Does Any One Keep Borneo Sucker Fish?

[Baccus]

G'Day Everyone I recently bit the bullet (so to speak) and got myself a couple of Borneo Sucker Fish which apparently have many other types of names such as Hong Kong Pleco, Hillstream Loach, Butterfly Pleco, Chinese Butterfly Loach and Butterfly Flatfish to name a few. Anyway the limited info I have been able to find is a bit contridictory such as some sites saying they prefer being alone to others saying keep a group of at least 6. Getting 6 I really wouldn't mind but they aren't exactly the easist species to readily find in most of my local pet shops. But I really wouldn't want to get more if they really don't like each other. The two I have are currently in a 5ft tank that only has some peppered Cories, Emerald Cories, and 5 soon to be moved pygmy cories along with 5 juvi bristlenoses that are getting sold when big enough and some cherry shrimp. By all accounts all of these fish should be docile together. But my questions are aside from the numbers that Borneo Suckers like to be in, as well as would they be inclined to eat all my catfish eggs. Even though I only have an external filter on the tank so far the Borneos haven't seemed that inclined to want to play in water currents even when I have been topping up the tank. Any help with these great little fish would be a big help, thanks.

 

[Fishkeeper4567]

I don't think they need to be kept in groups but check with other members. All I know is that they prefer a stream bio type tank which mimikes its natural habitat with a very strong cureent. Also they are a temperate fish meaning that they do not need a heater but can be kept at room temperture. Keep the heater at 18c to 24c. However, your other fish maybe not be able to cope with that. Check with other members but personally I would say they would be very happy in a bio stream tank of there own. Good luck

 

[Baccus]

I don't think they need to be kept in groups but check with other members. All I know is that they prefer a stream bio type tank which mimikes its natural habitat with a very strong cureent. Also they are a temperate fish meaning that they do not need a heater but can be kept at room temperture. Keep the heater at 18c to 24c. However, your other fish maybe not be able to cope with that. Check with other members but personally I would say they would be very happy in a bio stream tank of there own. Good luck

Thanks for the reply the peppereds quite like cooler water and have spent an entire year in my oustide 1000L pond before and bred really well, guess I'm lucky to live in Central QLD and our night time winter temps don't get too low. All of my tanks are usually kept around the 20 degrees cel mark anyway. So far they don't seem all that interested in finding strong currents as I've even watched the hanging out around the most weed filled and thus sheltered end of the tank.

 

[Fishkeeper4567]

Should be fine than.

 

[Baccus]

Should be fine than.

Just thought I would give a quick up date on the Borneo Suckers. I haven't actually seen them come down to the bottom for food yet but they have been having a field day munging all over the glass Since I can't actually see any algea etc on the glass I can only assume that they have better mouths than Bristlenoses. Because I haven't seen the bristlenoses on the glass for ages. All of my catfish including the Bristlenoses enjoy wolfing down any water snails I squash and I was wondering if the Borneo Suckers were likely to get a taste for them also? The young bristlenoses I have in with some pakistani loaches really love the squashed snails and its a race between them all to get the snails.

 

[Baccus]

Just thought I would add another update on how my two Borneo Sucker fish are settling in to their new home. So far I have not seen any agression from the Borneos at either my Bristle Noses (who respect nobody's personal space

) or towards the cory's. Even the cherry shrimp the Borneos seem to ignore. The same however can not be said for each other. The two of them have very definant parts of the tank that they will just not tolerate the other one being in/ on. The arguement however is short lived with no damage done and entails just a quick chase until the intruding one bolts back to its accustomed quarters. I have even watched the Borneos getting braver in the tank and venturing down on to the sand and joining the general free for all of the various corys and bristle noses at feeding time. And just as a final note of interest I have discovered that when a Borneo is eating food and its body is pressed up against the glass you can actually see the food do down its throat and disappear in its stomach

. A great little fish, peaceful none destructive and the more you watch them the more interesting they become, so glad I finally got a couple.