How to Get My Borneo Sucker to Eat

Borneo suckers are fish notable for their unusual, flattened body shape. They resemble tiny stingrays, though they come from freshwater and have no relation to real rays. They also resemble plecos, the suckermouth catfish of South America, but again, no relation. They tend to adapt poorly to captivity and express this by not eating.

  1. Name Confusion

    • Pleocs are South American catfish.

      Boreno suckers (Sewellia lineolata) have a number of common names, some of which are misleading and confusing. They sell as hillstream loaches, butterfly plecos, gold ring suckers and under many other names. Perhaps the most misleading common name is the Hong Kong pleco. These fish are not pleco catfish, nor do they come from Hong Kong -- or Boreno for that matter. In fact, Boreno suckers come from southern Vietnam and belong to the loach family. Their similarities to plecos are convergent, meaning the fish are unrelated but resemble each other because they come from similar environments.

    Provide Ideal Conditions

    • Many pet borneo suckers come from the wild, so they sometime struggle to adapt to captivity. Loss of appetite is a sign that something is wrong. The biggest issues with these fish is that they need lots of well-oxygenated water. Strong water movement helps improve aeration. Since theses fish originate in fast-moving streams, they can handle -- and prefer -- strong water movement in the aquarium. You may want to use power heads or other water pumps to generate extra water movement to improve their environment.

    Provide Favorite Foods

    • You can encourage eating by feeding Borneo suckers their favorite foods. In the wild, these fish eat mostly by rasping algae off rocks. You can provide prepared algae-based foods like algae wafers, but wild Borneo suckers will often ignore them. Some hobbyists have had success by growing algae on rocks in a separate well-lit aquarium, and rotating out the rocks into the Borneo suckers' aquarium as the fish clean them. Borneo suckers also like the occasional live food treat like blackworms.

    Right Water Temperature

    • Another problem Borneo suckers often face is high temperatures. Borneo suckers come from subtropical water, with temperatures between 68 and 74 degrees Fahrenheit. Most aquarium fish prefer slightly warmer waters. This little difference can stress Borneo suckers enough to put them off their feed. Additionally, warmer water holds less oxygen and speeds up the metabolism of fish, making them use oxygen more quickly. This means that fish like Borneo suckers, adapted for cold water, do not adjust to tropical temperatures well. An unheated aquarium suits them fine and makes them less stressed.