Can't find any info on this fish

[btoner43]

I recently bought a fish from a pet store that I just found to have good fish, and a wide variety. Now, I usually don't buy fish I know nothing about but I had to have this guy(or girl). They had about 5 in the tank and had them listed as a "Boraso Sucker". I had never heard of these but I thought, I'll just go to aquariacentral and learn all I need to know. Guess what, no place on the internet has anything about a "Boraso Sucker". I'll try to explain it the best I can. Very simply, it looks just like a sting ray, or a ray of some kind. Now, I'm no aquarium expert. I've had a very successful freshwater tank for about a year and a half and have started a salt water tank as well. So I know a little something about fish. However, this one has me baffled. Its about 2-1/2" long, light brown, white underneath, and like I said looks just like a ray. It spends all its time stuck to the glass. And its very fast in the water. Has anyone seen anything like this? This is for a freshwater tank. Thanks.

[Matt W]

There are several types of freshwater rays...check this page:

http://kingsoftheaquarium.tripod.com/freshstingray.htm

From your brief description, it sounds like it might be a P. hystrix...

[david]

I'm guessing that this is probably what you have. I saw these and got real interested too. I was really surprised to find that they are loaches.


Chinese Butterfly Loach / Borneo sucker - Gastromyzon sp.

http://www.loaches.com/species_pages/gastromyzon_sp.html


Chinese Hill Stream Loach - Gastromyzon sp.

http://www.loaches.com/species_pages/gastromyzon_martin.html

http://www.loaches.com/species_pages/gastromyzon.html

[btoner43]

David, thanks. You nailed that one. I'll do some research on the net. Anything special you can tell me about these guys.

[david]

Fishbase.org shows about 22 entries for Gastromyzon and I could not positively identify the one I saw. Since some of them get bigger than what I want in this tank, and I am keeping shrimp, I passed.

They are an interesting fish though. They remind me of a saltwater fish I used to catch in the tidepools when I lived in California.