Botia striata
Encyclopedia
The zebra loach, Botia striata, is a small freshwater
fish
native to Southern India
. The maximum size is about 3 in (7.8 cm). It lives in tropical climate with temperature
range of 23-26°C (73-79ºF), and prefers water with 6.0 to 8.0 pH
, 5.0 to 12 dGH
.
Zebra loaches are peaceful fish suitable to community aquarium
tanks. However, being bottom feeders, they may show some aggression against other smaller bottom feeders. Therefore, small corydoras
are not suggested as a tankmate. They should be kept in groups of at least five. Any fewer and they will become stressed. They require some caves in which to hide during most of daylight. B. striata will accept a wide variety of fish foods, including live food such as blackworms, snails and small shrimps, and most commercial brands of sinking fish foods.
This species is shy, and will spend much of its time hiding. Also rarely, during times of stress it has been seen to attack smaller fish such as tetras.
Freshwater
Fresh water is naturally occurring water on the Earth's surface in ice sheets, ice caps, glaciers, bogs, ponds, lakes, rivers and streams, and underground as groundwater in aquifers and underground streams. Fresh water is generally characterized by having low concentrations of dissolved salts and...
fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
native to Southern India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. The maximum size is about 3 in (7.8 cm). It lives in tropical climate with temperature
Temperature
Temperature is a physical property of matter that quantitatively expresses the common notions of hot and cold. Objects of low temperature are cold, while various degrees of higher temperatures are referred to as warm or hot...
range of 23-26°C (73-79ºF), and prefers water with 6.0 to 8.0 pH
PH
In chemistry, pH is a measure of the acidity or basicity of an aqueous solution. Pure water is said to be neutral, with a pH close to 7.0 at . Solutions with a pH less than 7 are said to be acidic and solutions with a pH greater than 7 are basic or alkaline...
, 5.0 to 12 dGH
DGH
Degrees of general hardness is a unit of water hardness, specifically of general hardness.General hardness is a measure of the concentration of metal divalent ions such as calcium and magnesium per volume of water...
.
Zebra loaches are peaceful fish suitable to community aquarium
Aquarium
An aquarium is a vivarium consisting of at least one transparent side in which water-dwelling plants or animals are kept. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, marine mammals, turtles, and aquatic plants...
tanks. However, being bottom feeders, they may show some aggression against other smaller bottom feeders. Therefore, small corydoras
Corydoras
Members of the South American Corydoras genus are freshwater temperate and tropical catfish in the armored catfish family , and are commonly referred to as corydorases, cories, or cory catfish.-Taxonomy:...
are not suggested as a tankmate. They should be kept in groups of at least five. Any fewer and they will become stressed. They require some caves in which to hide during most of daylight. B. striata will accept a wide variety of fish foods, including live food such as blackworms, snails and small shrimps, and most commercial brands of sinking fish foods.
This species is shy, and will spend much of its time hiding. Also rarely, during times of stress it has been seen to attack smaller fish such as tetras.