Growth rate of blue botia...

[ecoli73]

I currently have 3 blue botia in my 300 gallon tank. They are about 2 inches long. I will add probably six more since they seem to pick on each other a little.

Their tank mates are African cichlids from Lake Malawi. I know the combination seems to be the third rail of loach keeping around here but there are no problems so far. In fact, the botias are more aggressive at feeding time than my cichlids. My stock consists of Peacocks, yellow labs and a dozen species of Malawan Haps(open water species so no real aggression). No psycho mbunas

My water is what is tap, PH around 7.6 and pretty hard. I do not treat water except with Prime. I also keep the temperature around 76.

My only concern is that I do have a couple of Dimidiochromis compressiceps which will grow to about 12" and will view anything under 4 inches as food. They are only 2 inches now and growth rate seems to be about one inch every 2 month or so last time I had them last time.

So I wonder in a year when they are at 8 inches, how big will the botias be?

Thanks

[ClownLoachSharky]

The two dont mix at all. this is a good read http://www.loaches.com/articles/why-loa ... i-cichlids. i guess if you lower ph and hardness to neutral and raise temperature to 77, they may work a bit better. But on the other hand the bluebotia is one of the aggressive loaches and everyone knows cichlid so perhaps get another tank. Also, this is with clowns so i guess its similar but the growth rate is usually a fewinches in the first year and slows down after that. But they may not be healthy in hard water so i dont know.