| Chinese Algae Eater | Tropical Fish Information |
| Size | Up to 11 inches or 28 cm in very large aquariums |
| Fish Hardiness | Easy to keep |
| Water Temperature | 73.4 to 84.2°F or 23 to 29°C |
| Water pH | 6.0 to 8.0 |
| Water Hardness | 5 to 20 dH |
| Peaceful or Aggressive | Peaceful when still young but it becomes more aggressive as it grows older |
| Number of same species in tank | Only one |
| Community Species | Yes |
| Sexes | Not possible to determine |
| Strata | Bottom |
| Food | Feeds on algae in the tank, supplement its diet with bottom feeder pellets. It will also eat Flake food that sinks to the bottom |
| Breeding | Not possible |
| Other names | Gold Algae Eater, Sucking Loach |
| Scientific name | Gyrinocheilus aymonieri |
| Lifespan | 5 years and older |
Ideal Chinese Algae Eater Conditions
Appearance
The Chinese Algae Eater is another species from my tropical fish index. They do not have the typical fish shape but is rather shaped like a cylinder tapering down towards the tail. The main body color is a pale white to gold with a irregular brown stripe running along the side of the body. They are also found in a Gold variety.
They have a very peculiar way of resting on rocks or ornaments or plants. It almost looks like they are holding on to it with their pectoral and pelvic fins which are very large in relation to its body size.
Strata
They prefer to stay on the bottom of the tank and also sticks to the sides with its suckermouth when eating algae.
Peaceful
They are peaceful fish when they are still young but grows really fast and becomes more aggressive with time. They do however settle down as they age especially when they have their own cave or some sort of hiding place.
Community
They can be put into a community aquarium setup provided that they have their own hiding place.