All fish / Gastromyzontidae

Gastromyzon ridens

Gastromyzon ridens

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

No free-to-use photo of this fish yet. Took one yourself? Send it to us and we will credit you.

A small, flattened loach shaped like a suction pad, with a brown body covered in pale golden spots. Its body and paired fins work as a sucker, so it can cling to rocks in fast water. Keepers like it for its odd shape, its constant grazing and its harmless squabbles over territory.

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 5 or more

Diet

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

Swims

Bottom of the tank

Lifespan

5 to 8 years

Water

Freshwater

Wild range

Borneo: Sarawak (Malaysia), Kapuas and Rajang area hill streams

Breeding

Rarely bred in home aquariums, and most fish on sale are wild caught. Spawning seems to need a mature, strongly flowing tank with plenty of biofilm, and it has only been recorded now and then.

Good to know

It needs cool, clean, well oxygenated water with strong flow and lots of rocks to graze, so it does badly in warm, still tanks. It is often sold mixed up with other Gastromyzon and Beaufortia species under the name hillstream loach.