Queen Loach
Botia dario
Botiidae
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About
The queen or Bengal loach arrives in shops at 4-5 cm, boldly banded and constantly busy, and gets sold as a small community bottom fish. It is not one. Seriously Fish gives a maximum standard length of 120-130 mm and says base dimensions of "120 * 45 cm or equivalent should be the minimum considered" - a 15 cm fish that wants well over a metre of floor. FishBase records 15.1 cm total length, so the shop label is off by a factor of three. The second half of the mismatch is temperament rather than size. Botia are gregarious and "form complex social hierarchies", and Seriously Fish asks for "groups of at least 5 or 6 specimens, preferably 10 or more". Kept in ones and twos they do not become calm; they turn their energy outward, and a fast, boisterous bottom fish is exhausting company for anything slow. Trailing fins get nipped, so ornamental bettas, guppies and long-finned cichlids are the wrong neighbours. It is worth buying deliberately: a proper group of six or more, in a long tank with sand, caves and shaded hardscape, is a genuinely rewarding fish that lives the better part of a decade. It is also worth knowing that Seriously Fish records commercial stock being bred with hormones, with hybrids in the trade, so provenance is worth asking about.
Care
Plan for 15 cm and a 120 x 45 cm base, not the 60 cm community tank it is sold for. Keep six or more - preferably ten - over sand, with caves and shaded hardscape and gentle to moderate flow at 24-26 °C. Avoid slow, long-finned tankmates: trailing fins get nipped. It eats snails but is not a cure for an infestation, and buying one for that reason is the commonest way this fish ends up badly housed and alone.
Diet
Primarily carnivorous, but takes vegetables. Sinking dried food, live or frozen bloodworm, Tubifex and Artemia, plus cucumber, courgette or spinach. Eats snails opportunistically - not reliably enough to be pest control.
Tankmate compatibility
Gets along with (99)
Possible with care (275)
Avoid (44)
Computed by the AquaSage engine for a spacious reference tank — always check the full verdict for your exact setup in the calculator.
Telling males from females
What works for this species, most reliable first.
- Adult sizeA hint only · only across animals of the same age
In many cichlids, catfish and loaches one sex simply grows larger — usually the male, though there are well-known reversals.
Also in these lists
Similar species
Same category and the closest water parameters — if this species isn't quite it, start here.
Health
Disease guide entries relevant to this species — worth a read before you reach for medicine.
The full disease guide →Sold in Lithuania
These Lithuanian shops listed this species in their public catalogue (checked August 8, 2026). Stock moves — ask before you travel.
These links are unpaid: we get nothing for them and ask for nothing.
Frequently asked questions
- What tank size does a Queen Loach need?
- A Queen Loach needs an aquarium of at least 200 litres (52.8 US gallons) with a footprint at least 120 cm (47.2 in) long — for this species, swimming length matters as much as raw volume.
- What water parameters does a Queen Loach need?
- Queen Loach does best at 22–28 °C (71.6–82.4 °F), pH 6–7.5 and a general hardness of 1–10 °dGH.
- What group size does a Queen Loach need?
- Queen Loach is a social species — keep a group of at least 6 so natural behaviour emerges and stress stays low.
- Is the Queen Loach suitable for beginners?
- Queen Loach sits in the middle of the difficulty scale — manageable for a careful beginner who has done the reading, but it has specific needs worth researching first.