Striata / Zebra Loach?

**Amelia** · 09-02-2012, 10:51 AM

Just wondering if anyone has any experience with the Striata / Zebra / Candystripe Loach?

I've heard they are a much more peaceful and practically sized alternative to many other botiine loaches. I had a group of yoyos at one stage and had to give them away because they terrorized my tank.

According to loaches.com...

Probably the most readily available of what I would term a ‘small and peaceful species’ would undoubtedly be the Zebra Loach (Botia striata) from India. With a maximum size of 10 cm (4 in) it is much more suited to smaller tanks, and will co-exist peacefully with all other species. It’s glorious pattern of thin alternating black and white bars is eye-catching, and lends itself perfectly to this fish’s other common name of Candystripe Loach. I can’t recommend this species enough!

**ekfishlover2011** · 09-03-2012, 09:19 PM

My mom had some and they terrorized her other loaches and were very territorial of their hidey spots. Very pretty guys though. :)

**Amelia** · 09-04-2012, 01:05 AM

Ugh, damn. Might have to give all loaches a miss then except kuhlis. I wish dwarf chains weren't obscenely expensive.

**Nephalem** · 10-01-2012, 10:58 PM

Just so you know, I have a few of these and I love them. They haven't been aggressive to anybody in my tank so far. They are reasonably small compared to other loaches of their kind. I am super glad I bought them. Maybe I just got lucky text picked some peaceful ones.

**tetrageek** · 10-03-2012, 01:04 AM

I think I read that zebra loaches are endangered. Such a shame, they're beautiful fish.

**Nephalem** · 10-03-2012, 02:51 AM

Yeah they are gorgeous. That would suck of it were true. I especially love the odd patterned ones. The ones we got aren't straight lined. They look more like puzzle stripped.

**tetrageek** · 10-03-2012, 07:43 AM

I've never seen them but I want a group of them some day.

**steeler1** · 10-04-2012, 09:35 AM

Originally Posted by ameliaaahx

Ugh, damn. Might have to give all loaches a miss then except kuhlis. I wish dwarf chains weren't obscenely expensive.

There's another small peaceful loach called the Banded Dwarf Loach, Yunnannilus Crucias you might be interesed in. youtube has several vids of this guy. I have also seen it called the Dwarf Hovering Loach and the Pygmy Multi Stripe Loach.