Bucket List Hillstream in stock at one of the suppliers I buy from... now if they are there for another week, so I can buy a couple...

[Magnum Man]

If anyone has followed along on this thread, and my other thread about the “red” saddleback loaches I got a while back… in the 1st group I received one that was black / way darker, that is really shy, and has been unphotographable, thus far, but has been hanging out in the corner I grow extra algae, as a feeder… this morning, as the lights came on, it did a lap around the tank, before it went back to its hiding spot… it’s grown noticeably, and is as black as it was on day one… I’m guessing it’s an undescribed species, mixed in with the normal saddlebacks, when wild caught… based on it’s growth, and heavier body profile, compared to the one I got it with, that has been hanging out on a root ball along the front glass, so that one is highly viewable… the “red” ones are doing great albeit they came in tiny, half the size, and much lighter in color… they are doing well and also like the root ball along the front glass, so at least 2 or 3 of them have been easy to view… looking forward to the day I can grab a picture of the black one to better identify it..

 

[Magnum Man]

My bigger Saddleback loach, coming out of his hiding hole, at 1st light this morning…

 

[Magnum Man]

For comparison, one of the smaller “red saddlebacks” likely the same species, but bought later, from a different supplier….

 

[GaryE]

I think we're all going to have to learn Mandarin to get into these fish. I was talking with a rare fish importer about some Asian fish (nice ones, not loaches)
He was saying that while it's hard to import fish like this to North America, because the market is small, the Chinese hobby is buying them by the box with no problem. It does seem that for whatever cultural reason, we don't get a lot of the good fish because we're so conservative in the hobby here.

 

[Colin_T]

are you going to breed any of these fish?
if not, why buy them?

 

[Magnum Man]

I got 3 more of these this week, larger & better marked, but thinking they were suffering low Ox, or high ammonia when they came... they all looked better out of the bag...

 

[Back in the fold]

Cool looking fish . I’ve never heard of these until just lately . Are they a newer import ? They sure seem to be attracting a following .

 

[Magnum Man]

well they sure look interesting... in general the Hillstream's are thriving... very few losses, and pretty much all are peaceful towards each other...

I do wonder, if they are susceptible to the digestive bacteria loss, that many Oto's go through, dooming them to death??? especially smaller or more unique... seems if they get through a month, they are good to go, which has been my experience with most Oto's as well, and their diet is pretty much the same as the Oto's

 

[Magnum Man]

a couple days in... this one likes to graze the pagoda roof...

 

[Magnum Man]

non violent interaction with the biggest Vietnamese Lizard

 

[Magnum Man]

they are still new enough they are still getting checked out... this is the 2nd biggest lizard... sharing a snack

 

[Magnum Man]

having a pow wow tonight...

 

[Magnum Man]

BTW... these looked pretty sluggish, when they arrived ( I thought one was DOA, but it wiggled a little ) that one died, and I removed it during water change today... hopefully the 2 above thrive here... one likes this pagoda roof, the other spends the bulk of it's time in the bubble waterfall...

 

[Magnum Man]

interestingly the black one that came with the last order of these, at least so far, has no interest in them... the new ones on the left pagoda roof, the black one is in the lower right corner on the front glass

 

[Magnum Man]

this last order were listed as parclitella, and the previous order, were actually listed as orthogoniata... both listed as "Saddleback"