butterfly loach or pleco?

My husbands best friend, and our roomate is the pet manager at a local Walmart. I already have learned way more about fish than he knows just by coming to this website.. but he is the manager and can get the fish for next to nothing. Anyway, he is bringing me home two of what they call a butterfly pleco, but after doing some research, it looks like a butterfly loach. I have a common pleco but i know he will eventually outgrow the tank, will these two guys eat algae or what? Can you tell me exactly what they eat, and how to care for them? I also wanted to get 3 clown loaches, but will these guys bother anyone that i have in my tank? [acronym:e11b12dc54="Thanks in Advance"]TIA[/acronym:e11b12dc54]

[megladonsharky]

try planetcatfish.com they have lots of abstracts on fish

wow, you answered before i even had the pic posted, now that i got the pic up, does anyone know what it is?

[bzbee]

There were a couple of posts about this recently. I've seen one at my [acronym:6a33e6bf76="Local Fish Store"]LFS[/acronym:6a33e6bf76] sold as a butterfly pleco (they are really loaches like you said), and they do stand out.

http://www.aquahobby.com/gallery/ghillstream.html
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=51271
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=21756

[lmw80]

yes, I believe it's actually a loach. Hillstream loach is the most common "common name" I hear for it. But I have also heard Butterfly loach and Hong Kong loach.

thnkas for the article's and the posts, they gave me a ton of info, and proved it is a loach after all. Now though i kind of wish i wasn't getting them because they seem like a lot of work, and my common pleco is kind of a pig, im afraid they won't have enough to eat! I guess i will just have to throw extra algae wafers in... lol.

[Toirtis]

Originally Posted by AshleyNicole

I guess i will just have to throw extra algae wafers in... lol.

Except that they really don't eat algae...Hillstream loaches are primarily carnivores...what is more, they do best in flowing, cool, highly oxygenated water, not a typical tropical tank.

[megladonsharky]

What is higly [acronym:789eab73e3="Oxygen"]o2[/acronym:789eab73e3]??

they do best in flowing, cool, highly oxygenated water, not a typical tropical tank.

my tank does have a lot of current with 2 bubble curtains in the back and a [acronym:19ce5f62f6="Hang On Back"]HOB[/acronym:19ce5f62f6] filter. I keep it at 75 degrees, but he came home today and forgot to bring them, so i said don't worry about it. I didn't realize that my tank wouldn't be hospitable for them so im not going to get them. However, from wal-mart, im afraid they won't be going to very good home's anyway.

well, my roommate brought him/her home today, don't know how to tell the sex, but he's a cute little guy! He swam all over the tank and really likes to follow my pleco around! He's really active compared to waht i've heard. I put some wafers in just in case and some blood worms, i know some sank to the bottom, but he's stayed on the side all day. My tank is always about 75 degrees and i think thats warm enough for my other fish and cool enough for him. Everyone seems happy!