G ctenocephalus? care questions

[Tery]

I bought a couple of "borneo suckers" a couple of months ago and have been trying to identify them since. I came across Mark's pictures and thought i had it, until i read dowm the postings and you started in on red & blue tails. Mine almost never come off the glass, so its really hard to get a good look at anything but their tummies. Care wise, does it matter what color their tails are? I am getting worried because they are always on the glass directly across from the powerhead i.e. directly in the current produced. They can't be getting enough to eat off that one section of glass, how can I ensure that they're getting enough ?

[Jim Powers]

First of all, if you haven't already, read this article by Martin Thoene
http://www.loaches.com/hillstream_loaches.html
Don't worry right now about the red tail/blue tail thing. Basic care of all hillstreams is pretty much the same. You need to provide clean, well oxygenated water, with some current. You said your fish are hanging out in the current flow and not moving around. They should be at least grazing on the glass, not just remaining stationary all the time. Perhaps the oxygen level in the tank is not high enough and they are just hanging in the current flow to get oxygen and current. Unfortunately, often times these fish are oxygen deprived during shipment or at the pet store and never really recover. They also take time to adapt to eating the foods we offer. How long that takes varies with the species. What are you feeding them? I would suggest placing some bloodworms near the area they rest and see if that entices them.
As far as what species you have, you can check out the species index on this site. It will be updated soon and some of the names will be updated as well, but at least it will probably help narrow things down. Its good to learn how to ID these fish from underneath since that is how they often rest in the fish stores. I think, when we update the species index, that would be a good subject to address.
Good luck!

[Hendra]

Some rocks ( with smooth surface) would be nice for Gastromyzon spp.

[Tery]

First, I want to thank both you for the information, and reference to Martins article. I moved the yoyos to another tank and now as soon as I lift the hood my 2 little hillstreams are off the walls and all over the bottom, scarfing everything. I don't know if the yoyos were too rowdy or if it just took the little guys that long to acclimate. But anyway, thanks .

[Jim Powers]

I'm glad to be of help. I'm also happy to hear the fish are doing well. The yoyo's aggressive feeding was probably too much for the little guys to handle. They don't compete well with more aggressive fish for food. It also takes a bit for them to acclimate. It sounds like they have done that nicely.