fish · Botiidae

Queen loach

Botia dario

Wild range: Middle and lower Ganges and Brahmaputra drainages: northern and northeastern India (Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Meghalaya, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh), northern Bangladesh plus the Chittagong Hill Tracts, and the Gaylegphug River in southern Bhutan (Seriously Fish; Aquarist Atlas; Loaches Online). (Asia)

Husbandry parameters

Difficulty: intermediate
Adult size: 13.00–15.00 cm
Min tank: 55.0 gal / 208.0 L
Temperature: 23.0–26.0°C
pH: 6.0–7.5
GH: 5.0–10.0 dGH
Flow: moderate
Water: freshwater
Temperament: peaceful
Diet: omnivore
Swimming: bottom
Schooling: Yes
Min group: 6
Community: Yes
Nano: No
Lifespan: 5.0–8.0 yr
Reproduction: Seasonal egg-scatterer with no parental care. In the wild spawning is thought to follow monsoon floods, with adults migrating within their river systems; eggs are released into flowing water. It is not known to have bred in home aquaria, and the fish in the trade come from wild collection or hormone-induced spawning on farms (Seriously Fish; Aquarist Atlas; Loaches Online).
Biotope: Rivers and streams of the middle and lower Ganges and Brahmaputra drainages, from foothill streams to lowland channels. It lives over sand, fine gravel and smooth stones among submerged cover, in clear, well-oxygenated water with gentle to moderate current, and in parts of its range in slower, muddier streams rich in debris. The water is soft to moderately hard and around neutral, and it is probably migratory with the monsoon (Seriously Fish; Aquarist Atlas; Atlarium).
Countries: India, Bangladesh, Bhutan
IUCN: Least Concern

At a glance: Queen loach care

Compiled reference information. Review the care notes and original sources below.

What temperature is listed for Queen loach?

The compiled profile lists 23.0–26.0 °C for Queen loach (Botia dario). Check the original sources below for context and differing recommendations.

What tank size is listed for Queen loach?

The profile lists a minimum tank volume of 55.0 US gallons (208.0 liters). Volume alone does not establish suitability; consider dimensions, group size and other inhabitants alongside the full care notes.

What pH is listed for Queen loach?

The compiled profile lists a pH of 6.0–7.5. Review the cited care sources alongside the other water parameters in this profile.

Natural habitat

A mid-sized South Asian botiid loach, also sold as the Bengal loach. Its golden-yellow body carries 7–9 broad dark bars, often with thinner pale bars between, and it has a strongly arched head. It is lively and social, clicks when content, and eats pest snails, so it suits a large, mature community tank with a group of its own kind.

Where they are found

Catalog primary Botia dario (Hamilton, 1822): valid in ITIS (TSN 640121), accepted in GBIF (2368034), valid in the Catalog of Fishes (via Aquarist Atlas) and used by FishBase, Seriously Fish and the trade. Described as Cobitis dario. Junior synonyms are Cobitis geto / Botia geto Hamilton, 1822 (hence the trade name 'Geto loach'), Canthophrys flavicauda and Canthophrys zebra Swainson, 1839 (also given as Diacanthus flavicauda / D. zebra), and Botia macrolineata Teugels, De Vos & Snoeks, 1986, which was described from aquarium fish exported via Bombay and is the same species (Seriously Fish citing Grant 2007; Aquarist Atlas). Trade names are 'Queen loach', 'Bengal loach' and 'Geto loach'. Lookalikes in the same bar-patterned Botia group include B. histrionica (catalog golden-zebra-loach), B. rostrata and B. almorhae, so labels in shops can be mixed up. Max 15.1 cm TL (FishBase); Seriously Fish gives 13 cm SL. IUCN Least Concern (assessed 2010).

Aquarium care

Give a group a tank at least 120 cm (48 in) long, about 208 L / 55 US gal (Seriously Fish 120 × 45 cm, about 243 L; Atlarium 120 cm and 180 L or more; Aquarist Atlas 100 cm or more). Keep it at 23–26°C, which is cooler than many other Botia, pH 6.0–7.5 and soft to medium hardness (Seriously Fish 1–10 dGH, FishBase up to 10 dH, Atlarium 5–12 dGH, Loaches Online up to 12 dH). Use soft sand or fine gravel to protect the barbels, with smooth rocks, driftwood, pipes and caves the group can pile into, plus shade from plants such as Java fern and Anubias. It needs clean, well-oxygenated water with moderate flow, a mature filter and weekly 30–50% water changes; it doesn't tolerate high nitrate or a new tank. Fit a tight lid because it jumps. The skin is nearly scaleless, so it is sensitive to copper and full-strength medications, and it catches ich readily (Seriously Fish; Atlarium; Aquarist Atlas).

Feeding

Omnivore that leans towards meaty food. Feed quality sinking pellets and tablets as a staple, plus live or frozen bloodworm, Tubifex, brine shrimp and daphnia, and vegetables such as cucumber, courgette, blanched spinach or peas. It eats small pest snails eagerly but isn't a cure for a snail outbreak. Some food after lights-out helps lower-ranking fish get their share (Seriously Fish; Atlarium; Aquarist Atlas; Loaches Online).

Compatibility

Keep a group of at least 6, ideally 10 or more (Seriously Fish 5–6+, preferably 10+; Atlarium 5–6+; Aquarist Atlas 6+). Kept alone or in pairs it becomes withdrawn or aggressive, and in a small trio the dominant fish can stop the others feeding. It is not especially aggressive, but it is very active, jostles at feeding time and may nip long fins. Avoid small or timid fish, small Corydoras, bettas, guppies and slow long-finned cichlids. Good tankmates are robust, similar-sized fish such as barbs, larger rasboras, danios and calm cichlids. It will eat snails and may take dwarf shrimp. community_safe true with these caveats; not for nano tanks.

Breeding

Not bred in home aquaria. Ripe females are plumper and higher-backed than males, but the sexes are otherwise hard to tell apart. Commercial supply relies on hormone-induced spawning and wild collection, and the flood cues the wild fish use are not practical to recreate in a home tank (Seriously Fish; Aquarist Atlas; Atlarium).

Sources

Compiled from multiple independent care sheets — not copied from a single site.