Edit Paracanthocobitis botia
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Name
Scientific name
Paracanthocobitis botia
Described by
Authority Hamilton, Year 1822, Bracketed
Family
Nemacheilidae
Common names
Zipper Loach
Photograph credits
All 5 credited
Summary
The zipper loach, Paracanthocobitis botia, is a nemacheilid loach from the Brahmaputra River in Assam, northeastern India. It was long thou…
Size and aquarium
Maximum size
152mm, standard length
Aquarium size
Minimum length 75 cm, Minimum depth 30 cm, Water movement High: fast-flowing river or riffle
Water
Water conditions
Temperature 21–26°C, pH 6–7.5
Hardness
5–12dGH
Conductivity
Not recorded
Behaviour
Temperament
Peaceful
Social needs
A shoal or group
Community suitability
Community-safe
Where it lives
Countries, regions, rivers and lakes
India, Ayeyarwady, Ganges, Indus, Salween
Writing
Etymology
Paracanthocobitis: from the Greek παρά (para), meaning 'close beside,' and the genus Acanthocobitis, derived from the Greek acantho-, meaning 'thorny', and kob…
Distribution
Described from 'northeastern Bengal' and formerly considered to have an enormous range extending eastwards from the Indus River basin in Pakistan through north…
Habitat
Habitats vary to some extent and most are seasonal in nature, e.g., swelling in volume and flowing more rapidly during the annual monsoons. However in general …
Aquarium size
Base dimensions in excess of 75 ∗ 30 cm are sufficient.
Maintenance
Will do well in most larger, well-maintained tanks if plenty of hiding places are provided, and should not harm softer-leaved plants. However we recommend keep…
Water conditions
Not written yet
Diet
Chiefly a micropredator feeding on insect larvae and suchlike in nature. Singer and Page (2015)[10] report that stomach contents examined during their study we…
Behaviour and compatibility
Generally peaceful and can be maintained alongside many of the more popular species in the hobby although ideally fishes from from one of its native countries …
Sexual dimorphism
Adult males are slimmer and have a suborbital slit, visible as a cleft in the skin, extending from below the eye which is absent in females.
Reproduction
As far as we know it's not bred commercially and all fish available in the trade are probably collected from wild stocks. There do exist a few reports of fry b…
Notes
P. botia is traded under various names including 'mottled', 'eyepot', 'sand' and 'striped' loach. It's perhaps one of the better choices for those new to keepi…
References
References
10 on this profile