Species name: Botia macracantha
Common names: Loche-Clown, Tiger Botia
Family: Cobitidae
Order: Cypriniformes
Suborder: Cyprinoidei
Class:
Maximum length: 12 in.
Minimum tank size: 55 gallon
Hardiness: Medium, very prone to ich infestation. For best results, this fish shouldn’t be purchased too small.
Aggressiveness: peaceful. Good for the community aquarium.
Distribution: Indonesia; Sumatra and Borneo.
Diet: Omnivore. Feed bloodworms, brine shrimp, flaked foods, carnivore pellets, shrimp pellets, live worms, insects and brine shrimp. It will clean up leftover food stuck in the substrate. Will also eat snails.

Additional information:
It is one of the best known botias and a very common fish in the hobby, Botia macracantha, also known as Clown loach is native to the Indonesia where it can be found in running waters and shallow lakes.
While some are bred to be sold around the word, most of them are still captured in the wild.

The body is long and slim with 3 black stripes on a yellow background. The first stripe is on the eye and the last is at the end of the dorsal fin. The fins and barbels are bright red. Colour concentration is different for each specimens and change with food varieties and water qualities. The colors of an healthy specimens can easily equal that of the marine fish. It has a large head and the mouth is facing downward with four pairs of barbels and thick fleshy lips, much like a catfish.. The barbels on the lower jaw are small and hard to see.

Clown laoches are covered with skin instead of scales. Because of that, they are more prone to ich infestation than other fish. They are usually the fish to die when water quality declines. In the event of an ich infestation, treat your loach with half the medication required as their skin is very sensitive to medication.

Loche-Clowns are mostly nocturnal, but does move around a bit during the day. In the wild, they live in big groups, so it is best to house them in small groups of 3 to 5 specimens. Ideally, the aquarium should provide water movement to recreate their natural environment and plenty of hiding place made from rock or driftwood. The tank should also have a soft, preferably sand substrate so the fish can dig and search for food. Water quality is very important for the well being of the Loche-Clown. Frequent water change and stables conditions are a must for them to prosper.
A waters temperature of 72-86° F, a PH level of 6.0-7.5 and a dH of 8-12 is recommended.

Do you have experience with the Loche-Clown – Botia macracantha?
Share with us using the comment box bellow.

Article written by www.aquariumslife.com
References: Fishandtips.com

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