Description
The botiids are the loaches of South and Southeast Asia, elongated bottom fish with mouths ringed by barbels. Below the eye they carry an erectile spine they raise when threatened, which snags in nets: it is best to catch them with a container. Almost all are social and live in groups, are active at dawn and dusk and eat snails with gusto. Several, such as the clown loach, grow far larger than the size they are sold at suggests.
