Loaches Online Forum

aka, kubotai botia aka polka dot loach? I have three Kubotai Botia. I just got them this weekend. The larger one that also has fuller fins is very lethargic. It mostly hangs around at the heater fairly motionless although he does swim around a bit every once in a while. The other two are super active and it appears as if my Dwarf Gourami does the dance with the other two. He is swimming and twirling around with them. (yes, I put the loaches in my main tank without quarantining them) The reason I did not quarantine them is because the lfs owner told me it stresses them out more to do so. That advice coupled with my research indicating they get stressed out in bare tanks without other fish I decided to just put directly into the tank after acclimation. Anyway, my tank is a 60 gallon long. I have an AC110 and an AC70 for filtration. I have a medium school of neon tetras, some otocinclus, a Dwarf Gourami, three guppies and now the three Angelicus Botia loaches.

My question is would there be any type of preemptive treatment for loaches to combat any possible issues and that might help them settle in a little better? Is it ok to add some salt? Or is that even worth bothering with/more detrimental than good etc.? My Ammonia level is 0, Nitrite 0, nitrate 20 (I have plants and driftwood) PH is 7.6. Currently I have my heater set to maintain 80 degrees F.

Again, the only sign of illness is lethargy. No visible signs otherwise. Also, does anyone else have any experience with loaches and dwarf gourami's hanging out together and the Dwarf Gourami basically acting exactly as the loaches. They swim up and down together, twirl around each other etc. The two active loaches do this, but they also do it with the Gourami quite frequently as well. Any insight on this? I actually like the behavior, but want to make sure it is really a sign of playfulness and not stress.

To reiterate, I have three loaches, two of which seem very happy and active. The other is more lethargic, choosing to hover around the heater mostly.

AngelicusBotiaFan wrote:aka, kubotai botia aka polka dot loach? I have three Kubotai Botia. I just got them this weekend. The larger one that also has fuller fins is very lethargic. It mostly hangs around at the heater fairly motionless although he does swim around a bit every once in a while. The other two are super active and it appears as if my Dwarf Gourami does the dance with the other two. He is swimming and twirling around with them. (yes, I put the loaches in my main tank without quarantining them) The reason I did not quarantine them is because the lfs owner told me it stresses them out more to do so. That advice coupled with my research indicating they get stressed out in bare tanks without other fish I decided to just put directly into the tank after acclimation. Anyway, my tank is a 60 gallon long. I have an AC110 and an AC70 for filtration. I have a medium school of neon tetras, some otocinclus, a Dwarf Gourami, three guppies and now the three Angelicus Botia loaches.

My question is would there be any type of preemptive treatment for loaches to combat any possible issues and that might help them settle in a little better? Is it ok to add some salt? Or is that even worth bothering with/more detrimental than good etc.? My Ammonia level is 0, Nitrite 0, nitrate 20 (I have plants and driftwood) PH is 7.6. Currently I have my heater set to maintain 80 degrees F.

Again, the only sign of illness is lethargy. No visible signs otherwise. Also, does anyone else have any experience with loaches and dwarf gourami's hanging out together and the Dwarf Gourami basically acting exactly as the loaches. They swim up and down together, twirl around each other etc. The two active loaches do this, but they also do it with the Gourami quite frequently as well. Any insight on this? I actually like the behavior, but want to make sure it is really a sign of playfulness and not stress.

To reiterate, I have three loaches, two of which seem very happy and active. The other is more lethargic, choosing to hover around the heater mostly.

Ok, I could really use some advice on what to do to help my loach. Any info will be ver much appreciated.

Hi there

It could be behavioural. These fish do like to be in schools of at least 5 as they form complex social structures. The largest usually asserts itself as the dominant one. Is it much larger than the others? Perhaps it was the alpha in its old tank & it's now missing the competition & needs to readjust .?!
Are the other 2 nipping at the one you are concerned about? Or chasing/harassing it in any way? It could be that you need a couple more perhaps. Just a guess, but honestly I've witnessed some real complicated group behaviour with botids that can't always be explained ..

Also a lot of diseases can begin with some observed lethargic behaviour. Keep a close eye on it for rapid Gill movement or any other symptoms.