Serian Borneo sucker

Care at a glance

Overview

A neat, peaceful Borneo sucker that spends its day fastened to stone in fast water, grazing the algal film. Keep a group of five or six over a floor of smooth cobbles, where it treats tankmates and keepers alike as passing scenery. It feeds mainly on biofilm, so it needs a mature tank with established growth, backed up by fine sinking foods and finely crushed wafers. Choose small, gentle companions that share its taste for strong, clean current. A tank of around 75 liters with good flow and a spread of grazing stone gives a group room to settle.

In the wild

Gastromyzon scitulus comes from the Sadong basin near the town of Serian in Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo, living on stone in warm, fast, clear hill streams. Match that with 20 to 25 C, strong flow, and high oxygen through vigorous surface movement. Use rounded, algae-covered stones over sand and gravel, and keep pH mildly acidic to neutral at 6.5 to 7.5.

Good to know

A member of the hillstream loach family Gastromyzontidae, Gastromyzon scitulus reaches about 5.5 centimeters. Tan and Leh described it in 2006, and the name scitulus is Latin for neat or elegant, chosen for the tidy pattern and colour it shows in life. It has not been recorded spawning in aquaria.

Did you know

The name scitulus is a small compliment in Latin, meaning neat or elegant; its describers picked it for the trim, well-turned-out pattern the fish wears in life.

Tank mates

Serian Borneo sucker is a peaceful, social species that keeps to the bottom. These picks match on water type, temperature, pH, size and temperament.

• 

  Cosuatis barb

  Oreichthys cosuatis

  Freshwater

  3.1 in (8 cm)20 gal (75 L)68–79°F (20–26°C)

• 

  Venezuelan orange cory

  Osteogaster aenea

  Freshwater

  2.4 in (6 cm)20 gal (75 L)68–79°F (20–26°C)
• Common whiptail

  Rineloricaria parva

  Freshwater

  4.7 in (12 cm)20 gal (75 L)68–79°F (20–26°C)

• 

  Onespot barb

  Puntius terio

  Freshwater

  3.1 in (8 cm)20 gal (75 L)68–79°F (20–26°C)
• Amazon molly

  Poecilia formosa

  Freshwater

  3.5 in (9 cm)20 gal (75 L)68–82°F (20–28°C)

• 

  Stoliczka's barb

  Pethia stoliczkana

  Freshwater

  2 in (5 cm)20 gal (75 L)64–79°F (18–26°C)

Check the full mix in the stocking calculator

Common questions

Related species

• Eyespotted Borneo sucker

  Gastromyzon ocellatus

  Freshwater

  2.1 in (5.4 cm)20 gal (75 L)68–77°F (20–25°C)
• Embaloh Borneo sucker

  Gastromyzon embalohensis

  Freshwater

  2 in (5 cm)20 gal (75 L)72–79°F (22–26°C)

• 

  Starry Borneo sucker

  Gastromyzon stellatus

  Freshwater

  2.4 in (6.2 cm)20 gal (75 L)68–77°F (20–25°C)
• Spotted hillstream loach

  Gastromyzon punctulatus

  Freshwater

  2.6 in (6.5 cm)20 gal (75 L)68–75°F (20–24°C)
• Yellowfin Borneo sucker

  Gastromyzon viriosus

  Freshwater

  2.6 in (6.5 cm)20 gal (75 L)72–79°F (22–26°C)
• Zebra Borneo sucker

  Gastromyzon zebrinus

  Freshwater

  2.9 in (7.3 cm)24 gal (90 L)72–79°F (22–26°C)