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Bloody Mary Hillstream Loach

Harvested from Nature

Gastromyzon sp.

Source: Harvested from Nature

Estimated size at shipping: 0.75-1.5"

Sold as: Unsexed

Overview:

They have a deep red color on the dorsal, on the tail, and on the top of the back half of the body. This is a superb looking hillstream loach.

Hillstream loaches are totally unique in the world of freshwater fish. Many fish have adaptations which allow them to stay in place despite strong currents. Gobies have pelvic fins which are fused into small suction cups. Plecos have mouths which they use as holdfasts. Darters have elongated fins which act like spoilers on a racecar, pushing them down against the substrate as the water flows over. However, no other fish has taken these adaptations as far as the hillstream loaches, which have turned themselves into one big suction cup with perfect fluid dynamics.

This unique body shape stands out and has made them immensely popular with aquarists, who refer to them as "UFOs," and "miniature stingrays." Their popularity is reinforced by their behavior. These bold fish are active throughout the day, tirelessly grazing the rocks, wood, and other aquarium surfaces for algae and biofilm, making them endlessly fascinating to observe.

Setup Considerations:

These loaches are famous for inhabiting extremely fast flowing river rapids in their natural habitat. Because of this, many hobbyists house hillstreams in "river manifold" tanks which are characterized by strong water flow. While it is extremely rewarding to watch these fish navigate high flow aquariums, they don't require them because they are also found naturally in marginal rocky pools which are disconnected from the river channel and have no flow. What they absolutely require is clean, ammonia free water which is saturated with oxygen. This can be provided by something as simple as a sponge filter or as complicated as a custom built river manifold system. Both work.

Because they are sensitive to ammonia and like to graze on algae and biofilm, we recommend keeping these fish in mature, well established aquariums. The more rockwork, wood, and other hardscape available for them to graze on and explore, the better.

Diet: Omnivore

Healthy hillsteam loaches usually learn to eat dry prepared fish foods within a few days. If necessary, picky eaters can be started on frozen bloodworms and then transitioned to dry foods. They are bottom feeders, so sinking foods are required. We feed ours a standard rotation of algae wafers and sinking protein pellets supplemented with frozen brine shrimp and frozen blood worms.

These peaceful fish are great members of a community aquarium, but they are slow feeders. They feed by scraping small amounts of food into their mouths a bit at a time. If they don't have adequate time to graze on their food, hillstreams can be out competed in community aquariums by fast feeding species.

Current Price: $79.99

Stock Level: 9

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