Loaches Online Forum

Hi, new to the forums.

I was just wondering..do you know of any site selling certain types of hillstreams or does anyone have some for sale? If so I would greatly appreciate if you'd tell me lol. If there yours can you tell me a basic price guideline?

I'm not buying them right now but I have been looking into them and want to make sure I have some place to get them at. I can get maybe two types from around where I live but want more of a variety.
The ones here are the basic yellowish color with black dots. I have had them before but never took them this seriously. When I first got them I never really knew much about them (was when I first started out) but did some research and recently read the article by martin thoene. (nice article btw, learned a lot about them, also read the catching article, very useful because I almost killed mine whenever I had to catch it lol).

Wll thx in advance!,

flamingonhot

Hello, and welcome

Not being a hillstream afficionado I can't be of much help, but certainly there are those here who could...

best of luck with getting some info!

Hello. Welcome to LOL.

Where is your location? To be honest, i haven't seen any on-line stores with Hillstreams for sale. Maybe try Aqua-bid? (depending on your location)

The ones you described, sounds like Beaufortia kweichowensis. Which are a fine Hillstream Loach.

Hillstream loaches can range from 6 to 22 depending of where you live. Since i live in such a small town i have to pay for the 22, but it's understandable why it has to be that much.

I just checked out That Fish Place.com
http://www.thatpetplace.com/MainPro/IndexFish.aspx
and found "Devil Suckers". Just click on Aquatic livestock, then Freshwater fish and then loaches and you will find them.
They have them listed as a Beaufortia but the pic looks like a protomyzon instead. That is the problem with collecting these fish. You never know what your going to get in under the various names like Borneo Sucker, butterfly loach or Devil Sucker (that's the first time I've heard that one). This makes ordering them without a pic of the actual fish problematic.

Another option would be fish2u.com
http://www.fish2u.com/rehilo.html
They have a fish listed as "reticulated hillstream loach". It is listed as one of the Barbodes species (a barb) but the picture is actually of Sewellia lineolata, a highly prized and newly available hillstream from Vietnam.
Unfortunately, they are out of stock at this time, but perhaps later they will have them.

I live in nekoosa, wisconsin. So yeah hard to find anything here lol.

Thx for the help! This is probably the speediest and well thought out answers I have ever recieved! Sounds kind of corny if you ask me but honestly it is. On most forums I have to wait a day for some half gone through response lol.

Forgot all about fish2u. May have to look around on there too lol. I've lately been getting into loaches and just saw they have a whole page almost for them . Will also look around on aquabid and thatfishplace.

I want some different types of hillstreams because I keep seeing awesome pics of everyone's loaches and all I can get are the same "standard" ones.

Thx, again.

Welcome!!
I'm glad we were able to help. Since this board is dedicated to loaches, we tend to take them seriously and try to offer the best advice we can and have fun in the process.
Many of us started out just like you, logging onto Loaches Online to gather info on loaches and their care. Before long, after learning from other experienced loachkeepers and personal experience, we began contributiing too.
That's what makes this a great place to learn about loaches and pass along info to others.

Hi flamingonhot , and welcome to LOL . The fact is that for most of us Hillstream enthusiasts, the "standard" ones are what we see in the main.
A lot of finds are just through sheer luck or being in the right place at the right time. Building connections and networking can help in directing you in the correct direction. If you've been reading stuff here before actually posting you'll have seen a few of us lusting after Sewellia lineolata.
It's taken nearly two years since becoming aware of the existance of this species for me to get my hands on some. Jim is still waiting, yet I know of several people who have them now and that's just not within North America, but internationally. Mine came to Canada via Czechoslovakia from their home in Vietnam.
How fish arrive in your area is often down to who your retail outlets are, what they order based on the person doing the orderings knowledge or personal interests, the transhippers they deal with and who their suppliers are in the source countries. A lot of things have to fall in place for you to get the fish that you want.
That example of "Devil Suckers" is a prime example of why you can't even ask a dealer to order something for you because they are often only going on stupid invented names like that as a basis for ordering . Truth is it's pretty much pot-luck, see what arrives. There's enough of us now with knowledge of the trade to make an educated guess at what one of these flamboyantly named fish may be, but truly accurate guesswork is impossible. Often when the fish arrive you'll find there's actually a mix of species, which for the true hillstream nut is actually ultra-neat. Many species live side by side or may get combined in holding tanks when wild-caughts from different locations get put together.
Photos can help, but based on what I can see of the condition of that "DevilSucker", I wouldn't bid on them. It looked pretty beat up to me .

These fish are fairly delicate in transport and for my comfort I like to see the fish I'm buying before I lay out my hard-earned $'s on them. Even once they arrive at the dealer's tank, if they don't get the right treatment, they can be unhealthy by the time you buy them. I prefer to wait 24 hours and then buy. Usually any travel weakened fish will die overnight and the survivors will probably be OK. Look for well coloured fish that are actively moving around. The biggest alarm bell with Hillstreams is if they just "sit". Healthy fish will be actively grazing on the aquarium glass and looking for food. Ignore lethargic fish, ones with any marks or fin damage. Watch for patchiness in the body colouring.

Hope there's some useful pointers there.

The best thing that you are doing is pre-purchase research. It's likely that is why you are receiving so much positive feedback. We maybe get a bit jaded with putting right people's mistakes. Far better to do exactly what you are doing and to to cover all your bases before embarking on this facet of the hobby.

Hillstream tanks set up correctly are a rather unique environment that can create a feature of much interest and difference to a regular type of aquarium within the home. I find I can sit and watch these fish at length because with proper care they are a very lively and entertaining family.

Any other questions just ask away.

Martin.

flaming,
i am originally from rapids so i feel your pain. there are a couple of good stores here in the madison area. your best bet may be to take a monthly trip to madison. if you like i can pm you if i see stuff down here. send me a most wanted list and i'll keep my eyes out. then you just have to contend with me buying the whole lot

Thanks martin, appreciate it lol. Don't worry i'll have some more questions soon lol. Before I read your article I remember seeing different kinds and wondering " Is hillstream loach the name for just one or is it like a category?" Well now I know lol.

I know all too well what you mean about the many names and it being hard to order things lol. When I tried ordering mine the first time awhile back it was the hardest thing to do. I asked for butterfly loaches and the lady was like huh? I went through about twenty different names before she finally knew what I was talking about. I find that most names depend on where you live. Sometimes I don't even get how people wind up giving them half the names they do though, take senegal bichirs for example, they're called eels half of the time lol.

I think I may have to settle for a bit with the few types I can find. Like said before, I live in wisconsin so it's pretty hard to find anything here, ecspecially things like hillstreams. Will be looking around though for some different kinds.

I'm not sure exactly what i;m going to do. At first I just wanted to set up a little ten gallon tank with some hillstreams and other coldwater fish like white clouds or something. Now my plans keep changing, may do a 30 gallon lol.

Keep thinking of new things so for sure will be asking a lot of questions lol.

Gulogulo, thx. I have been wanting to go up to madison but my parents aren't too willing at the moment lol ( I'm 14 if no one knew lol). Being 14 also kind of constricts certain things I can get, no fish trips for me unless my parents have off and are willing to go places lol. Lucky for me that my dad and mom are animal freaks and are pretty supporting when it comes to my hobby, dad's kind of a know it all an dwon't let me get things half of the time because HE says I don't need them but for the most part it's okay. Going up to oconomowoc next weekend so may find some good stuff up there hopefully lol. Don't worry, i'm always on the lookout for things so will probably drop a pm pretty soon. My cousin also is really into fish and always buying stuff so he may have a few things he's looking for too.

Oh well, tired nad bored and I think that's enough typing for now lol.