Not furry, but we like them anyway.
Skunk Loach
Yasuhikotakia morleti (Tirant, 1885)
Also called Skunk botia, Hora's loach, Botia morleti (former name), Botia horae (synonym)
From Southeast Asia: the middle and lower Mekong basin (Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand) and the Chao Phraya and Mae Klong basins in Thailand.123
At a glance the quick version
Looks how to spot one
Slender, slightly compressed botiid loach
A small, sleek loach with a pointed snout, barbels and a small spine under each eye. Females are a little larger and fuller-bodied than males.1
Personality what they are like
Spirited and confident with a strong group life. Skunk loaches sort out rank with chasing, clicking and colour displays, and can be pushy, so they suit tanks with robust, active companions rather than gentle community fish.1
Daily activity how busy a day looks
Active bottom dwellers that like to dig, explore crevices and burrows, and rise up the water column at feeding time.12
Grooming and care the hands-on bits
Fit a tight lid because they jump. Give rocky caves and wood so each fish has a retreat, sand or smooth gravel, and clean, well-filtered water with regular partial changes.12
Home where they are happiest
A base of at least 120 x 30 cm. Temperature about 23 to 30 °C, pH about 6.0 to 8.0, hardness about 2 to 12 dGH. In the wild they live in medium to large rivers, hiding in rock crevices and under logs over sand.12
Food basics what goes in the bowl
Mainly carnivorous. In the wild they eat snails and other small bottom invertebrates. Offer sinking pellets, frozen or live bloodworm and brine shrimp, some vegetables, and small snails.12
Company who they like around
Keep in a group of at least 5 or 6, ideally 10 or more, which spreads out their squabbles. Best with active, robust fish such as larger barbs and danios and other Yasuhikotakia loaches; avoid slow or delicate bottom dwellers like corydoras.1
The story where it all began
The skunk loach was first described from Indochina in the 1880s as Botia morleti and was later also described under the name Botia horae, which is where the name Hora's loach comes from. In 2002 it was moved to the genus Yasuhikotakia, and it has been a steady presence in the aquarium trade.132
Fun facts for the dinner table
- 1
In the lower Mekong, young skunk loaches move back into the rivers in November and December.2
- 2
The alternative name 'Hora's loach' comes from the old scientific name Botia horae, given in 1931.3
- 3
Skunk loaches communicate with audible clicks and sometimes go greyish during dominance displays.1
- 4
In the wild they shelter in rock crevices or burrows under sunken logs.2
Recognised by the official bits
- IUCN Red List
- Least Concern (assessed February 2011)2
- Taxonomy
- Family Botiidae. Described by Gilbert Tirant as Botia morleti (Seriously Fish prints 1855, Wikipedia 1885); Botia horae (Smith, 1931) is a synonym. Moved to the genus Yasuhikotakia in 2002.1
The care rhythm Furry Diary remembers it for you
A typical home-care rhythm for a Skunk Loach. It is our own starting plan, not a vet's advice, and you can change every line in the app.
- FeedingSmall amounts once or twice a dayevery day
- Temperature checkevery day
- Water changeAbout 25% of the waterevery week
- Water testevery week
- Glass cleanevery week
- Filter rinseRinse in old tank water, never tap waterevery month
Like what we are building? Buy us a coffee.
The breed atlas is free for everyone, with a source on every fact, and it will never show ads. If it helped you, a small tip keeps the research going. Any amount is lovely, and no is a perfectly fine answer too.
Where this comes from
Every breed page shows where each fact comes from. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are pet people, not a science magazine. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
- Seriously Fish: Yasuhikotakia morleti seriouslyfish.comused for names, origin, size, tank and water, diet, behaviour, colour, taxonomy
- FishBase: Yasuhikotakia morleti summary fishbase.seused for distribution, length, environment, habitat, migration, IUCN status
- Wikipedia: Skunk loach en.wikipedia.orgused for names, synonyms, size, range
Checked 2026-09-30. Text is written in our own words from these sources.