TankBud

Sucker-belly loach

Pseudogastromyzon myersi

Also known as Myers' hillstream loach, Red fin sucker loach

FreshwaterFish

Sucker-belly loach (Pseudogastromyzon myersi)
The Wet Spot Tropical Fish · Used with permission

Care at a glance

Temperature
64–75°F
18–24°C
pH
6.5–7.5
Adult size
2.4 in
6 cm
Minimum tank
20 gal
75 L
Temperament
Mostly peaceful
Social behavior
Social
Swim level
Bottom
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
Substrate spawner · Medium
Rarity
Rare
Family
Gastromyzontidae
Origin
Guangdong Province and Hong Kong, China

Overview

The sucker-belly loach is one of the more forgiving hillstream loaches, provided the tank is cool and fast. It is a good first choice from the group, though still a step up from the easiest fish.

Did you know

Some of the sucker-belly loach's home streams run through Hong Kong's country parks. There it grazes the rocks of hillside brooks that hikers pass on their way to picnic and barbecue sites.

Caring for the sucker-belly loach

Give sucker-belly loaches a tank of 20 gal (75 L) or more, with a rocky, well-lit floor. Provide smooth grazing stones over a sand and fine gravel base.

Keep the water unheated or lightly cooled at 64 to 75°F (18 to 24°C), with a pH of 6.5 to 7.5. Run strong flow with plenty of surface movement for oxygen. The sucker-belly loach grazes biofilm and takes all manner of fine sinking foods, crushed wafers and small frozen items.

Keep a sociable group of five or six over smooth grazing stone. It is mostly peaceful, though males display almost constantly and shove one another off favored rocks. Give it calm, cool-water companions rather than tropical community fish.

Males dig and guard shallow pits beside their grazing stones. The species spawns fairly readily in a cool, well-run river tank. Many keepers find eggs turning up once the water runs cold and clean.

Good to know

The sucker-belly loach is a butterfly loach in the family Gastromyzontidae, and among the most aquarium-proven of the Chinese hillstreams. Herre described it in 1932 and named it for the American ichthyologist George S. Myers.

In the wild

The sucker-belly loach lives in cool hill streams of Guangdong and neighboring Hong Kong, in southern China. The streams run clear and fast over stone.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The sucker-belly loach is a mostly 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 sucker-belly loach need?

A sucker-belly loach needs at least 20 gal (75 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH does a sucker-belly loach need?

A sucker-belly loach is comfortable at 64–75°F (18–24°C) with a pH of 6.5–7.5.

What does a sucker-belly loach eat?

A sucker-belly loach grazes biofilm and takes all manner of fine sinking foods. Offer it crushed wafers and small frozen items as well.

How big does a sucker-belly loach get?

An adult sucker-belly loach reaches about 2.4 in (6 cm).

How does a sucker-belly loach breed?

Sucker-belly loach males dig and guard shallow pits beside their grazing stones. The species spawns fairly readily in a cool, well-run river tank. Many keepers find eggs once the water runs cold and clean.

Related species