Kubs and Sids

[Keith Wolcott]

I finally have Botia Kubotai and Botia Sidthimunki. The pictures of the kubotai are blurry, but my camera does not allow manual focus so I take 50 or so pictures to get one that is partially in focus.




The got 7 kubs which are mostly 2 to 2 1/4 inch TL and 12 sids which are 1 to 1 1/4 inch TL. Although one of the kubs is larger at 3 inches TL. Also, one of the "kubs" hides most of the time, but when he comes out, I am pretty sure that he is a Botia Dario. The stripes and head shape perfectly match the picture at http://www.loaches.com/species-index/botia-dario. I will continue trying to get a picture so that this can be verified on this site. From what I have read, the tank conditions for the dario should be the same as the kubotai and that they should get along. Is this the case or will I have problems? Also, do I need to get additional darios to keep him company?

I have had these new loaches for 4 days and it has already been a bit of an adventure. Right after I got them I noticed several of the kubotai flashing against the sand. In the past, every time that I have seen this behavior it has meant that in several days ich would show up (I know that there are other possibilities too). There are no visible white spots so I am assuming it is in their gills. In any case, I decided to treat for ich immediately in order to stop it before it got serious. I am doing all of the things that the sticky topic on ich talks about and I think that it is going well. After I started treatment, they became less active and I could see that their respiration had increased although not to a very high rate like I have seen in a fish that is very stressed. But, even though I had a lot of current from a HOB filter that pumps 350 gal/hr on the 20 gal quarantine tank, I added an extra powerhead (aquaclear 50) that is aimed across the surface in order to increase the oxygen levels further. Within a couple of hours after doing this, the kubs and sids all became and have remained quite active and their respiration speed has slowed down to what I would call normal. I am also not seeing any more flashing.

A second issue is that the largest kubotai and a few of the others are very thin so I am treating with levamisole. After the ich treatment is over I will also treat with PraziPro.

Water parameters are (checked twice per day):
ammonia 0
nitrite 0
nitrate 3-5 ppm
ph 6.7

If I am overlooking anything or not doing something right, please let me know. Thank you.

Keith

[loachmom]

That's wonderful that you found such nice groups of loaches. I am especially fond of the sids. I don't have any, but maybe someday I will.

I'm sure they are all going to enjoy their new tank.

[chefkeith]

This sounds like a very good quarantine procedure.

[Keith Wolcott]

Thanks Loachmom and ChefKeith.

They seem to be doing well. No losses yet and their appetite has improved. They really go for the bloodworms.

I like the way that they move. The sids are very fast and can shoot from one place to another in a flash. The kubotai are also fast, but with less acceleration and deceleration. They do a lot more exploration and seem very curious.

[Jim Powers]

I hope all goes well in quarentine. You will like both of these species, particularly the sids. They are very active guys and are less shy than the kubotai.

[Keith Wolcott]

Thanks Jim. I have had them 9 days now and they already seem to have put on a little weight so it seems to be going well.

The kubotai are out and about quite a bit. The sids are out a lot, but disappear when they see me enter the room so I have not been able to watch them as much. The single dario that came in the shipment accidentally, spends his time guarding one of the hideouts by chasing away any other fish that wanders by. I may have to add two more darios.

Yesterday I had the pleasure of visiting the best lfs that I have seen in person. I took my daughter to the airport in Indianapolis and came home via Lafayette, IN and stopped at Aquarium World which Jim Powers had recommended. While talking to the employees I mentioned that I had come from some distance and they said that someone else comes from two hours away regularly. I said that that must be Jim Powers and that he was the reason that I was there. The employee must have told the owner since he came out later and asked how I knew Jim and he showed me all of the loaches. They had Sewellia sp. "spotted", Beaufortia, and Striata, all of which I had only seen on the internet before, so it was very nice to see them live. They also had quite a few others. What really struck me is that the health of all of the fish looked excellent. Their colors were good and they were fattened up. I would have picked up some Striata if they had had more than two, but I decided to wait. I will definitely be going back. Thanks for the recommendation Jim.

[Ded1]

i am trying but I cant find any information about life span of Botia Kubotai.
I know it is relative question , but any number would mean a lot?

[Martin Thoene]

Basically Ded1, as a relatively new species to aquariums we don't know how long kubotai live. Based on other Botia it's likely to be some considerable time.

Martin.

[Ded1]

Basically Ded1, as a relatively new species to aquariums we don't know how long kubotai live. Based on other Botia it's likely to be some considerable time.

Martin.

Now, that would explain a lack of information about that
Thanks for answer.

[revhead]

Hi Keith. Congrats on new fish & especially the dario. Lovely fish to gain by 'mistake'.
When you do notice a fish first flash,
(meaning possible first sign of Ich), have you thought about not medicating the tank,but instead just raising the temp. to over 30C ?
I find this method works very well for me,
& eliminates the need for any chemicals.

[Tinman]

That is good news with the weight gain, I am watching intently,keep us posted!!!!!! This is such a trying time for them AND you...

[Keith Wolcott]

Hi revhead- I have heard of that idea, but I have not tried it. I did raise the temp to 30 celsius, but also treated with meds.

Thanks Tinman.

It is time for an update. After 2 days shy of 5 weeks I moved the kubs and sids from the quarantine tank to the 75 gallon. I waited so long since I wanted to be sure that the kubotai which were rather thin were really gaining weight. They have all put on weight and are looking pretty good. I took 95 pictures and with the aid of Martin's tutorial I have the following.




5 of the Kubotia are about 2.25 inches TL and the one below is 3 inches. He/she is also the thinnest one, but is looking better.




One of the 12 Botia Sidthimunki



I think that the following is a Botia Dario (it was supposed to be a Botia Kubotia). Would someone either verify this or correct me please. (I missed a bit of glass cleaning on this one.)


In this tank I have

12 Botia Sidthimunki
6 Botia Kubotia
1 Botia Dario (that was shipped as a Kubotai)
6 Giant Danios
4 Serpae Tetras
4 Siamese Algae Eaters

After moving them to the main tank I was quite pleased to see the change in activity level. Both the kubs and sids tended to hide out a lot in the 20 gallon quarantine tank. For me to see them, I had to sneak into the room slowly. In the main tank they are all out in the open virtually all of the time. The loaches have no fear of the 3 inch (TL) Giant Danios and the kubs act like they own the place. I have the impression that the Giant Danios are performing their job as dither fish quite well and are making the loaches feel quite relaxed.

So far the lone Dario seems to fit in pretty well. He doesn't school with the Kubotai, but seems to get along with them.

I am really happy with the loaches and fish that I have chosen. Thanks to many on this forum for helping me with those choices.

[Whitey_MacLeod]

Looking good Those are some beautiful fish.

[Rubix]

great fish, thanks for sharing

looks like a dario to me

[newshound]

yep hat's a dario.
I had a mature one that was a rescue of sorts and it always hid.
It was the boss of the tank until the rescue clown grew larger.
Emma has reported that dario can be tough buggers in large groups (in her clown tank I think).
I bought more dario but over half of them died the (poor buggers looked so bad in the store) so now I have only two young ones with the large one in a tank with a clown, kubs, sids, histies, horseface, and stratia.
good group.