All fish / Botiidae

Tiger Botia

Syncrossus helodes

Also known as tiger loach, banded tiger loach, botia helodes, giant tiger botia, tiger botia loach, indochinese tiger loach, ปลาหมูข้างลาย, ปลาหมูลาย, タイガーボティア, 虎纹沙鳅, 老虎鼠

A large, muscular loach with a yellowish-green body crossed by dark, often forked, bars and red to orange fins in young fish. It is kept by enthusiasts who want a bold, active bottom dweller for big tanks and is noted for eating pest snails.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

Temperament

Aggressive

Adult size

20 cm

Temperature

24 to 28 °C

pH

6 to 7.5

Smallest tank

500 litres

Keep as

Group of 5 or more in a large tank

Diet

Carnivore: sinking pellets, frozen bloodworm, shrimp, snails and other meaty foods

Swims

Bottom of the tank

Lifespan

10 to 20 years

Water

Freshwater

Wild range

Mekong and Chao Phraya basins and the Malay Peninsula (Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia)

Breeding

It migrates to spawn in the wild during the rainy season and has not been bred naturally in home aquariums. Trade fish are wild caught or produced on farms using hormones.

Good to know

It grows to 20 cm or more and is boisterous and territorial, so it suits only large tanks with robust tankmates and should not be kept singly or in pairs. It is often confused with Syncrossus hymenophysa and S. berdmorei.