Irish supplier claims Hill Stream Loach as cold water pleco?

[Eire]

I am from SW Ireland and I have noticed lately that in local shops they are selling these fish as "cold water pleco's": one, two, three.
Now from my limited experience and research into Hill Stream loaches makes me believe that is what these fish are. What clued me in is that the loaches have fins that are almost like two semicircles and one goes under another to aid in purchase on rocks. However a pleco has very distinct fins. I have two pleco's who are nearing 5inches and their fins are different.

What do ya'll think? Are those hill stream loaches or pleco's?

 

[laurenrocksth]

I vote hillstreams.

 

[toddnbecka]

Yes, they're hillstream loaches, though not necessarily cold water fish. They can be kept in warmer water as long as there's enough circulation to keep the O2 levels up.

 

[user_name]

Hillstreams, because they resemble a loach more closely than a plecostomus. I also highly doubt that there are plecostomus species which can be found in cold waters, as they originate around the Amazon I believe.

 

[vanillarum]

I say hillstream. These are 2 pictures of mine, one from the top and the other from the bottom. They do prefer cooler water, but I keep my colony at 80° and they have spawned numerous times. They are in a community tank with a fair amount of flow.

 

[Eire]

Exactly what I thought. I have kept the lil guys in the cold tank with my other loaches but find it exceptionally hard to actually buy pleco's now as they keep labeling these hill streams as them. The supplier for all those fish shops does most of the pet shops in Ireland. I really have to get a hold of the name. I know one pet shop owner tried to talk to him but he adamantly said it was a pleco. I have been looking at all different pleco's and never seen one remotely look like this. Especially as the hill stream is only an inch long and has been so for nearly a year now. My pleco's visibly grew within a year or me having them. Actually they grew to the point that my mother is a little freaked out by them (they are only 5" long lol).