TankBud

Smooth-belly Borneo sucker

Gastromyzon psiloetron

Also known as Kayan Borneo sucker, Reticulated Borneo sucker loach

FreshwaterFish

Care at a glance

Temperature
72–79°F
22–26°C
pH
6.5–7.5
Adult size
3.9 in
10 cm
Minimum tank
25 gal
95 L
Temperament
Peaceful
Social behavior
Social
Swim level
Bottom
Diet
Omnivore
Difficulty
Difficult
Breeding
No record
Rarity
Rare
Family
Gastromyzontidae
Origin
Kayan and Mahakam basins, Kalimantan, Indonesia

Overview

The smooth-belly Borneo sucker is one of the larger Borneo suckers, a peaceful grazer for a warm, fast river tank. It is best left to keepers with experience.

Did you know

The smooth-belly Borneo sucker's bare, scaleless belly presses flatter against rock than a scaled one can. The trade-off runs right through its family, with less armor underneath in exchange for a better grip in fast water.

Caring for the smooth-belly Borneo sucker

Give a group of smooth-belly Borneo suckers 25 gal (95 L) or more, with strong flow and a broad rocky floor. Scale up the rockwork to match their size, using smooth, algae-covered boulders and cobbles over sand and gravel.

Keep the water at 72 to 79°F (22 to 26°C) with a pH of 6.5 to 7.5. It asks only that the water never stops moving, so keep the flow strong and oxygen near saturation.

It grazes biofilm through the day. Scale up the food as well, with algae wafers, sinking pellets and a little fine meaty sinking food.

Keep a peaceful group of five or six over generous grazing stone. It is completely tolerant of tank mates, and small, calm fish that enjoy warm, fast, clean water make good companions. No aquarium breeding has been recorded for the species.

Good to know

Gastromyzon psiloetron is a hillstream loach in the family Gastromyzontidae. Tan described it in 2006. The name means bare belly, for its scaleless underside, the opposite of the scale-bellied species in the genus.

In the wild

The smooth-belly Borneo sucker lives in the Kayan and Mahakam river systems of Kalimantan, on the Indonesian side of Borneo. It is found on stone in warm, fast, clear water.

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Tank mates

The smooth-belly Borneo sucker is a peaceful, social species that keeps to the bottom. These picks share a community profile with it, are safe together in both directions, and overlap on water type, temperature and pH.

Check the full mix in the stocking calculator

Common questions

What size tank does a smooth-belly Borneo sucker need?

A smooth-belly Borneo sucker needs at least 25 gal (95 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH does a smooth-belly Borneo sucker need?

A smooth-belly Borneo sucker is comfortable at 72–79°F (22–26°C) with a pH of 6.5–7.5.

What does a smooth-belly Borneo sucker eat?

A smooth-belly Borneo sucker grazes biofilm through the day. It should also get algae wafers, sinking pellets and a little fine meaty sinking food.

How big does a smooth-belly Borneo sucker get?

An adult smooth-belly Borneo sucker reaches about 3.9 in (10 cm).

Related species