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Botia dario - Bengal LoachMagyarul / Hungarian
Botia dario - Bengal LoachBotia dario - Bengal LoachBotia dario - Bengal LoachBotia dario - Bengal Loach
  • Scientific name: Botia dario
  • Synonyms: Cobitis dario, Cobitis geto, Botia geto, Canthophrys zebra, Diacanthus zebra, Canthophrys flavicauda, Diacanthus flavicauda, Botia macrolineata
  • Common name: Bengal Loach
  • Group: Loaches
  • Habitat: Asia; India, India, Bangladesh, Bhutan
  • Size: 15 cm
  • Biotope: Inhabits in the mountain streams of middle to lower Ganges and Brahmaputra river drainages.
  • Social behavior: Peaceful schooling fish, that can be kept in community tanks, even those housing small fishes.
  • Diet: Omnivorous; In nature it feeds on insects, larvae, crustaceans, and some plant matter. In the aquarium it is not a fussy eater, this species will eat most foods that are offered. It will also eat snails!
  • Breeding: Unsuccessful in aquarium.
  • Tank: Minimum 120 litres
  • Population: 4-5 fish for 170 litres
  • Decoration: Caves and secluded areas among plants are appreciated. The aquarium must have a soft, sandy substrate since some of its time will be spent completely buried. Use floating plants, which also subdues the lighting.
  • Temperature: 23-26 °C
  • pH: 6,5-7.5
  • Hardness: 8-12 NK°
  • Lifespan: 5-8 years

Description: Botia dario has a golden body with vertical black cross bands, which sometimes connected. The banding starts just behind the eyes and extends all the way onto the tail fin. As the fish matures, the color patterning becomes more subdued, the cross bands widen and their number can increase. It is among the most easily-recognisable in the genus due to its particularly curved head shape. Adult females are normally fuller-bodied than males. The breeding habits of this species are not known, and successful captive breeding has not been recorded.

Botia dario is generally a shy fish, buti f it is kept in a small group, it will be bolder, and will soon spend more time outside its hiding place. However these fish do not like bright lights, so a cover of floating plants would be essential. They will retreat during the day and then get active at dusk. During dominance battles, which usually occurs when the fish have been introduced to a new tank, or new individuals added to an existing group, they tussle each other in the tank, but they don't really harm one another. During these battles they normally lose much of their body patterning and coloration, a phenomenon that’s come to be known as 'greying out'.

Like other members of this family (Cobitidae), the Bengal Loach is equipped with a pair of extremely sharp spines under the eye orbits. These spines can be extended as a means of defense when the fish is threatened or attacked. Care is therefore necessary as these can become entangled in aquarium nets or can hurt the aquarists.