Borneo Sucker

About

Found in the fast-flowing, rocky streams of Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo, Gastromyzon farragus is a small hillstream loach whose body is built entirely around clinging to hard surfaces in strong current. The paired fins splay out horizontally, the underside is flattened, and the pelvic fins are fused into a suction apparatus that lets the fish grip rock faces with impressive tenacity. Rather than swimming freely, it crawls and shuffles across substrates in a way that immediately sets it apart from most fish you'll keep alongside it. Coloration runs to dark brown on the back with a series of nine to ten pale cream bars, scattered spots and blotches on the flanks, and a caudal fin that shows warm red or orange in life. One of the more reliable field marks separating it from the closely related G. ocellatus, which typically shows two dark bars in the tail rather than one. It shows up in the trade fairly regularly, often mixed in with other Gastromyzon species under catch-all labels like 'Borneo sucker' or 'butterfly loach.' Despite being tagged as aggressive in some sources, most of its territorial behavior centers on defending prime feeding spots, and it generally coexists well when kept in groups of four or more with similarly-sized, non-competitive tankmates. Replicating decent water movement in the aquarium is the main practical consideration.