Description
Botia Dario – Vibrant, Playful, and Unique Loach for Your Aquarium
Introduce a splash of color and personality into your tank with the Botia Dario (Botia dario), a small yet striking loach species known for its vibrant hues and active nature. Native to South Asia, this captivating bottom-dweller is perfect for adding both beauty and function to your aquarium. With its bright orange-red body, black markings, and playful behavior, the Botia Dario is a true gem for both beginner and experienced aquarists alike.
A member of the Botia family, the Botia Dario is an energetic and inquisitive species, often seen darting around the tank, exploring its environment and interacting with other fish. Despite its small size, it is full of character and will engage in entertaining behaviors, including burrowing and scavenging for food.
While peaceful, Botia Dario is social and does best in groups of 3 or more, where it feels secure and exhibits its natural social behaviors. This loach also helps maintain a healthy tank environment by scavenging leftover food and detritus, contributing to cleaner water and a balanced ecosystem.
Key Features:
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Striking Appearance: Bright orange-red body with distinctive black markings, making it a colorful and eye-catching addition to your tank
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Active & Playful: Constantly on the move, foraging and exploring, adding dynamic movement to your aquarium
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Peaceful & Social: Ideal for community tanks when kept in small groups of 3 or more
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Efficient Scavenger: Helps maintain a clean tank by eating leftover food, detritus, and algae
Care Guidelines:
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Tank Size: Minimum 30 gallons for a small group (3 or more)
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Water Temperature: 74–80°F (23–27°C)
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pH Range: 6.5–7.5
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Diet: Omnivorous – enjoys sinking pellets, live or frozen foods (bloodworms, brine shrimp), and plant matter
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Lifespan: 5–8 years with proper care
Tip: While Botia Dario is peaceful, it can be a bit shy and may hide in caves or plants, especially when first introduced to the tank. Adding plenty of hiding spots, plants, and rocks will help them feel secure and encourage natural behaviors. A soft, sandy substrate is ideal for these loaches to root around and forage comfortably.
The Botia Dario is a fantastic choice for any freshwater aquarium, adding vibrant color, playful behavior, and efficient tank maintenance. Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned aquarist, this loach species will quickly become a favorite in your tank.
Click & Collect
FREE COLLECTION FROM OUR STORE
Place your order online and select Click & Collect at checkout.
Livestock will normally be bagged when you arrive, helping to minimise the amount of time animals spend packaged. If you’d prefer your livestock to be ready beforehand, simply contact us in advance.
Local Delivery
DELIVERED BY TROPICAL SUPPLIES • WITHIN 25 MILES
Order from our in-store range and have it delivered directly to you using our own local delivery service.
Minimum order: £50
Local Delivery Charges:
Up to 5 miles — FREE
5–10 miles — £10
10–15 miles — £15
15–20 miles — £20
20–25 miles — £25
Distances are measured “as the crow flies” rather than by road.
Once your order has been placed, we’ll contact you to arrange a suitable delivery date and time. We often combine nearby orders into efficient delivery runs, so local delivery may take a little longer during busy periods.
Ordering a large aquarium?
Please make sure someone is available to help unload the aquarium from our van when we arrive.
Dry Goods Delivery
FREE UK Delivery Over £75
Spend £75 or more on eligible dry goods and receive FREE UK delivery on orders weighing up to 20kg.
A great opportunity to stock up on food, treatments, filter media, accessories and other aquarium or reptile essentials while saving on delivery.
Free delivery applies to eligible orders up to 20kg and excludes livestock, aquariums, terrariums and other oversized items.
Qualifying orders will automatically show the FREE UK Delivery option at checkout — no discount code required.
Standard Parcel Delivery
Our standard parcel delivery charges are calculated according to the weight of your order and the available delivery service.
Orders placed before 12 noon may be dispatched the same day on our current dispatch days.
Express Pallet
75–500kg • Usually 1–3 working days
Designed for large and heavy orders that cannot be sent using our standard parcel service.
Please note: We currently dispatch parcels Wednesday to Friday.
Adding Something to an Existing Order?
If your original order hasn’t been dispatched yet, simply place the additional items as a Click & Collect order and leave us a note asking us to combine them with your existing order.
Available to Order
See something you want that we don’t currently have on the shelf? Many of our products can be quickly sourced from our suppliers.
Products marked Available to Order are not currently held in stock at our store but are available for us to order on your behalf.
Most items arrive with us within a few days and usually no longer than a week, depending on supplier availability.
Once your item arrives with us, we’ll either dispatch your order or let you know it’s ready for collection, depending on the delivery option you selected.
After receiving your order, we’ll check availability with our supplier. If there are any issues or expected delays, we’ll contact you to let you know.
Nationwide Livestock Delivery
Have your new livestock delivered safely to your door using our specialist livestock delivery service.
Minimum livestock order: £50
Thursday Delivery — £24
Order by: Wednesday, 12 noon
Dispatched: Wednesday afternoon
Delivered: Thursday before 1pm
Friday Delivery — £24
Order by: Thursday, 12 noon
Dispatched: Thursday afternoon
Delivered: Friday before 1pm
Saturday Delivery — £29
Order by: Friday, 12 noon
Dispatched: Friday afternoon
Delivered: Saturday before 1pm
Add Dry Goods to Your Livestock Order
You can include suitable dry goods with your livestock delivery, making it easy to add food, treatments, filter media, accessories and other supplies at the same time.
Please note: Livestock deliveries cannot include frozen food or heavy items such as gravel, sand or other unsuitable bulky goods. These items must be ordered separately using an appropriate delivery method.
Already Placed Your Order?
No problem. If your livestock order hasn’t been dispatched yet, place another order using Click & Collect and leave us a note asking us to combine it with your existing order.
Payment & Security
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