Now is the season for the very beautiful and relatively small remaining loach Botia dario from India. Usually the species grows to a length of 6-8 cm, as record size 15 cm are given in literature, but it is not clear if this is not a case of confusion.
In India and adjacent countries the species is common in the system of the upper Brahmaputra, i.e. at the foot of the Himalayas. There it can occasionally get quite cool; Botia dario is therefore an energy-saving fish, which, if the aquarium is located in a living space, does not require additional aquarium heating. Water temperatures between 16 and 28°C represent the comfort zone of the lively schooling fish, which is by the way an eager snail exterminator. However, it is important that the water temperatures rise or fall slowly – over a period of days. Botia dario does not tolerate rapid temperature changes any more than any other fish.
For our customers: the animals have code 399005 on our stocklist. Please note that we supply exclusively to wholesalers.
Text & photos: Frank Schäfer
