Photo: Orishas92, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Yoyo loach
Botia almorhae
16 cm
Adult size
300 L
Minimum volume
5
Minimum group
12 years
Lifespan
Water parameters
Understand these values- Genus
- Botia
- Diet
- carnivore
- Social life
- small group
In the wild
Overview
Named after the Almora district in the Indian Himalayas, this botia belongs to a group of very similar species. Often wrongly called the “Pakistani loach”, the true B. almorhae may never have been sold: fish traded under this name are mostly B. lohachata or other related forms.
- Scientific name
- Botia almorhae Gray, 1831
- Classification
- Cypriniformes › Botiidae
- IUCN Red List
- Least concern (LC)
Natural habitat
Ganges basin (northern India) and possibly Nepal
Observations (GBIF) and localities Native countries Rivers and lakes
A foothill river fish, it stays in pools and calm stretches with a rocky or gravel bottom; it migrates upstream before spawning.
Behaviour
Not really aggressive but very active, it can intimidate small fish and nip long fins (Betta, guppies, many cichlids). Keep it in a group, with midwater cyprinids. Mostly carnivorous (molluscs, insects, worms), it also eats soft plants.
Sources:FishBase Seriously Fish GBIF · Base map: Natural Earth