Tailspot botia - Yasuhikotakia caudipunctata

Scientific name: Yasuhikotakia caudipunctata

Common name: Tailspot botia

Family: Cobitidae

Usual size in fish tanks: 8 - 9 cm (3.15 - 3.54 inch)

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Recommended pH range: 6.6 - 7.5

Recommended water hardness: 3 - 12°N (53.57 - 214.29ppm)

0°C 32°F30°C 86°F

Recommended temperature range: 24 - 28 °C (75.2 - 82.4°F)

The way how these fish reproduce: Spawning

Where the species comes from: Southeast Asia

Temperament to its own species: peaceful

Temperament toward other fish species: peaceful

Usual place in the tank: Bottom levels

General Information

The Tailspot Botia (Yasuhikotakia caudipunctata; syn. Botia caudipunctata) is a small botiid loach native to the Mekong basin in Laos and Thailand. It is a riverine species from clear, well-oxygenated flowing waters and reaches about 8–9 cm adult size. Distinguished by a dark blotch at the caudal peduncle and fine speckling in the tail fin, it is an active bottom-oriented fish that appreciates current, oxygenation, and abundant cover.

Food and Feeding

A benthic omnivore with a strong preference for invertebrates. Use sinking pellets/tablets as the staple and rotate live or frozen foods (bloodworms, blackworms, chopped earthworms, daphnia, insect larvae, brine shrimp). Feed at dusk/after lights-out to ensure intake. Avoid routine mammalian/avian meats; occasional vegetable matter (e.g., spirulina wafers) is fine.

Sexing

No reliable colour/fin differences are known; mature females are typically fuller-bodied than males when gravid.

Breeding

Not reported from home aquaria. Like many river loaches, reproduction is linked to seasonal hydrology; commercial production (where it occurs) is typically hormone-assisted. Provide flowing, highly oxygenated water and fine shelters if attempting, but success is unlikely.

Lifespan

Plan for the long term: 8–10 years is realistic with excellent water quality, oxygenation, and diet.

Tank Requirements & Water Parameters

Footprint & flow: prioritize bottom area; provide moderate current and high oxygenation with robust biofiltration.
Décor: fine sand or smooth small gravel; rock/wood piles, tubes, and tight crevices for retreats; subdued lighting.
Water: pH ~6.6–7.5 (tolerant ~6–8), hardness ~3–12 °dH, temperature 24–28 °C. Keep parameters stable.
Maintenance: weekly 25–40% water changes; secure lid (adept at squeezing through gaps).

Compatibility & Tank Mates

Semi-aggressive/boisterous botiid. Best kept in a group of 5 conspecifics to spread dominance and establish a stable hierarchy; provide many hides and clear sight-breaks. Avoid very small or delicate tankmates and long-finned species; choose similarly robust, fast mid-water companions. Some sources report this species as highly aggressive if cramped or kept too sparsely.

Behaviour & Usual Place in the Tank

Bottom levels (demersal): rests in shelters by day; becomes active from dusk into night, foraging along the substrate and in the boundary layer of the current.

Short Description

Tailspot Botia (Y. caudipunctata) is a small Mekong river loach that thrives in well-oxygenated, flowing aquaria with sand and abundant cover. Feed sinking meaty foods, keep in groups, and expect assertive hierarchy behaviour; home breeding is unreported.

Q&A

South Asia or Southeast Asia? Southeast Asia. Native to the Mekong basin in Laos and Thailand.
Peaceful or aggressive? Best described as semi-aggressive/boisterous for a small botiid; multiple hobby sources flag it as highly aggressive when cramped or kept in too small numbers.