Does Anyone Know This Fish?

[mightyhn]

Hi all!

Yesterday I bought a fish that looks like a miniature ray even when its a freshwater fish. Can anyone identify it? Image link:
http/s1068.photobucket.com/albums/u454/mightyhn/?action=view&current=SANY0034.jpg

 

[fluttermoth]

It's a hillstream loach; there are few different species, I can't tell you which one it is.

They need very highly oxygenated, fast flowing water and a lower temperature than most other tropical fish. Not one for the standard tank and best in a specialist set up, tbh.

 

[nmonks]

Fluttermoth is quite right. It's a Sewellia of some sort, and they're all adapted to cool, fast-flowing streams with lots of oxygen. You're aiming for water that isn't too hard (2-12 degrees dH, pH 6-7.5) and kept at around 22 degrees C/72 degrees F. No WARMER!!! Cannot stress this too much. Short-term summertime highs up to around 24 C/75 F will be tolerated for a few weeks, but otherwise you must keep the tank relatively cool. On the other hand, wintertime cooling may be beneficial, down to about 18 C/64 F.

On top of this, you must have lots of water current, turnover rates of 10-12 times the volume of the aquarium being your minimum. So, if you have a 100-litre aquarium, it'll need a 1000 to 1200 litre/hour filter. Feeding can be a bit tricky because they prefer algae, but so long as there aren't any other bottom feeders, they'll take algae wafers and even small meaty foods like frozen bloodworms and brine shrimps.

Sewellia don't usually live long in tropical communities. But in a subtropical system alongside other hillstream fish, for example minnows, they can do quite well. As noted above, adding bottom feeders like other hillstream loaches or Stiphodon gobies may cause problems with feeding, but you might consider adding them once your Sewellia are feeding happily.

Cheers, Neale

 

[OldMan47]

I'm not sure what you have there but here is your picture.