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Redtail Botia,Orange-Finned Loach, Blue Loach, Orange Fin Loach Family: Cobitidae
Botia modesta Photo � Animal-World: Courtesy Ken Childs Being quite attractive, lively, and having a unique personality; the Redtail Botia or Orange-Finned Loach is quite popular, a favorite species for many aquarists!The Redtail Botia or Orange-Finned Loach 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. Their natural coloring is most attractive, retaining its beauty with regular water changes and including brine shrimp or other crustaceans in their diet.
Photo © Animal-World: Courtsey Ken Childs Obtaining dyed specimens of the Redtail Botia
is not recommended.
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| Geographic Distribution Yasuhikotakia modesta |
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| Point data provided by FishBase.org |
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 or Orange-Finned Loaches are found in northeastern
India; Thailand, Vietnam, and the Malaysian peninsula. They are found
in large rivers with muddy bottoms and in flooded fields.
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.
Comments from people who have kept this fish:
I have a bright orange tailed, light blue botia. I bought two in '92, a blue and a pink one, and it's now 2008 and the blue is still alive. That's 16 years. The pink one died about 4 years ago. It was highly hassled into submission by the blue one to the point that I think it starved. They both sleep on their side, giving the appearance of death. Since their colors faded from bright blue and bright pink, I assume they were dyed. I have been looking for the name of this species and have never found them in any shop. They permanently live under a large rock and burrow, messing up the undergravel filter, especially when I have other large fish/turtles in the tank. I had to move the turtle out for fear of it eating the 16 year old. I could never tell what sex they were. They looked the same.
I have an orange finned loach that is a beautiful bright blue. I named him Blue when I got him over 12 years Ago. I never thought any of my fish would live that long, I have several other fish that I purchased with him that are still alive too. Blue has so much personality and I love that he has eyelids. He lays in a great big log with only his head inside (usually) and his body sticking out. He looks like a dog in a dog house. When I feed my fish algae wafers, he will dart out and collect several and take them into the log before the plecostomus can get them all. About five years ago I went from a 55 gal tank to a 150 and bought a couple of orange and black loaches. About a year ago one of them (I guess) outgrew the log he had stayed in and moved in with Blue. I love my fish!
Author: Clarice Brough. CFS.
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