Hillstream/Lizard loach

[Lotus]

We picked up what was called a "lizard catfish" yesterday. After much research, it seems to be a type of hillstream loach. It is sometimes called a Borneo Sucker. The latin name is Homaloptera although we can't really tell what species exactly. It could possibly be a Pseudogastromyzon.

I found very little info on these fish. Loaches.com had a little info, but not a whole lot.

Does anyone have any information on these fish? They seem to like algae and probably frozen brineshrimp/bloodworms. It seems they may be a good solution for small tanks needing algae eaters, as they don't get bigger than about 6". Pics are here:http://www.loaches.com/species_pages/lizard_loach.html

He's definitely cute

 

[theeyrietrainer]

i agree lotus, he looks absolutely ADORABLE! or at least the picture i saw...if i saw those, i think i'd buy one! adorable little suckers!

 

[SoulFish]

Are you sure they arent hillstream loaches? they look kind of like them and are much more common

 

[Lotus]

It seems there are a lot of different species lumped under the hillstream loach name. The hillstream loach on loaches.com is the Beaufortia, which is definitely not what we have. It seems they have a lot of common names for all sorts of loaches, which isn't making it any easier.

The best I can come up with is the Homaloptera species, which is the closest to what we have. Apparently they are sometimes called gecko loaches too. I'll keep on researching, but, unfortunately identification doesn't always lead to information on how to care for them. If he (or she) is a Homaloptera, I think our conditions will be fine.

We have plenty of algae in our tank (sigh) and feed our fish a wide variety of foods, so there will be something he likes, I am sure

 

[Roop]

http://www.aquahobby.com/gallery/ghillstream.html this is supposedly a hillstream loach. doesn't look like yours but yours is very nice.... whatever it is.

 

[Lotus]

Yes, that's the same shape as ours, more or less. Ours is a lot less "dotty" and more "splotchy." Ours looks most like the one on the link I posted, on the third and fourth pictures down

 

[Locust]

I tried to attach a picture of my Hillstream Loach (Wuffie), we'll see how that goes... I'm fairly sure she (Could be a he, but Wuffie sounds like a she to me ) is a Beaufortia leveretti. Maybe.

Wuffie eats brown algae, and I feed her Hikari algae wafers. I've recently started trying out TetraMin Tablets for my Zebras, and Wuffie seems to like those too (along with everyone else in the tank). I tried cucumber, zucchini, romaine lettuce, and sweet potato and struck out each time, though my ottos didn't go for it either so maybe I just had too much brown algae?

Wuffie hides most of the day, and she'll run to one of her hiding spots if she sees me moving around. When she does come out, it's neat to watch her zip around the tank.

One exception to the above, though. After I do a water change Wuffie gets hyper and zooms around the tank. I remember reading someone else say their hillstream loach did the same thing... wouldn't be much of a loach if they weren't a little eccentric, I guess.

 

[Locust]

Hmm...

 

[Lotus]

Awwww... Wuffie is a cutie

So far, ours hides most of the time, but he may come out more once he's settled in

We seem to be becoming loach collectors: Clowns, yoyos, dojo and now the lizard

 

[wayne]

Hillstream loach is a bucket term for fishes called Baltorids that are similar to loaches but not loaches. Most are the common species, but all sorts of oddities are picked up.
They come from hillstreams (obviously) which means they prefer stronger water movement than many fish, and especially they prefer (or need) good quality word with high dissolved oxygen. This also means they'll struggle in higher temps.
Dspite their appearance alagae is not the main component of their diet, rather they graze it to pick up micro crustaceans and so on that live on the algae (similar to mbuna in fact). Spirulina tablets should work though as they usually contain significant amounts of shrimp meal.
They have been bred in captivity, normally in tanks rigged up with a lot of current, a rocky, planted and woody substrate to make small eddys

 

[lighter]

They need very high oxygenated water...

 

[nellly]

Heya folks

I got 3 "lizard loaches" about a week ago.

Heres a few pics of them and the quarium there in:

http://thetavern.servebeer.com/upload/liz & bk k.loach.jpg

http://thetavern.servebeer.com/upload/left side.jpg

http://thetavern.servebeer.com/upload/lizard & sand.jpg

http://thetavern.servebeer.com/upload/lizloach corner.jpg

I love them to bits

 

[dana307]

Does anyone have what my LFS callsa weather loach? Have been attempted to grab one but I Think they get biggish. The loach above is not a hillstream/butterfly loach. I just got one of those.

 

[ecotank]

The weather loach is more commonly called the dojo loach. There are many variations of the hillstream loaches.

http://www.loaches.com/hillstream_loaches.html

weather/dojo loach

http://www.loaches.com/species_pages/wloach.html

 

[animal lover]

Lotus your loach is absolutly adorable...it kinda reminds me of a scooter blenny the way it has those wing like things...I'm actually jelous....to find fish like that I have to travel 2 hours to Ottawa cause there is only a little local fish store here..I bet they'd order stuff in for me if I asked though....maybe I'll ask them to do that..