Red-Tail Botia question

[Alesha]

We have a lone red-tail botia loach in a 20 long tank. I'll include a couple pics and a video so you can see her. We call her Peek-a-boo.

It was never our intention to own this fish. We were looking for pygmy chain loaches. While my husband was out of town one day, he popped into a pet store and asked if they had the pygmy chains. They said, "Yes, we have 2!" He thought that was great and brought them both home. He had no idea they weren't  pygmy chains. I'd done all the research and thought I'd explained exactly what we were looking for, but even in the best marriages, this kind of communication can be tricky. 😉

We popped them into our QT with our crooked-back guppies that we cull from the 55-gallon. They were both incredibly shy, scared and erratic. They hid behind the sponge filters, heater, anything they could find. We didn't see one of them for days. We still have no idea where it was, but eventually it came out of hiding. So...the next time one of them disappeared, we weren't concerned until several days passed and we still didn't see it. We searched the tank and then the floor behind the tank and found it. The only hole in our lid was where the airlines for the sponge filter came out and the plug for the heater. I guess it was just big enough and it jumped at just the right angle and that was the end of the story.😢

So now we have poor, lonely Peek-a-boo who almost never leaves her cave. If she ever does, like today, we immediately check the water parameters, do a water change and get her back on an even keel. Her only tank mates are ram's horn snails and one baby crooked-spined guppy.

Can you recommend whether to get more botia for her to school with or not? How many can safely go in a 20-long? Should we get a powerhead to add more current? I've read they prefer that. I hate that she is so lonely.

Alesha

[Nataku]

So red tailed botia are great fish to watch in a group of their own kind. Seriosuly entertaining. Like most loaches, they are social and prefer to be in big shoals of other loaches where they will play and squabble about who gets what cave or spot under the driftwood and then ultimately you'll  have six of them crammed into a hole you thought only two could fit in, and they're all asleep in this dogpile of fish. This is normal for red tailed loaches.

Problem is, a red tailed loach gets eight inches long. I've even seen a (particularly plump!) old female red tail loach that was sitting more around ten inches. So, these are not small fish. 

Its sad, but I wouldn't keep them in a 20 long because they're  just going to get too big even as one fish, and they'd really prefer a group (like 6-10, at least) of their own kind to hang with. And you really can't  fix six adults in a 20 long. I usually see a 75 gallon being recommended as a minimum size for an adult group of this species, just because they get so chonky. A lot of people put them in 55 gallons as growouts, which works for several years, but a fish approaching ten inches in length can have a hard time turning around in a twelve inch wide tank, hence why the 75 is usually recommended.

Does the store offer a return or exchange policy? If so, it may be a good idea to take this one back.

OR. This is the incentive you needed to get another (much bigger!) tank. Come on, 75 gallons are a great size! 

[Alesha]

7 minutes ago, Nataku said:

Does the store offer a return or exchange policy? If so, it may be a good idea to take this one back.

OR. This is the incentive you needed to get another (much bigger!) tank. Come on, 75 gallons are a great size! 

Thanks for the great info! I really would love to see a group of them playing and enjoying life. 

I contacted the store about their "mistake" (truthfully, it was either an uninformed salesperson or a deceitful one), but they didn't bother to contact me back. So, no I can't return it and they have no exchange policy in place.

As much as I would love a bigger tank, our less-than-800-square-foot house will not hold another one!  

I think I'll have to ask around our LFS and see if someone will take her. I just wonder if her life will be any better there than it is here. Even our privately owned local store is less-than-desirable in it's fish department.

[Brandy]

Local clubs maybe? Or an ad on craigslist? I know that is sketchy in some parts of the country, but I have had the best luck there.

[Alesha]

Those are good ideas, Brandy, thank you!  I don't know of any fish clubs in my town or within an hour's drive. I think they have them closer to Orlando, but that's a little far for me to travel, due to health issues. And Craigslist is an possibility...I'll check it out. Thanks again!

[Nataku]

22 hours ago, akconklin said:

Those are good ideas, Brandy, thank you!  I don't know of any fish clubs in my town or within an hour's drive. I think they have them closer to Orlando, but that's a little far for me to travel, due to health issues. And Craigslist is an possibility...I'll check it out. Thanks again!

You mentioned Orlando. Do you mind my asking what city you are in/near? I'm about half an hour's drive north of Orlando, always a pleasure to meet more Floridian fish lovers. If you go up to Daytona, I know there are at least three LFS around there, at least one of which I know does take in fish for store credit/exchange.

[Alesha]

We're south of Davenport. No, never get north to Daytona. We're homebodies. 😆