All fish / Botiidae

Clown Loach

Chromobotia macracanthus

Also known as clown loach, tiger botia, botia macracanthus, clown botia, clown loache, ปลาหมูอารีย์, ikan botia, クラウンローチ, botia, 皇冠三间鼠, 三间鼠

The clown loach has an orange body with three broad black bands and red fins, which makes it one of the brightest loaches in the hobby. People keep it for its colour, its lively and sociable behaviour, and its habit of eating pest snails.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

Temperament

Peaceful

Adult size

20 cm

Temperature

25 to 30 °C

pH

6 to 7.5

Smallest tank

500 litres

Keep as

Group of 5 or more

Diet

Omnivore: sinking pellets, frozen bloodworm, brine shrimp, snails and some vegetable matter

Swims

Bottom of the tank

Lifespan

15 to 20 years

Water

Freshwater

Wild range

Indonesia: Sumatra and Borneo (Kalimantan)

Breeding

In the wild it spawns during seasonal migrations in flooded rivers. Spontaneous home aquarium spawning is extremely rare, and nearly all fish on sale come from farms that use hormone injections.

Good to know

Grows slowly but reaches 20 cm or more and lives for decades, so it needs a very large tank as an adult. It is prone to white spot and sensitive to medications, and it has a sharp spine below each eye that can snag in nets.