Type Locality: N/A Range: China and Vietnam Taxonomic Troubles: Originally described as Gastromyzon leveretti. Since the hillstream loach dines on algae, you’re going to want to introduce them to a well-established, biologically sound tank. Most species are rheophilic, living in swift, clear and well-oxygenated streams. Fish and many other marine animals have the capacity to survive so long as they can live in so many environmental conditions. (2015): On the paraphyly of. They are sometimes sold as "lizardfish" or (in Germany) "flossensaugers". … Learn how to care for them in this brand new guide. They have a number of similarities with the Cobitidae, their sibling family of "loaches", such as multiple barbels around the mouth. Hillstream loaches live for 8-10 years when properly taken care of in your fish tank. & Page, L.M. The hillstream loach is an awesome looking freshwater fish that doesn’t get the attention it deserves. Hillstream Loach Breeding. Many of the species are popular for aquaria, species in the genus Sewellia are most commonly sold in the aquaria trade. They should not be confused with the loricariids, which look similar but are a family of catfish. When hillstream loaches settle in a new aquarium, they can completely refuse food. Fish need to be given live food in limited quantities, otherwise, they will quickly die. If you want to keep the hillstream loach fish, you should not doubt whether it will be kept in your home tank. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hillstream_loach&oldid=983120158, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 12 October 2020, at 10:49. ... It’s also sold under the names ‘reticulated hillstream loach’, ‘Vietnamese hillstream loach’ and ‘gold ring butterfly sucker’. Conspectus cobitidum: an inventory of the loaches of the world (Teleostei: Cypriniformes: Cobitoidei). High in vegetable matter, but also offering some protein. Though quite challenging to breed the loaches in your aquarium, it is possible with the right water conditions. Since algae is a staple of the hillstream loaches diet, you’re going to also need adequate lighting to encourage the algae growth. At that time few people had bred any species of Hillstream Loach. One of the easiest species to breed is Pseudogastromyzon cheni. Diet. Hillstream loach is quite unpretentious in food but prefers slowly soluble feed for bottom fi… Several species of the family live in fast-flowing streams or torrents and have modified ventral fins used for clinging to rocks. Much of the natural diet is composed of benthic algae plus associated micro-organisms although insect larvae are probably taken on an opportunistic basis. The family includes ninety-nine species. Study of Asia's hillstream loaches reveals keys to fish family's land-walking abilities. by Jesse Jenkins, New Jersey Institute of Technology Aquarium Source. The starting food for them will be fouling on stones and decorations. . ... Food should be a mixed diet of algae, carnivore pellets or wafers, vegetables or similar. Hillstream Loaches in general come from high oxygen streams. Common Names: Butterfly algae eater, butterfly hillstream loach, butterfly loach, butterfly pleco, Chinese butterfly loach, Chinese sucker, hillstream loach, Hong Kong pleco, pleco loach, stingray loach, UFO pleco, etc. several of the species are widespread for aquaria, species within the genus Sewellia ar most ordinarily sold within the aquaria trade. The hillstream loaches or river loaches are a family, the Balitoridae,[3] of small fish from South, Southeast and East Asia. [4], The subfamily Nemacheilinae has recently been separated as a distinct family, Nemacheilidae (stone loaches) and several genera have been separated into the family Gastromyzontidae. [3], Randall, Z.S. Hillstream loach is good aquarium cleanersfrom blue-green and green algae. Hillstream Loaches or watercourse loaches ar a family, the Balitoridae, of little fish from South, Southeast, and East Asia. They eat fouling from the glass of the aquarium, stones, and leaves of plants, without damaging them. Size: 12 cm (5 inches). They produce Fairly shallow water, tumbling over stones, constantly in motion, constantly gaining more oxygen. They are sometimes sold as "lizardfish" or (in Germany) "flossensaugers". The Hillstream loach is a freshwater fish that looks awesome and doesn’t get the attention it merits. The hillstream loaches or river loaches are a family, the Balitoridae, of small fish from South, Southeast and East Asia.The family includes about 99 species. they’re typically sold as “lizardfish” or (in Germany) “flossensaugers”. Thanks to my tank design, a whole lot more people have bred them, plus the design has been used successfully by others to breed various types of non-loach rheophilc fish species. The family includes about 202 species. Many of the species are popular for aquaria, species in the genus Sewellia are most commonly sold in the aquaria trade.