple, or teal coloring that will be offered as the Painted Botia.

The natural coloring of the Redtail Botia is most attractive. It can retain its beauty with regular water changes and including brine shrimp or other crustaceans in their diet. The colorized fish are not recommended as they are said to have health problems and often early deaths. This is one of the loaches that has the unique intestine that can act as a respiratory organ allowing them to absorb oxygen at the surface directly from the atmosphere. They also make audible clicking sounds.

The Redtail Botia is a lively fish with a unique personality. Though a bit aggressive, if they are kept in a school this loach is a good community fish with larger more robust tank mates. If not kept with at least four of their own species, they can get aggressive towards other fish even while demonstrating shy behaviors (hiding). Suitable tank mates include large gouramis, barbs, semi-aggressive cichlids and most other loach species. Avoid smaller fish and long finned fish, such as angelfish. They can be quite territorial bottom dwellers, so it is best to avoid competing fish such fish as Corydoras and catfish.

The Redtail Botia or Orange-Finned Loach is a long lived, durable, and undemanding fish. Provide lots of hiding and resting places in caves, rocks, and roots. A refuge for each fish is important. They thrive in a well planted tank but are avid burrowers in their pursuit for food, and will often uproot them. They will munch on snails and are good for snail control. Be sure the aquarium is covered as they are great jumpers.

For Information on keeping freshwater fish, see:
Freshwater Aquarium Guide: Aquarium Setup and Care

Care and feeding: Since they are omnivorous, the Redtail Botia or Orange-Finned 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 and brine shrimp (either live or frozen), tubifex, daphnia, and some vegetable foods such as algae wafers. They will also eat snails, so are good for snail control.

This fish needs a larger aquarium (45-55 gallons when young, up to 75 gallons as adults) with plants and places for retreat such as rocks, caves, and roots. Also use subdued lighting. They do best in soft, slightly acidic water with frequent water changes of about 10% a week. Because they are burrowers, the substrate needs to be a fine gravel or sand that does not have sharp edges. Be sure to provide hardy plants with the roots protected and have decorations firmly placed on the glass bottom so they don't fall over. Plastic tubes also make safe and excellent hiding places.

Distribution: The Redtail Botia Yasuhikotakia modesta, (previously Botia modesta) are found in northeastern India; Thailand, Vietnam, and the Malaysian peninsula. They are found in large rivers with muddy bottoms and in flooded fields. Other common names they are known by include Blue Botia, Orange-Finned Loach, Redtail Loach, Blue Loach, Orange Fin Loach, and Painted Botia.

It has also been known by the common name Red-finned Loach, which was actually ascribed to its relative with a similar appearance, the Silver Loach Yasuhikotakia lecontei. These two fish were often confused, so this common name is now being used much less often for either of these species.

Description:

The Redtail Botia is rather stocky with a bluish to grayish body, sometimes with a slight green tint. There is a dark vertical stripe at the base of the tail, though it is often rather indistinct. The fins are a bright orange to red color. As juveniles they can be an iridescent green marked with several narrow dark bars.

Obtaining dyed specimens of the Redtail Botia is not recommended. Sometimes these fish are dyed a pink, green, yellow, orange, purple, or teal coloring; often having a blotchy appearance. It is reported that this is done by injecting dye under the skin and it will fade in a few months. These colorized fish are said to have health problems and often early deaths.

Colored Redtail Botia Photo © Animal-World: Courtsey Ken Childs

Size - Weight: These fish reach up to about 8 - 10" (23 cm) in the aquarium. In the wild these fish can get up to 12" (30 cm).

Social Behaviors: Though they can be aggressive with tank mates, they are a timid nocturnal fish getting quite active at night. They are best in a community aquarium with other large, robust, and mildly aggressive fish. They need to be kept in schools (with a minimum of four) to feel comfortable and come out of hiding, as well as to reduce aggression towards their other tank mates. Especially suitable tank mates are gouramis, barbs, semi-aggressive cichlids and most other loach species. Avoid smaller fish and fish with flowing fins such as angelfish. Once acclimated they are quite active and lively.

Sexual Differences: Mature males are smaller and more slender than mature females.

Water Region: Top, Middle, Bottom: These fish are mostly bottom dwellers, but will occasionally swim in the middle of the aquarium.

Acceptable Water Conditions: Hardness: soft to medium up to 15° dH
Ph: 6.5 - 8.0
Temp: 77 - 84° F (25 - 29° C)

Breeding/Reproduction: The Redtail Botia or Orange-Finned Loach have not yet been bred in the aquarium and they are not yet bred commercially.

Availability: The Redtail Botia or Orange-Finned Loach is readily available.

References

• Animal-World References: Freshwater Fish and Plants
• Dr. Rüdiger Riehl and Hans A. Baensch, Aquarium Atlas Vol. 1, Publisher Hans A. Baensch, 1991
• Martin Thoene, Blue Botia (Yasuhikotakia modesta), Loaches Online, 2009
• Yasuhikotakia modesta (Bleeker, 1864) Redtail botia, Fishbase.org
• Bratz Walker, Sharks and Loaches, T.F.H. Publications, Inc., 1974

Author: Clarice Brough CFS

Lastest Comments on Redtail Botia View all 8 comments on Redtail Botia Add Your Comment

Dillon - 2011-10-30 I love these guys! I got 3 of them about 2weeks ago. idk if mine are just special or what but I have lots of bottom feeders and they arent agressive at all. Really cool fish. I reccomend them Alex Burleson - 2011-10-30 Redtail Botia are a personal favorite of mine! They are interesting little bottom feeders! Some are semi aggressive, while others are not. Fish, are individuals, such as humans. Reply

david - 2011-06-12 Could I keep a Clown Knifefish in a 55 gallon aquarium? The tank will have subdued lighting and be lightly planted with cryptocorne, Java Fern and Java Moss. There will be numerous hiding places created by bogwood and rocks. I would also like to add a Red-tailed Black Shark, among other Southeast Asian fish. Would this work out? Charlie Roche - 2011-06-13 It doesn't sound like a real good idea. The shark fish tail would eaily fit into the Knifefish mouth and the Knifefish can grow to 11 pounds. Clownfish are the quieter of the two and usually don't cause problems but will eat anything they can fit in their mouth. But the sharks are agressive and could tease or want territory and there would be the problem. Reply

Andrea - 2011-04-04 We have a community tank with 7 long-finned rosy barbs, 2 dojo loaches (one golden/albino), 1 pictus catfish, 1 long-nosed whiptail, 3 gold gouramis, and 2 blue/red-finned botias. We have had all but the gouramis and botias for 2 months now, the botias and gouramis being a new addition in the last 2 weeks. For the first few days, the botias stayed hidden, even at night when the light was out. Now they are very much active at night and make several appearances throughout the 'day' too/when the light is on. We have noted in the past 2 days red marks/dots on our golden dojo loach - my guess is the botias have become aggressive with him at night when the lights are out as he is 'easier' to see in the dark than our other fish..... Thoughts? Comments? We lost a larger dojo loach a few days ago due to what we thought may have been 'nighttime' aggressive as well, though this loach had a habit of getting himself in places too small for him - we noted a long gash on his top 'side' near the tail. Reply

Bill C. - 2011-03-30 I recently bought one red tail botia and added him to my community tank- three 3 1/2" gouramis, six rasboras, pictus cat, three corys. He's started swimming next to the gouramis and looks like he's nibbling or sucking on their skin. Weird! Has anyone seen this or heard of it before? Would one or two more botia's help? Help! Reply

Gerianne - 2011-02-14 I have a deep blue, almost purple one - referred to on purchase as a "Purple passion botia loach". We have affectionately named him "Leo the lustfish". He is beautiful! He loves to hide in the log we have in our 20 gallon tank, and corrals all sinking wafer and pellet food, sucking it up and bringing it back into his log. He lies frequently on his side, definitely giving the appearance of death! He is 17 years old! Unfortunately, he now has some kind of health issue, with a 90-degree kink in his lower body/tail, and has begun to develop an open sore where the bend is. I'm afraid he's not long for this world. I wish there was a way to help him, but he's never done well in treated water of any kind - likely because of his unique "skin-like" scaling - he has a habit of jumping out of the tank - has done so many, many times! This fish has many lives! After 17 years, I've grown attached to Leo, and will miss him when he goes. This breed of fish is a pleasure to have in a home tank! Reply

2rivers - 2010-12-18 Mine is about a decade old now & 7" long. I wouldn't say its blue, cuz since I've had modesta his color has gone from blueish-gray to a very dark slate color, almost black. I have dark gravel& lots of slate, he's adopted almost the exact color of his fav. slate hideout. Buy the natural color, don't buy dyed "blueberry or rasberry Botia" cruel. Reply

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