All fish / Gastromyzontidae

Katibas hillstream loach

Gastromyzon katibasensis

Also known as gastromyzon katibasensis, katibas gastromyzon, borneo sucker, hillstream loach, borneo hillstream loach, butterfly loach, ガストロミゾン・カティバセンシス, 婆罗洲吸盘鱼

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This is a small, flattened hillstream loach from Sarawak with a sucker-like body. It has a dark brown back covered in pale spots and often a yellowish fin edge. Keepers like it for its odd shape, its habit of grazing on rocks, and how well it suits fast-flowing river tanks.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

Temperament

Peaceful

Adult size

5 cm

Temperature

20 to 24 °C

pH

6 to 7.5

Smallest tank

80 litres

Keep as

Group of 4 or more, given enough rocks for each to hold a patch

Diet

Omnivore: grazes biofilm and algae from rocks; also take algae wafers, blanched vegetables and small frozen foods such as bloodworm

Swims

Bottom of the tank

Lifespan

5 to 8 years

Water

Freshwater

Wild range

Borneo: Katibas river basin (Rajang system), Sarawak, Malaysia

Breeding

It is rarely bred in home aquariums and very little is recorded about how it spawns. Almost all fish on sale are caught in the wild.

Good to know

It needs cool, well-oxygenated, fast-moving water and mature rocks covered in biofilm, so do not put it in a new or warm tank. Several similar Gastromyzon species are sold under the same general names, so it is often misidentified.