''Syncrossus helodes'', commonly known as banded loach, tiger botia or lesser katy loach, is a

freshwater fish Freshwater fish are those that spend some or all of their lives in fresh water, such as rivers and lakes, with a salinity of less than 1.05%. These environments differ from marine conditions in many ways, especially the difference in levels of s ...

in the loach family

Botiidae Botiidae is a family of cypriniform ray-finned fishes from South, Southeast, and East Asia. Until recently they were placed in the true loach family Cobitidae, until Maurice Kottelat revised the loaches and re-elevated this taxon to family rank ...

. It is native to rivers in

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making it ...

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

, Laos and

Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailan ...

. ''S. helodes'' resembles '' S. hymenophysa'' from

Borneo Borneo (; id, Kalimantan) is the List of islands by area, third-largest island in the world and the largest in Asia. At the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, in relation to major Indonesian islands, it is located north of Java Isl ...

, Sumatra and

Peninsular Malaysia Peninsular Malaysia ( ms, Semenanjung Malaysia; Jawi: سمننجڠ مليسيا), or the States of Malaya ( ms, Negeri-negeri Tanah Melayu; Jawi: نڬري-نڬري تانه ملايو), also known as West Malaysia or the Malaysian Peninsula, ...

, and the two have frequently been confused. It differs from the latter species by the absence of a dark spot on the

dorsal fin A dorsal fin is a fin located on the back of most marine and freshwater vertebrates within various taxa of the animal kingdom. Many species of animals possessing dorsal fins are not particularly closely related to each other, though through c ...

, 10–12 bars on body without blue borders (instead of 12–15 blue-bordered bars) and the presence of irregular dark markings on the lower body.Syncrossus helodes — Seriously Fish
/ref>

Description

It is the largest member of the tiger botia group, which like its close relatives, is aggressive and unsuitable for community aquariums. This species, like other ''

Syncrossus ''Syncrossus'' is a genus of six loaches, many of which are popular in the aquarium fish trade. They are primarily found in Southeast Asia, but ''S. berdmorei'' also occurs marginally outside this region in far northeastern India. It is one of ei ...

'', must be maintained in groups of five or more in order to spread any aggression and to allow the fish to form a natural hierarchy. Syncrossus hymenophysa 2

This species has been known to grow up to long. Its preferred water parameters are pH of 7.0 or below; hardness: Soft and slightly acidic is best;

dGH Degrees of general hardness (dGH or °GH) is a unit of water hardness, specifically of general hardness. General hardness is a measure of the concentration of divalent metal ions such as calcium (Ca2+) and magnesium (Mg2+) per volume of water. S ...

: < 12 degrees. This fish thrives in temperatures of . ''Syncrossus helodes'' loses some of its young colouration as it matures.Syncrossus helodes — The Aquarium Wiki
/ref>

Reproduction

Mature females probably have a rounder abdomen compared to males. Breeding is not known to have occurred in aquaria. Presumably a seasonal, migratory spawner in nature.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3755348 Botiidae Fish of Cambodia Fish of Laos Fish of Thailand Fish of Vietnam Fish described in 1876