Neon Borneo Sucker (Gastromyzon lepidogaster)

Description

Neon Borneo Sucker (Gastromyzon lepidogaster)

Origin: Wild Indonesia
Locale: Northern Borneo
Diet: Scavenger and grazer, feeds on algae, biofilm and detritus in the wild
Adult Size: 3.75″+
Recommended Tank Size: 30 gallons+

Preferred Water Parameters
pH: 6.5 – 7.5
Temp: 60 – 75F
Ammonia: 0ppm
Nitrite: 0ppm
Nitrate: <20ppm

Breeding loaches from the Gastromyzon complex are a little more involved than the more common Sewellia sp.’s. In order to have success, you will need to construct a “river manifold,” also called a “double-bottom aquarium” (sometimes called a “false bottom aquarium”). The “Borneo Suckers” employ a “burry and forget” breeding strategy: males will use their tails to clear a small cave at the foot of a smooth stone. Courtship will be obvious, the pair will perform an evident mating “dance,” and will stay very close together until spawning occurs. The purpose of a river manifold is to aerate the eggs from below, as well as above. Because the eggs are buried in the substrate, they pose a higher risk of fungusing, dying from lack of oxygen, or not developing correctly. Manifold plans are quite easy to find online, and there are many videos on YouTube with step-by-step instructions on how to create your own. With a river manifold, Gastromyzon complex loaches can be kept, and reproduced, in something as small as a 10 gallon standard aquarium. This is quite popular in the Asian hobby, and this type of breeding-setup is just beginning to catch on in America and Europe. If you figure out how to breed one Gastromyzon sp., you will be able to breed them all.

Ideal water turnover for maximum fry survival (and proper development; some fry will be born small and withered without proper aeration, then slowly disappear over the coming weeks) should be 25x an hour. Most river manifold systems allow you to comfortably increase your turnover to something as turbid as 150x an hour, which the loaches can comfortably handle.

These are not cheap fish, it is incredibly dangerous for the local tribesmen to collect them. They are rare, even in their natural ecosystem. They are a secretive species in the wild. If you buy our G. lepidogaster, you have our full support in trying to breed these gorgeous fish. If you are considering buying high-end, very rare hillstream loaches, please, read about a river manifold/false-bottom/double-bottom aquarium beforehand. Your fish will be happier, your loaches will breed, and more of these stunning fish will become established in the states. A manifold is also highly effective for breeding gobies, stone loaches, Akysis catfish, botias, eels, and other colorful hillstream species.

– Samuel Fernald