Without a sufficient amount of hiding spots, the Botias will slowly become less active and not as healthy. Provide caves, rocks and wood for Botias to hide in before adding them in the tank. Substrate is also a very important matter for Botias just as it is for catfish. The under body of a Botia is scaleless, and for good reason. If these fish had scale, the scales would most likely chip off due to the contact of the gravel.
Soft substrate is best such as fine gravel or sand.
Please make sure that there are no sharp edges on the substrate you are using, because it may hurt the barbells of the Botias. One behavior that the Botias are famous for are lying on their sides. They often trick their owners into thinking they are dead, and when the net goes in to get them out, the just calmly swim away. This is a very common form of resting for the Botias, and I find it very interesting and amusing at the same time. The process of choosing tank mates for Botias can be either easy or difficult, depending on what species of Botia you are planning to keep.