Loaches, rays, and their needs

Question
Hey Chris,

I'm considering a chinese butterfly sucker, or hillstream loach, I'm not sure which it's really called. They're pretty hard to find information on, so I figured I'd ask around. Do you know anything about them, and if so, would it fit into my livebearer tank? No one seems to agree on salinity, pH, hardness, etc. I keep my 20gallon tank around neutral, 1.005-1.01 salinity, mid to upper 70's. I'm really interested in a freshwater stingray, but I'm having a terrible time finding a dwarf freshwater stingray (if they even exist) If you know where to find a stingray in the portland area, or los angeles area (i'll be moving soon) that'd be awesome info to have too.

Thanks for your time and help!

-Darryl Miller

Answer
Hi Darryl;

I'm not going to be much help to you on these species because I have never kept them personally, but I can share  web links and a little I have learned about rays;

Here is a page about hillstreams I found today;

http://www.loaches.com/articles/hillstream-loaches-the-specialists-at-life-in-th...

Freshwater rays are a specialized fish and can be pretty sensitive too. They need very clean water conditions and a really big tank. Even the smaller types must be kept in 100 gallons or larger. Here is a web page about them for you to know more;

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwstingrays.htm

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins