All fish / Gastromyzontidae

Gastromyzon psiloetron

Gastromyzon psiloetron

Also known as borneo sucker, hillstream loach, borneo hillstream loach, gastromyzon, ガストロミゾン, 婆罗洲爬岩鳅

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This is a small, flattened Bornean hillstream loach with a sucker-like body that lets it cling to rocks in fast water. It is brown with paler spots or marbling and is kept for its unusual shape and its habit of grazing biofilm in river-style 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

Diet

Omnivore: biofilm and algae grazed from rocks, plus algae wafers, small frozen foods such as bloodworm and daphnia

Swims

Bottom of the tank

Lifespan

5 to 8 years

Water

Freshwater

Wild range

Borneo: Sarawak, Malaysia

Breeding

It has rarely been bred in aquariums, and almost all fish in the trade are caught in the wild. Spawning has only been reported now and then in long-established, strongly flowing setups.

Good to know

It needs cool, clean, well-oxygenated water with strong flow and rocks covered in biofilm, and it does poorly in warm, still tanks. Several Gastromyzon species look very similar and are often sold under the wrong names.