Embaloh Borneo sucker

Gastromyzon embalohensis

Also known as Embaloh hillstream loach, Yellow leopard sucker loach

FreshwaterFish

Care at a glance

Temperature: 72–79°F (22–26°C)
pH: 6.5–7.5
Adult size: 2 in (5 cm)
Minimum tank: 20 gal (75 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Social
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Difficult
Breeding: No record
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Embaloh River, Kapuas basin, Kalimantan, Indonesia
Family: Gastromyzontidae

Overview

This is one of the smaller Borneo suckers, a flat, disc-shaped fish that fastens to stone in fast water and grazes biofilm all day. It is peaceful and sociable, so keep a small group of five or six; males square off over the best-lit grazing stones, but the contests are harmless posturing. Because it eats mainly the algal film on rock, start it in a mature tank with established growth, then add fine sinking foods and finely crushed wafers to keep condition up. Keep it only with small, gentle fish that share its taste for strong current and warm, clean water. A tank of around 75 liters gives a group enough rock to spread out over.

In the wild

Gastromyzon embalohensis comes from the Embaloh, a clear tributary of the great Kapuas River in West Kalimantan, on the Indonesian side of Borneo. These are warm equatorial hill streams rather than cold ones, so aim for 22 to 26 C with strong flow and oxygen-saturated water. Build the layout from smooth water-worn stones over sand and gravel, let algae film the rockwork, and keep pH between 6.5 and 7.5.

Good to know

Gastromyzon is the type genus of the Borneo sucker group within the hillstream loach family Gastromyzontidae; the name joins Greek roots for belly and to suck, describing the sucker-like disc on its underside. This species reaches only about 5 centimeters and was described by Rachmatika in 1998 from the river that gives it its name. Its breeding has not been documented in the hobby.

Did you know

The genus was famously overhauled by Heok Hui Tan in 2006, whose monograph sorted it into 36 species, most tied to a single river system; this one had already been named from its home stream eight years earlier.