Home / Fishes / Carp, barbs, minnows, loaches / Botiidae / Chameleon loach
No federal permit to keepChameleon loach
Syncrossus beauforti
Fishes › Carp, barbs, minnows, loaches (Cypriniformes) › Botiidae (Clown, yoyo and other loaches)
Synocrossus beauforti, the barred loach, chameleon loach or chameleon botia, is a species of freshwater fish from the loach family Botiidae which is found in mainland south-east Asia.
Intro from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Care at a glance
Species care notes
- Tank: a base of at least 59 × 18 in (roughly 80 US gallons); space needed is rated “very large tank”.
- Water: a fairly wide range, from slightly acidic to slightly alkaline, 72–86 °F, pH 6–7.5, 2–12 dGH.
- Behaviour: a shoaling fish best kept in a group; not a community fish.
- 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: “Can be belligerent and should not be kept with much smaller fishes as they may be intimidated by its size and sometimes very active behaviour.”
- Breeding: “Appears not to have been bred in aquaria.”
From the Seriously Fish profile for this species, which has the full habitat, maintenance, diet, behaviour and breeding write-up 167
Understanding the animal
In the wild
In the wild
From this species’ own FishBase record (habitat, bottom type, water and breeding data), not its family. Wild conditions are context, not enclosure settings.1
| Where it lives | Lives in freshwater, in rivers and streams. Stays near the bottom. Usually associated with clear water, swift current and stony to rocky substrate. |
| Climate | Tropical climate. |
| Wild diet | Hunting macrofauna (predator). |
Native climate (measured)
Native climate (measured)
| Warm-season highs | about 89°F (up to 96°F in the hottest sampled areas) |
| Cool-season lows | about 67°F (down to 49°F in the coldest sampled areas) |
| Average temperature | 70–81°F across sampled records |
| Relative humidity | 73–79% on average (driest month about 66%) |
| Rainfall | about 1946 mm a year |
Measured at 14 wild occurrence records sampled against WorldClim 2.1 climate data (1970–2000 averages). Air conditions in the range are ecological context, not enclosure settings: microhabitats such as burrows, leaf litter or basking rocks can be cooler, warmer or more humid.
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.
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.
- Wikipedia (species article) Community referenceFree encyclopedia; useful overviews with their own citations. Intro text is quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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