Are these hillstream loaches?

[BlueFrog]

On one of our usual lunchbreak outings, we ran across these little fellows at a LFS, who were labelled as 'Butterfly Plecos' @ 4.99, but they look very much like some of the hillstream pictures that were in a recent thread Martin put up.

Out of curiosity, I tried using the loaches.com pictoral search, but once i can only get as far as the sketch page before getting to specific species, and i get a 404.

Regardless, heres my no-so-good pictures - are these hillstream loaches?

[Graeme Robson]

Yes. They are known as the Beaufortia kweichowensis.

http://www.loaches.com/species-index/be ... ichowensis

[BlueFrog]

Thanks for the link

I think i'd have to get another tank before I consider any of these little guys -- i'm not set up for a fast flow tank like they would need to be happy.

[Martin Thoene]

You saw these at Lucky's right? I was in there the other day

If so then they are what I would call "Ten-foot pole Hillstreams". In other words, I wouldn't touch them with a ten-foot pole They do not look well to me. Somewhat patchy looking which is bad, bad, BAD.

Martin.

[BlueFrog]

They were over at Gold Ocean on leslie and hwy 7 -- and i'm not sure if the patchiness is the fish or my cruddy photographic skills

But where is this Lucky's of which you speak? I think i've visited most of the aquariums I can find in the local area with Google Maps

[Martin Thoene]

Hehe! I was in there too Maybe I got confused over where I saw them? No, the patchiness is on the fish it's not your photography.
Luckys is upstairs at the back of the mall that's next to Pacific Mall, i.e. East of the Pacific Mall building, but kind of attached.

Been in BA's Mississauga plus Dragon Aquaria next door to them on Dundas today too.

Martin.

[BlueFrog]

Cool -- i'll have to check that one out on lunch later in the week

I was in Big Al's and Dragon last week, i know Big Al's had a bunch of loaches in at that point too.

This is what I do with my lunchbreaks usually --

http://maps.google.ca/maps?f=q&hl=en&ge ... .2314&z=12

Find-and-visit the local fish shops

[Martin Thoene]

Wow! That's quite a list. I'm going to a meet and greet next Saturday with some folks from the GTA aquarium forum. One topic I'm sure we'll touch on is the state of Toronto's aquarium shops as somebody bought this up recently.

I know many shops on that list but there's a few I don't know. The Downtown place at Spadina and Dundas has probably the highest prices of anywhere I've visited and I'm told by someone in the know that the only way it survives is because the downtown customers have no idea what "real" prices are because they just want to shop locally and have no concept of shopping around. More money than sense

If you're going to Luckys go up Kennedy from Steeles and turn right in round the back of Pacific Mall. Go straight over the 4-way stop and drive as far as you can go toward the pale blue building. You'll see fish pics on the upper windows. Enter via the back doors and go straight up the staircase on your left.

Martin.

[BlueFrog]

Great -- thanks so much for the directions!

I keep finding all these little fish shops, just ran across one on hwy 7 yesterday (can't remember the name), but they're all little shops filled with Arrorara fish (bad spelling), goldfish, and wierd turtles that i've never seen before, and generally consist of one aisle of tanks ... thats what I get for hanging around in Markham Also, I had to go to that "BoBo Fish Aquarium" just since the name made me giggle. Probabally not worth the time though.

[zmo63]

slightly off subject, but I started using custom googlemaps to keep track of where stores are and what each store is like. Every time I used to set out on a fish store trek, I would end up doing google maps searches for different places, trying to keep track of directions, which stores were actually good, etc. And there's a couple in the same area that I still have trouble remembering which is which. It wasted so much fishstore time!

here's my map... thought you might find the idea worthwhile (and anyone who lives in an urban area with lots of stores)

[BlueFrog]

Thats a great idea! I tinkered briefly with custom maps for Google as well, but never thought to make a fish store review -- that would help me tons when i forget why i didn't go back to a particular location, and then end up going again just to remember why i said i wouldn't go back

I like the way you've written out what you bought, and the outcome (poor black khulis!)

[NancyD]

Wow, zmo, I love your Google map. I have several maps & lists with notes scribbled all over, many sadly marked not there? can't find. It sure would make planning a fish road trip much faster & easier. Oh, to be organized...

[Martin Thoene]

I keep finding all these little fish shops, just ran across one on hwy 7 yesterday (can't remember the name), but they're all little shops filled with Arrorara fish (bad spelling), goldfish, and wierd turtles that i've never seen before, and generally consist of one aisle of tanks ... thats what I get for hanging around in Markham

Well it seems that there's a wide divide between what is reasonable to keep in aquaria and what the community you hint at wants. I don't want to come across as prejudicial but that community to a large extent powers the demand for certain species in the Greater Toronto Area, the vast majority of which are only suitable for enormous aquaria and all too often do not get them.

I was in Dragon Aquarium and it's tanks are crammed full of huge Arrowana that can barely turn in the aquarium. The many small shops you speak of with "weird turtles" are actually quite possibly selling species which are actually illegal imports. I was told by someone in the trade that certain shops have been subject to raids looking for illegal species. But again, this section of the community either wants to keep funky things or eat them

Martin.

[BlueFrog]

I know what you mean -- the poor fishes that cant turn around for being hugeous in a small tank!

But heres one of the turtles i was talking about, some soft shell little jobbie (he also couldn't turn around)



(it was a really dark picture that I attempted to brighten up).