Red Tail Botia question

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
I had RT botia years ago. They look like cousin of CL but their personality is day and night different. CL are peaceful and highly sociable. RT are are aggressive and anti social. Mine would chase and fight each other in rapid motion, making loud clicking noise from their eye spines.

5 inch RT is a big loach, and I wonder if they can grow as big as CL which is reported to max out at 12 inch.
 
We got 2 when we got this 1 but the other one died he was around 6 to 7 inches. Both CL's and RT's are labeled as moderately aggressive but I would say the RT is highly aggressive. In fact would agree that CL's are peaceful unless you are a snail.
 
Modesta are schooling fish, like clowns. They'll eventually find their pecking order (week?) then everything will go "normal".
Single Modesta in a clown tank tend to get tamer, single clown in a Modesta school will tend to get grouchy.
Modesta are my favourite fish full-stop. Big, colourful, bright (read: smart) and active... and potentially brutal.
Best in groups >5 so nobody gets too much drama in the pecking order disputes early on.
Need active tank-mates. I hear good things about CA cichlids for this, but I've not tried it... yet.
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I have 3 of them in my 125. They are not nearly as social as my other loaches that are in my 55. The Blues will rest next to eachother but do not swim together. There is one alpha that will terrorize the other 2 from time to time. But even he get put in check buy several other fish so it never gets bad. I would add a couple more if you like them. If not just give it away.
 
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