Name: We’ve
bought these under the names Borneo sucker and Hong Kong pleco. We
see them in the literature as hillstream loaches, butterfly plecos,
Chinese butterfly loaches, and butterfly flatfishes. Evidently,
several similar species exist.
LA
You can see the "butterfly" look here and even more so when they
swim.
LA
Not all Borneo suckers have the same pattern.
Origin: If
you guessed Borneo, you probably guessed right. You normally think
of Borneo fishes as tropicals. We seem to have an exception
here. Like the Chinese algae eaters, these little suckers come from
fast flowing streams (thus that hillstream loach appellation). These
streams are cooler and thus contain more oxygen.
LA
Here's two Borneo suckers (three, if you look real close) in the exhaust
from a powerhead.
LA
Alright, who called this meeting?
Moving Water:
If you want to give your Borneo suckers a
“home, sweet home” feeling, give them a jet of water to duplicate
their fast-flowing home stream. You can do it with a powerhead, or
maybe a power filter that hangs on the back or a canister filter will work
as well.
LA
Borneo suckers stick to the glass like glue.
LA
Supposedly you can see their little heart beating. (?)
Living Suction Cups:
Borneo suckers glom onto the glass like a suction cup. Fast-moving
water does not faze them a bit. They love it. They hunker down
and enjoy it. But, when your net approaches, they skitter off faster
than you can swing your net. You need to chase these little suckers
into your net with your other hand.
LA
Here's a better view of their "suction cup." Note that
"pleco-like" mouth.
LA
Another belly shot. Reminds you of a two-part flounder. Real
suction cup in back.
LA
Their side fins sort of "flap" when they careen thru the water.
Description:
Most Borneo suckers hit the market at about 1.5 inches. They come in
various shades of brown -- usually with white spots but not always.
And, they change their shade depending upon their substrate, mood, food,
temperature, and water quality.
LA
Here's one with a different pattern on his top side. They vary a
bit.
LA
Guy on top is the same non-conformist as in prior pic.
Feeding: Borneo suckers eat the algae and
micro-organisms that grow on submerged surfaces (like the slime on your
front glass). They should mix well with goldfishes who seem to make
sure that their glass walls grow just a little more slime than the average
bare tank (little pun there if you remember Yogi Bear). They also
like bloodworms and sort of grudgingly eat flake foods. Blackworms
do not excite them. Evidently
the Germans found these guys first. So the literature says Borneo
suckers eat Aufwuchs -- otherwise known as periphyton aka algae and micro-organisms
(the same stuff that all small fishes browse upon all day long).
Aufwuchs grow very well on bogwood.
Breeding:
Not much info about their reproductive behavior. We’d intuit a
cool tank with a powerhead, waterlogged driftwood, and assorted nooks and
crannies ought to trip their trigger. You want to experiment with
their foods and give them three or so small meals per day.
LA
Red nostrils?
LA
Some are prettier than others.
LA
Kinda cute? Kinda ugly? You decide.
Last Words:
Borneo suckers present more challenges than most fish. However, they
fit into that small fish niche that some people enjoy. LA
©
2005, © 2006 LA Productions

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