Tropical Fish Keeping banner

Help finding some Botia Histrioncia (Burmese Loach)

2K views 4 replies 2 participants last post by  Byron 
#1 ·
Yesterday I went to several LFS to see if I could find some of these fish. I knew they didn't have any as they don't carry loaches usually at all. When I asked one if they could order them they couldn't figure out what the fish was by the name. I showed them a pic of the fish and they said that they couldn't remember the "common name" for it as the ones I gave them was not it.Common Names I gave them was Burmese Loach, Burmese Zebra Loach, and Golden Zebra Loach. Is there any other common names out there for this fish? They also said they needed the common name for the the fish to order it. That was a first cause the store I usually go to get fish orded goes by the scientific name. So with that said I went to the store that I know uses the scientific name to order fish. He is not sure if he can get them at all. Any ideas where I can get some of these fish from?
 
#3 ·
Be very cautious using any "common" name, such names are often only common to specific countries; and suppliers and stores frequently make up names to sell fish better.

Even scientific names can be uncertain though, since we are relying on the collector and/or importer to correctly identify the fish in the case of wild caught, which most of the loaches will be. And as noted in our profile of Botia histrionica, this species is similar to others. I regularly (once or twice yearly) see Botia kubotai which is almost identical, but never B. histrionica.

As these are wild caught, their availability will often be seasonal. If you can find a good fish store near you that regularly imports wild-caught fish, you might have a better chance of finding these. Alternatively, there are fish suppliers online; I have never used them, since most are in the US and importing into Canada while certainly possible does have delays and airport issues, so I don't bother.
 
#4 ·
I got one store looking to see when they will be available. I showed him a picture of them also gave him the scientific name. He said he had them once before but it has been awhile. I might ask him about Botia kubotai and see if he can find them easier. Thank Byron didn't realize these would be seasonal but was wondering since I was having a hard time finding any.
 
#5 ·
Most of the "rarer" wild caught fish tend to be seasonal because collectors have a limited "window" of access to the collection sites [this depends upon the flood periods allowing better access by canoe/boat]. Also some countries restrict collection to after the spawning season to ensure preservation of stock in the wild. South American countries are doing more of this, SE Asian less so far.

This is why we are just ending the best time for wild SA fish, the rainy season ended early in the year, then the fish spawn, then fry are available. March-May is our best time for SA fish from Peru and Brazil.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top