Botia Striata-Zebra/Striata Loach

[black hills tj]

Hey Everyone,

I'm looking at getting some "cleaner fish" for my 20g tank. I was previously looking at getting either Panda Cories or Julii Cories, however the past 2 or 3 shipments at my favorite LFS have died off within days of receiving the shipment. However, this LFS does have 3 Botia Striata(Zebra or Striata Loaches) that have been there for quite a while. They look healthy. What do you guys think? How would 3 Botia Striata do in my 20g tank which currently has 6 rummynoses and 3 von rio tetras? I do have 2 caves and quite a few plants in this tank. I also plan on getting a male/female pair of GBR's as soon as I can get my hands on them. I have a relatively fine black gravel substrate, and I plan on picking up some driftwood.

Thanks for the input,

Mike



OFF TOPIC-Is there a way to order 1 male and 1 female GBR from liveaquaria? Is it a good idea?

 

[Lonewolfblue]

The loaches would work very well. They stay small, and are very active. I think you would be very happy with them.

Edit:
LiveAquaria just sends out fish. You cannot select male/female. I've asked them, and you only get what they send you.

Also, if you get a pieceof driftwood, get one with some holes in it, where the loaches can go in and dig deeper. It's fun watching the loaches dig deeper into a piece of driftwood. My yoyo's love digging into driftwood, and I get a lot of small pieces of wood on the substrate from them digging.

 

[jibboo]

I had some Striata for a while ... and kept them with yo-yos and community fish. My yo-yos are now with a bunch of africans and the cichlids don't bother the loaches at all, so unless you get some bottom fish that get aggressive/territorial with your loaches, they'll likely go fine with whatever you put in with them.