Tiger Redfin Botia (Syncrossus sp.)

Choose a Tiger Redfin Botia for a large loach aquarium

The Tiger Redfin Botia is a striped, red-finned loach of the genus Syncrossus, sold here as Syncrossus sp. because the trade name covers more than one closely related fish. Seriously Fish gives "Redfin Tiger Loach" as the common name of Syncrossus berdmorei, which is also called Blyth's loach, Berdmore's loach and the Burmese peppered firetail botia. These fish were once placed in the genus Botia, which is why shops still call them botias. Every Syncrossus is a robust, sociable bottom-dweller that grows large, digs, squabbles and needs a big, well-filtered aquarium.

In the wild S. berdmorei lives in the Irrawaddy, Sittaung and Salween river systems of Myanmar, north into Manipur in north-eastern India and possibly into western Thailand. Seriously Fish describes its home as forest-shaded headwaters with clear, well-oxygenated water, a mixed sand and rock bed, submerged wood and leaf litter. The related banded tiger loach, S. helodes, lives in the Mekong, Chao Phraya and Mae Khlong systems, and fish from the Mekong reportedly have orange to red lower fins as well.

Know which tiger loach you are looking at

Young tiger loaches are hard to tell apart, and Seriously Fish notes that some forms of S. berdmorei may yet prove to be separate species. Their care is very similar: both red-finned species need the same 180 × 45 cm aquarium base, a group of their own kind and clean, oxygen-rich water. This page therefore plans for the genus, and its water table uses the range where the two red-finned species overlap. The gallery images are representative, prepared from a reference photograph, and do not show the exact fish supplied.

Select one fish and plan the group around it

One purchase quantity supplies one live Tiger Redfin Botia in the standard size offered. Sex is not specified. Seriously Fish notes that adult females become noticeably stockier than males and probably grow larger, but young fish cannot be sexed reliably, so plan the group without counting on a ratio.

The size supplied is not the adult size. Whichever red-finned species arrives, it grows into a loach of 25–30 cm, and the aquarium, filter and group must be ready for that adult from the start.

Work from the group you intend to keep

• One fish: only as an addition to an existing group of the same kind. Kept singly, tiger loaches can become withdrawn or aggressive.
• Two or three fish: avoid. In a pair or trio the dominant fish may attack the others repeatedly and stop them feeding.
• Five or six fish: the minimum group Seriously Fish recommends.
• Ten or more: the preferred group, which spreads the squabbling across many fish, provided the aquarium can hold them all as adults.

Buy the whole group at once where you can, so that no single fish is dropped into a settled pecking order. Before ordering, measure the aquarium and read our current delivery and Live Arrival Guarantee policy.

Plan the aquarium around a 25–30 cm adult

Seriously Fish gives a maximum of 250 mm standard length for S. berdmorei and 300 mm for S. helodes, measured without the tail. FishBase lists a much smaller 15 cm for S. berdmorei but agrees on 30 cm for S. helodes. Because the sources disagree and the exact species is not guaranteed, plan for the larger figure.

For long-term care Seriously Fish gives a minimum base of 180 × 45 cm, about 365 litres, for both species. The floor area matters more than the volume: these loaches patrol the bottom and need room for every fish, with separate caves and resting places so that one dominant fish cannot control them all. A tall, narrow tank of the same volume is not a substitute. Our tank volume calculator turns your measurements into litres.

Use a three-step space check

1. Measure the base: at least 180 cm long and 45 cm from front to back.
2. Count adult bodies: five to ten or more loaches of up to 30 cm, plus every other fish at its adult size.
3. Check the filter and lid: plan filtration for the full adult group, and a lid with no gap a loach could squeeze through.

If your aquarium is smaller, choose a smaller species from our loaches and algae eaters instead. A tiger loach that outgrows its tank is a stressed and often aggressive fish.

Build a river-bed layout with plenty of cover

Recreate a clear forest stream. Use sand or fine gravel, which protects the barbels and lets the fish sift and dig, and add smooth, water-worn rocks, pebbles and one or two pieces of driftwood or roots. Lighting can be fairly subdued. Plants that grow on wood and rock, such as Java fern (Microsorum), Java moss (Taxiphyllum barbieri) and Anubias, cope with the digging far better than rooted plants.

Tiger loaches are inquisitive and love squeezing into gaps, so build plenty of caves and crevices, remove sharp edges, and seal any gap a fish could become trapped in with aquarium-grade silicone. Fit a tight lid, because they can jump.

Divide the footprint by function

Stand rocks directly on the glass before adding sand, so that digging cannot undermine them. Spread caves along the whole length rather than piling them in one corner: a dominant fish can guard one pile, but not several. Browse our botia loaches to compare other botiids that need similar decor.

Set water values where the red-finned species overlap

Seriously Fish gives different ranges for the two red-finned tiger loaches. The shared range in the last column suits either fish, and it is the safest target while the exact species is unconfirmed.

FishBase lists 22–26°C, pH 6.5–7.5 and up to 12 dH for S. berdmorei, which falls within the same band. Hardness and pH of UK tap water vary widely from region to region; your water company publishes figures for your postcode, and our water matcher compares them with this fish. Our water chemistry guide explains what each reading means and how to change it slowly.

Separate habitat values from waste readings

These waste limits come from OATA's loach care sheet. A tank can sit inside the right temperature and pH and still be unsafe if ammonia or nitrite are present, so test both kinds of reading every week.

Run strong filtration and large weekly water changes

Seriously Fish describes these loaches as intolerant of organic waste. They need well-oxygenated water with some flow and should only go into a stable, biologically mature aquarium. A group of large, hungry loaches produces a lot of waste, so choose filtration rated well above the tank's volume, direct some flow along the bottom and keep the surface moving for oxygen. Our guide to aquarium filtration explains how mechanical and biological filtration work together.

Follow a weekly maintenance sequence

1. Test ammonia, nitrite and nitrate before maintenance.
2. Change 30–50% of the water every week, as Seriously Fish advises for these loaches; OATA's minimum for loaches in general is 25% weekly.
3. Treat new tap water with a conditioner that removes chlorine or chloramine, and match its temperature.
4. Siphon waste from the open sand without digging out the rock bases.
5. Rinse filter media only in removed tank water, never under the tap.

Never replace all the biological media at once. If ammonia or nitrite rise above zero, reduce feeding, change water and find the cause before adding any more fish.

Feed a varied, mainly meaty diet in measured portions

Tiger loaches are mainly carnivorous but also eat vegetable matter, including soft-leaved aquatic plants. Use a good sinking dried food as the staple, with frozen or live bloodworm, Tubifex and Artemia. Add vegetables and fruit such as cucumber, melon, blanched spinach and courgette, and chopped earthworm sparingly; Seriously Fish also recommends home-made gel foods. They are bold feeders that often rise into midwater to take food.

They hunt aquatic snails, but Seriously Fish warns that they should not be bought as a cure for a snail infestation.

Build one measured meal

• Spread the food: drop it at several points so every loach can feed away from the dominant fish.
• Stop within a few minutes: OATA advises offering only what is eaten in a few minutes, once a day.
• Remove leftovers: uneaten food fouls the water, and these loaches do not tolerate organic waste.
• Check every belly: a loach that stays thin while the others fill out needs a closer look (see the health table below).

Introduce the group to a mature aquarium

Before the fish arrive, confirm a mature filter, zero ammonia and nitrite, and water at 24–26°C, pH 6.5–7.5 and 5–12 dGH. Have every cave in place so that the group finds cover straight away.

Use the floating bag method OATA recommends: switch off the aquarium lights, float the sealed bag for about 10 minutes to equalise the temperature, then add small amounts of tank water to the bag over up to 20 minutes before releasing the fish, keeping the bag water out of the aquarium. Our guide to acclimatising new fish covers each step.

Handle with care. Syncrossus loaches carry sharp, movable spines below the eyes, which they raise when stressed. The spines catch in nets, and larger fish can break skin, so guide the fish into a container rather than lifting it in a fine net where you can.

Use a first-week checkpoint plan

Read tiger loach behaviour correctly

Expect some squabbling. Tiger loaches settle their rank with chasing and display, and Seriously Fish notes that they often "grey out", turning pale and drab during dominance contests. They also make audible clicking sounds, thought to come from grinding their throat teeth. Both are normal in a healthy group. Persistent targeting of one fish, torn fins or a loach that never reaches food are not.

Pair each observation with an action

OATA lists the general warning signs for loaches: hanging at the surface, sitting on the bottom, erratic swimming, colour change, more hiding or aggression, faster or slower breathing, white spots, fluffy growths, lost fins or scales, weight change and reduced appetite. Record the readings and changes before treating anything, and contact us with them if a problem continues.

Screen tank mates for a boisterous bottom-dweller

Seriously Fish describes these loaches as capable of being belligerent. They suit fast, robust fish that are not much smaller than themselves and that live higher in the water, out of the loaches' way.

Decide from the suits and avoid list

Other robust botiids can share the tank, although Seriously Fish notes that keepers' experiences vary and some report excessive aggression. Suitable candidates from our range include the Giant Danio in midwater, the Siamese Algae Eater on rocks and wood, and, in a very large aquarium, the Bala Shark. For a related loach, compare our Banded Tiger Loach, the Zebra Loach (Botia hymenophysa) and the Clown Loach, or browse all our loaches and oddball fish and bottom-dwelling fish. Check any mix with our tank mates tool before you buy.

Know the limits of breeding and supply

Tiger loaches are not known to have been bred in aquariums. In the wild they are thought to be seasonal, migratory spawners, so they are unlikely to breed in a home tank and the group you buy is the group you keep. FishBase lists S. berdmorei as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List (assessed 2010) and S. helodes as Least Concern (assessed 2011), another reason to give each fish a long, healthy life.

Answer Tiger Redfin Botia buying questions

What is a Tiger Redfin Botia?

It is a botiid loach of the genus Syncrossus. Seriously Fish uses the name Redfin Tiger Loach for Syncrossus berdmorei, and related tiger loaches such as S. helodes can also have orange to red fins, so we sell it as Syncrossus sp.

How big does a Tiger Redfin Botia get?

Seriously Fish gives up to 250 mm standard length for S. berdmorei and 300 mm for S. helodes, while FishBase lists 15 cm for S. berdmorei. Plan for a loach of 25–30 cm.

What size aquarium does it need?

Seriously Fish gives a minimum base of 180 × 45 cm, about 365 litres, for long-term care. A group needs the full floor area, with more caves than there are loaches.

How many should I keep?

At least five or six, and preferably ten or more. Avoid keeping one, two or three, because a dominant fish may attack the others repeatedly and stop them feeding.

Will it clear the snails in my aquarium?

It eats aquatic snails, but Seriously Fish warns that it should not be relied on to cure a snail infestation. It still needs a full, varied diet of its own.

Can it live with guppies or bettas?

No. Avoid slow, long-finned fish such as guppies, ornamental bettas and many cichlids, and fish much smaller than the loaches. Choose fast, robust midwater fish instead.

What water does it need?

Aim for 24–26°C, pH 6.5–7.5 and 5–12 dGH, which suits both red-finned species. Keep ammonia and nitrite at zero, oxygen high and change 30–50% of the water every week.

Is it safe to handle?

Take care. It has sharp, movable spines below the eyes that it raises when stressed. They catch in nets, and larger fish can break skin, so guide it into a container rather than lifting it in a net.

Consult the care references

• Seriously Fish: Syncrossus berdmorei: common names, range, habitat, size, aquarium base, water values, diet, behaviour, spines and health.
• Seriously Fish: Syncrossus helodes: range, size, water values, identification and regional fin colour.
• Seriously Fish: genus Syncrossus: the four species and how to tell them apart.
• FishBase: Syncrossus berdmorei: recorded size, environment and IUCN status.
• FishBase: Syncrossus helodes: recorded size, environment and IUCN status.
• OATA: How to look after loaches: UK guidance on water quality, maintenance, feeding, acclimatisation and health signs.
• Tropical Fish Co delivery policy: current dispatch and Live Arrival Guarantee terms.