Home / Fishes / Carp, barbs, minnows, loaches / Botiidae / Burmese border loach
No federal permit to keepBurmese border loach
Botia kubotai
Fishes › Carp, barbs, minnows, loaches (Cypriniformes) › Botiidae (Clown, yoyo and other loaches)
The Burmese Border loach, angelicus loach or polka dot loach, Botia kubotai, is a recently described species that has quickly become a popular tropical fish for freshwater aquariums.
Care at a glance
Species-specific aquarium care
- Tank: At least 30 in long and 12 in front to back for one adult (adults commonly reach about 5.9 in / 15 cm).
- Water: Freshwater.
- Layout: Uses both the bottom and open water: give open swimming space plus cover near the substrate.
- Availability: Rarely or never seen in the aquarium trade; expect to source it from specialists or not at all.
Calculated from this species' own FishBase record: tank size from its typical adult length and swimming zone, water values from its recorded ranges. The group guide below fills in general care.
Care guide
Species care notes
- Tank: a base of at least 47 × 18 in (roughly 64 US gallons); space needed is rated “large tank”.
- Water: a fairly wide range, from slightly acidic to slightly alkaline, 72–82 °F, pH 6–7.5, 2–10 dGH.
- Behaviour: a shoaling fish best kept in a group of six or more; suited to a community tank.
- Difficulty: Moderate (Seriously Fish rating).
Short excerpts from the species profile:
- Setup: “All botiids need a well-structured set-up although the actual choice of décor is more-or-less down to personal taste.”
- Tankmates: “Not especially aggressive but don't keep it with much smaller fishes as they may be intimidated by its size and sometimes very active behaviour.”
- Breeding: “In 2008 SF member Mark Duffill recovered a single, young (~ 40 mm 1.6 in SL) specimen from a large community aquarium containing several adults alongside various other loach and cyprinid species.”
From the Seriously Fish profile for this species, which has the full habitat, maintenance, diet, behaviour and breeding write-up 167
Clown, yoyo and other loaches
Applies to most species in this group. Habitat: Botiids inhabit Asian freshwater rivers and tributaries, including forested headwaters and seasonally flooded river margins. Individual species can differ, so compare with the species numbers above and the linked sources.
Housing & setup
- Provide at least an 80 × 30 cm (31 × 12 in) base for dwarf chain loaches; clown loaches require at least 180 × 60 cm (71 × 24 in).
- Use sand or fine gravel, smooth rocks, roots and numerous shelters; fill trapping holes and remove sharp edges.
- Fit a tight lid.
- Use a mature biological filter and maintain well-oxygenated water with some flow.
- Perform routine weekly water changes of 30–50% for the dwarf chain loach setup.
Climate & lighting
| Water | 75.2–86°F |
Diet
- Quality sinking dried foods
- Live or frozen bloodworms
- Daphnia or Artemia
- Blanched spinach or courgette
Social life
- For clown and dwarf chain loaches, keep at least 5–6 conspecifics, preferably 10 or more; pairs and trios can suffer severe dominance stress. Avoid slow, long-finned tankmates.
Handling
- Take care with the erectable subocular spines when moving loaches; they can become entangled in nets.
Health watch
- Stress and failure to feed in undersized social groups
- Entrapment injuries in narrow décor
- Water-quality illness from accumulated organic waste
Understanding the animal
About this animal
About this animal
In 2002, fish collectors working in western Thailand began to expand their search into Myanmar (Burma) area from the Three Pagodas Pass Thai-Myanmar border to look for new fish for the aquarium trade. This is one of several species discovered and explains the origin of the fish's common name: Burmese Border Loach.
Quoted from the Wikipedia article “Burmese border loach” (CC BY-SA 4.0) 174
In the wild
In the wild
From this species’ own FishBase record (habitat, bottom type, water and breeding data), not its family. Good care copies these conditions.1
| Where it lives | Lives in freshwater, in rivers and streams. Uses both the bottom and open water. |
| Ground it lives on | Over sand. |
| Water it lives in | Freshwater. |
| Climate | Tropical climate. |
What this means for care
- Use a soft, fine bottom; it lives over fine sediment in the wild.
From the sources
From the sources
Quoted from the matching sections of reputable sources for this exact species. Specialist databases are used first; Wikipedia (community-edited, CC BY-SA 4.0) only fills gaps. Other sources are short credited quotes.
| Overview | The Burmese Border loach, angelicus loach or polka dot loach, Botia kubotai, is a recently described species that has quickly become a popular tropical fish for freshwater aquariums. In 2002, fish collectors working in western Thailand began to expand their search into Myanmar (Burma) area from the Three Pagodas Pass Thai-Myanmar border to look for new fish for the aquarium trade. This is one of several species discovered and explains the origin of the fish's common name: Burmese Border Loach. — Wikipedia (community-edited) |
| Where it lives | Home ranges Population dynamics Growth parameters Max. ages / sizes Length-weight rel. Length-frequencies Mass conversion Recruitment Abundance Life cycle Reproduction Maturity Maturity/Gills rel. — FishBase |
| Appearance and size | The fish, a bottom feeder, is found in the Salween River system which is mostly in Myanmar. It was first discovered in Ataran River (known in Thailand as Kasat River), a tributary of Salween River. A population in Thailand was discovered in early 2006 in another tributary of Salween River, Suriya River in Thungyai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary. — Wikipedia (community-edited) |
Data and studies
The numbers
The numbers
Each bar is what one source reports. Where several sources weigh in, the dashed gold band marks their average.
Adult length
Maximum recorded length. Fish in home aquariums often stay smaller than wild records.
Water temperature
Range the species tolerates; aim for the middle.
pH
Water hardness
Minimum tank footprint
Seriously Fish recommends a tank base of at least 47 × 18 in (about 64 US gallons).
Sources for this sheet
- FishBase (Froese & Pauly, eds.), version 24.07 Peer-reviewed researchThe global scientific database on fishes, maintained by a consortium of research institutions; every value is referenced.
- Seriously Fish species profiles Experienced keeper or breederLong-running aquarium reference written and peer-checked by experienced fishkeepers and ichthyologists; each profile covers habitat, tank size, water, diet, behaviour and breeding.
- Seriously Fish: Chromobotia macracanthus Experienced keeper or breederAdded in the 2026 source-checked care-guide review.
- Seriously Fish: Ambastaia sidthimunki Experienced keeper or breederAdded in the 2026 source-checked care-guide review.
- Wikipedia (species article) Community referenceFree encyclopedia; useful overviews with their own citations. Intro text is quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- iNaturalist (captive observations) Community referenceCommunity observation platform run by the California Academy of Sciences and National Geographic; observations marked captive show animals living in homes, zoos and aquariums.
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