Three names for one fish, and a federal database using a rival’s
A chinese algae eater is an eleven inch suckermouth fish from the Mekong, sold in community tanks as a cleaner. The most technical source we hold calls it largely unsuitable for the general community aquarium, and says so while noting that the fish is normally sold as exactly that.
Seriously Fish titles the species Sucking Loach and publishes the sentence this record is built on: it is often seen on sale under the trade names Indian or Chinese algae eater but does not occur naturally in either country. Its range is given as Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.
Wikipedia contradicts that one detail, listing the Mekong basin in Cambodia, Yunnan province in China, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam. It also gives the names honey sucker and sucking loach, and credits the species name to the French linguist and explorer Etienne Aymonier.
The third naming source is the one worth printing. The US Fish and Wildlife Service lists six common names for this one species: chinese algae-eater, Indian algae eater, siamese algae-eater, siamese headbreather, sucker loach and sucking loach. That third name belongs to a different fish, and we hold a record for it.
Why this record was written now
- The gap
- Three thousand eight hundred searches a month, and the map has us at position twelve with no AI overview on the page.
- What it changes
- It closes the pair our siamese algae eater record opened, where a whole station describes this fish from two sources without a page to link to. It is also the tenth record outside the band the site shares, and the only one that misses by a single degree.
- What it does not
- One blank, the growth rate, and no breeding method, because the fish is farmed with hormones rather than bred in tanks.
What each source calls it, and where it says the fish comes from
| Source | The names it publishes | What it adds |
|---|---|---|
| Seriously Fish | Sucking loach | Sold as Indian or Chinese algae eater, and occurs naturally in neither country |
| Wikipedia | Honey sucker, sucking loach, chinese algae eater | Range includes the Mekong basin in Yunnan province, China |
| US Fish and Wildlife Service | Chinese algae-eater, Indian algae eater, siamese algae-eater, siamese headbreather, sucker loach, sucking loach | Lists the name of a different species among this one’s common names |
| Our siamese algae eater record | Siamese algae eater, and the flying fox as the false one | Carries two sources on this fish: 11 inches, a suckermouth, and poor for home aquariums |
None of this is trivia, because the name is what a buyer types. Three thousand eight hundred people a month search for a chinese algae eater, and the fish they find is sold beside two inch algae eaters at a fraction of its adult size. Our own siamese algae eater record already carries two sources on this species, Aquarium Co-Op putting it at 11 inches with a suckermouth and brown to gold coloring behind a black stripe, and Aquarium Store Depot calling it poor for home aquariums outright.
What the sources do agree on is the water it comes from: the Mae Klong, Chao Phraya, Mekong and Dong Nai basins, across four countries. Wikipedia adds the use that has nothing to do with aquariums, that the fish are sold in local markets as a food source and small fish are used in the preparation of prahok.
The water, and four sources publishing one pH
| Source | Temperature | pH | Hardness | Tank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seriously Fish | 72 to 79 °F | 6.0 to 8.0 | 2 to 20 dGH | A 150 by 45 cm base, 60 by 18 in |
| Aquariadise | 72 to 80 °F | 6.0 to 8.0 | Not published | 30 gal, 60 for two |
| Tankarium | 77 to 82 °F | 6.0 to 8.0 | 5 to 19 dGH | 50 gal, 30 for a juvenile |
| aqua-fish | 71.6 to 82.4 °F | 6 to 8 | 4 to 18 dGH | Not published |
| This record | 77 to 79 °F | 6.0 to 8.0 | 89 to 321 ppm | 50 gal |
The one row nobody argues about
Read the pH column down: 6.0 to 8.0, four times. That is the first row on this site where four sources publish the same range and nothing has to be reconciled, and it is the widest pH row we carry, two full points. The hardness row is the same shape, three ranges nesting into 5 to 18 dGH, which makes this the widest hardness row here as well.
So the water is the easy part, and that is worth saying plainly on a fish this hard to keep. Nothing in the rows above is the reason our sources will not put it in a community tank.
Two degrees, and one degree outside the site
The temperature is the opposite: four bands meeting in two degrees, 77 to 79 °F, and the floor comes from the one source that will not go below 77. That misses the band the rest of this site shares by a single degree, 75 to 76, which makes this the tenth record outside it and the closest miss of the ten. Our water and health topic recomputes that window whenever a record lands.
Fifty gallons, or a five foot tank
Tankarium asks for 50 gallons for an adult and 30 for a juvenile. Aquariadise asks for 30 and at least 60 for two, noting these fish can be pretty territorial and have the potential to reach 11 inches. Seriously Fish does not give a volume at all: an aquarium with base dimensions of 150 by 45 cm, 60 by 18 inches, should be the smallest considered.
The row prints the highest published volume and the note carries the footprint, because on an eleven inch bottom fish the length is what decides. Our stocking calculator holds the 50 gallons, and it is worth reading beside the figure a shop prints on a tank of two inch juveniles.
The plants, which are food and furniture at once
Aquariadise is the only source of the six to discuss live plants, and it says both things in one sentence: plants and additional surfaces will cultivate biofilm for your fish to constantly feed on, however, there is a chance that your fish will also eventually eat those plants. It asks for plenty of caves made out of driftwood and rocks for the fish to retreat to.
Read against our own plant records, that puts this fish in the group our java fern and anubias records were written for, where five sources call the leaves too tough or bad tasting to bother with. Biofilm on a hard surface is what this fish is actually grazing, which is the same thing our otocinclus record carries as the reason a bare new tank starves it.
The substrate, for a mouth built to hold on
Aquariadise asks for a smooth substrate, sand and rounded gravel being the best options; Tankarium for a soft sand and gravel mix. Wikipedia explains why the mouth matters: it is inferior with a special sucker modification which allows the fish to attach itself to smooth surfaces. The same mouth is the reason for the diet row and for two refusals on this record.
The full record
| Field | Recorded | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum tank | 50 gal | Three sources publish a volume and one publishes a footprint. Tankarium asks for 50 gallons for an adult and calls 30 gallons a minimum for a juvenile. Aquariadise asks for 30 gallons and at least 60 for two, saying these fish can be pretty territorial and have the potential to reach 11 inches. aqua-fish publishes no tank size at all. Seriously Fish asks for base dimensions of 150 by 45 cm, 60 by 18 inches, and says that should be the smallest considered: a five foot tank, which is a shape rather than a volume and is the figure a reader will not find on a shop label. The row prints the highest published volume, and the note carries the footprint, because on a fish this size the length of the tank is what decides. |
| Temperature | 77 to 79 °F | Four bands, meeting in two degrees. Seriously Fish gives 22 to 26 C, 72 to 79 F. Aquariadise gives 72 to 80 F. aqua-fish gives 22 to 28 C, 71.6 to 82.4 F. Tankarium is the outlier at the warm end, 77 to 82 F, and because it is the only source with a floor above 72 it sets the bottom of this row. The row prints 77 to 79. That puts this record outside the band the rest of the site shares, 75 to 76 °F, which it misses by one degree: it is the tenth record here whose water shares nothing with the other twenty seven, and the only one that misses by a single degree. |
| pH | 6.0 to 8.0 | Four sources publish exactly the same range, which almost never happens on this site: Seriously Fish 6.0 to 8.0, Aquariadise 6.0 to 8.0, Tankarium 6.0 to 8.0 and aqua-fish 6 to 8. Every other record here prints an overlap; this one prints a figure nobody argues with. It is also the widest pH row on the site, two full points, and the reason is in the distribution rather than in tolerance: the species is spread across the Mae Klong, Chao Phraya, Mekong and Dong Nai basins, and no source we hold reports it failing at a pH. |
| Hardness | 89 to 321 ppm | Three sources publish general hardness and the ranges nest neatly for once: Seriously Fish 2 to 20 dGH, Tankarium 5 to 19 dGH and aqua-fish 4 to 18, which it also prints as 71 to 321 ppm. The row prints the 5 to 18 all three contain, converted. Aquariadise publishes no hardness at all and Wikipedia and the US Fish and Wildlife Service publish no water figures of any kind. It is the widest hardness row on this site, and with the pH row above it that makes this a fish whose water is the easy part. |
| Adult size | 5 to 11 in (13 to 28 cm) | The two technical sources agree on the top figure and the care sheets disagree about what happens in a tank. Seriously Fish gives a maximum standard length of 280 mm and Wikipedia at least 28 cm, 11 inches. aqua-fish gives 20 to 28 cm, 7.87 to 11 inches. Aquariadise gives up to 11 inches and then says the fish tend to grow much shorter in the aquarium setting, more than likely reaching about 5 inches. Tankarium gives four to five inches in captivity. The row carries both ends, because a reader planning a tank around 5 inches is planning around the smaller of two published outcomes for the same fish, and the record it is most often confused with, our siamese algae eater, tops out at 6.3 inches. |
| Diet | Aufwuchs grazer, and it takes mucus off other fish | Seriously Fish: primarily an aufwuchs grazer feeding on algae, small crustaceans, insect larvae and similar, and in a tank it wants small live and frozen foods such as bloodworm, Daphnia and Artemia along with good quality dried flakes, granules and fresh plant material. aqua-fish splits it by age: juveniles are primarily herbivores feeding on algae and plant matter, while adults require a mix of plant and animal-based foods. Aquariadise is blunter, saying that as they grow larger they become more territorial and start to prefer meatier foods, and names blanched vegetables, shelled peas, lettuce, cucumber, brine shrimp, bloodworms and insect larvae. Two sources name the food nobody buys the fish for: Seriously Fish says it may even attach itself to the flanks of larger tankmates in order to feed on their body mucus, and Tankarium describes the same behavior, sucking the slime coat of other fishes. Wikipedia adds the part that has nothing to do with aquariums: the fish are sold in local markets as a food source, and small fish are used in the preparation of prahok. |
| Water column | Bottom, and on the glass | Every source puts it on the bottom, and Wikipedia explains the mouth that keeps it there: the mouth is inferior with a special sucker modification which allows the fish to attach itself to smooth surfaces. Aquariadise asks for a smooth substrate, with sand and rounded gravel the best options, and Tankarium for a soft sand and gravel mix. The sucker is also the reason for the diet row and for two of the refusals on this record: a mouth built to hold onto glass will hold onto a flank. |
| Lifespan | 5 to 10 years | Tankarium gives 5 to 10 years. aqua-fish gives around 5, adding that with optimal care some individuals can live longer. Aquariadise gives the widest figure and undercuts it in the same sentence: they can easily surpass 10 years of age, even living to 15 years, however this is unlikely even under perfect water conditions. Seriously Fish, Wikipedia and the US Fish and Wildlife Service publish no lifespan. The row prints the 5 to 10 the first two share and the third contains. |
| Growth rate | Not recorded yet | Not published by any of our six sources. The nearest thing to a rate is the disagreement in the size row, where one source says the fish will more than likely reach about 5 inches in an aquarium against a published maximum of 11, and none of them says how long either takes. The field stays blank. |
The same nine fields for every animal on this site are in the A to Z index.
Where our sources disagree
Every record here names a disagreement. On this one it is whether the first word of the name is true.
Seriously Fish
It is often seen on sale under the trade names Indian or Chinese algae eater but does not occur naturally in either country
Wikipedia
Mekong basin, in Cambodia, Yunnan province in China, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam
What we record: we print both and carry neither in a row, because the name is not one of the nine fields. One source says the fish occurs in neither of the countries it is named after; the other lists a Chinese province in its range.
What both agree on is the water it comes from, the Mekong and the basins around it, and the fish sold in a US shop under this name is the same species either way. The third naming source is the strangest: the US Fish and Wildlife Service lists siamese algae-eater among the common names of this species, which is the name of the fish on our siamese algae eater record.
The juvenile and the adult, and why they are sold as the same fish
| Stage | What it eats | How it behaves | How big it is |
|---|---|---|---|
| As a juvenile | Algae and plant matter, on two sources | Sold for this | About 5 inches, on two care sheets |
| As an adult | Meatier foods, small crustaceans, insect larvae, and the mucus off other fish | Territorial, and aggressive towards similar-looking fishes | Up to 11 inches, on two technical sources |
It stops doing the job
aqua-fish splits the diet by age: juveniles are primarily herbivores feeding on algae and plant matter, while adults require a mix of plant and animal-based foods. Aquariadise is blunter, saying that as they grow larger they become more territorial and start to prefer meatier foods, and it draws the conclusion for the buyer: never treat an algae problem with a fish if you cannot house it in your tank indefinitely.
Seriously Fish describes the wild diet as aufwuchs, algae with the small animals living in it, and asks for bloodworm, Daphnia, Artemia, dried flakes, granules and fresh plant material in a tank. Nothing about that is unusual for a bottom fish. What is unusual is the last item on two of the lists.
The food nobody buys it for
Seriously Fish: it may even attach itself to the flanks of larger tankmates in order to feed on their body mucus. Tankarium describes adults sucking the slime coat of other fishes. Aquariadise goes furthest, describing fish that latch onto the sides of other fish, sucking away at their slime coat, and saying they have been known to kill other larger and more aggressive fish.
That is the mechanism behind the temperament field, and it is why the refusals on this record are not about size alone. A mouth built to hold onto glass will hold onto a flank.
Alone, on four sources
Seriously Fish: largely unsuitable for the general community aquarium, with particularly high levels of aggression towards similar-looking fishes. Tankarium calls it a natural loner. aqua-fish calls it aggressive and territorial toward its own species and aggressive to smaller fish. Aquariadise recommends a species-only tank in the long term to avoid injury or stress to other tank mates, and asks for 60 gallons if you want two.
The group row therefore prints one, and this site has three other records where the figure is one for three different reasons: our betta record says one male never two, our oscar record says one or a pair, and our redtail catfish record says one unless the tank is a pond.
What the grid does with all that
Three refusals, and the first is the fish it is most often confused with. Our siamese algae eater record is refused on the similar-looking sentence, our corydoras record on the bottom feeder and mucus sentences, and our amano shrimp record because Tankarium names Japanese algae eater shrimps outright and our own amano record carries that name.
Three more are printed as one setting only rather than refusals, because the sources name a group and not a species: our nerite snail, otocinclus and bristlenose pleco records. All three share this record’s whole band, so the arithmetic allows what the prose warns about.
What this record will not answer
How fast it grows
None of the six sources publishes a rate. The nearest thing is the size row, where one source says the fish will more than likely reach about 5 inches in an aquarium against a published maximum of 11, and nobody says how long either takes. On a fish sold at two inches that is the figure a buyer most needs, and it does not exist on any page we hold.
How to breed one
Seriously Fish: as far as we know it has not been bred in aquaria but is farmed for the trade in large numbers with the aid of hormones. Wikipedia says it does not breed readily in home aquaria. So every fish on sale is a farmed fish, and on one source a hormone-treated one.
Whether the name is right
One technical source says the fish occurs naturally in neither country it is named after; the other lists a Chinese province in its range. This record prints both and carries neither, because the name is not one of the nine fields.
Which fish you actually bought
Three names in the trade are close enough to confuse, and a federal database uses one species’ name for another. Our siamese algae eater record has the identification details our sources publish, and they do not settle every case. What both records agree on is the consequence: one of these fish reaches six inches and grazes algae, and the other reaches eleven and grazes tank mates.
Chinese algae eater questions, answered from the record
Do chinese algae eaters eat algae?
As juveniles, yes, and that is what they are sold for. Seriously Fish calls the species primarily an aufwuchs grazer feeding on algae, small crustaceans and insect larvae. aqua-fish says juveniles are primarily herbivores feeding on algae and plant matter while adults require a mix of plant and animal-based foods. Aquariadise puts it plainly: as they grow larger they become more territorial and start to prefer meatier foods. So the fish stops doing the job it was bought for, and Aquariadise draws the conclusion for the buyer: never treat an algae problem with a fish if you cannot house it in your tank indefinitely.
Are chinese algae eaters aggressive?
Yes, and the most technical source is the most specific. Seriously Fish: largely unsuitable for the general community aquarium, and it can display particularly high levels of aggression towards similar-looking fishes. It adds that the fish may even attach itself to the flanks of larger tankmates in order to feed on their body mucus. Aquariadise describes fish that latch onto the sides of other fish, sucking away at their slime coat, and says they have been known to kill other larger and more aggressive fish. aqua-fish calls it territorial toward its own species and aggressive to smaller fish.
What size tank does a chinese algae eater need?
50 gallons on this record, and the shape matters more than the number. Seriously Fish asks for base dimensions of 150 by 45 cm, 60 by 18 inches, as the smallest that should be considered, which is a five foot tank. Tankarium asks for 50 gallons for an adult and 30 for a juvenile, and Aquariadise for 30 gallons, or at least 60 if you want two. Every figure is for one fish, because every source that discusses company says this one is better off alone.
How big do chinese algae eaters get?
Eleven inches on the two technical sources and about five in a tank on the two care sheets. Seriously Fish gives a maximum standard length of 280 mm and Wikipedia at least 28 cm; aqua-fish gives 20 to 28 cm; Aquariadise says up to 11 inches while adding that the fish tend to grow much shorter in an aquarium and will more than likely reach about 5 inches; Tankarium gives four to five inches in captivity. The row carries both ends, because the gap between them is a tank size decision.
Chinese algae eater vs siamese algae eater: what is the difference?
Size, mouth and temper, and our siamese algae eater record spends a whole station on it. Aquarium Co-Op, on that record, puts the chinese algae eater at 11 inches with a suckermouth and brown to gold coloring behind a black stripe, against a six inch SAE with clear fins; Aquarium Store Depot describes the chinese fish as having a craggy stripe, being more aggressive, growing larger, and being poor for home aquariums. Tankarium adds the practical difference: the siamese will consume a wider range of algae species and is generally more expensive. And the US Fish and Wildlife Service lists siamese algae-eater among the common names of this species, which is how the confusion survives.
Is it really from China?
Our two technical sources disagree. Seriously Fish: it is often seen on sale under the trade names Indian or Chinese algae eater but does not occur naturally in either country, giving its range as Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam in the Mae Klong, Chao Phraya, Middle and Lower Mekong and Dong Nai basins. Wikipedia lists the Mekong basin in Cambodia, Yunnan province in China, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam. So one source excludes China and the other includes a Chinese province, and the name is either wrong or barely right.
Can a chinese algae eater live in a community tank?
The most technical source says no in six words: largely unsuitable for the general community aquarium, and it adds that this is true though the fish is normally sold as such. Aquariadise recommends a species-only tank in the long term to avoid injury or stress to other tank mates. On this site the grid refuses three pairings on those sentences, our siamese algae eater, corydoras and amano shrimp records, and carries three more as one setting only.
What water does a chinese algae eater need?
77 to 79 °F, pH 6.0 to 8.0 and 89 to 321 ppm. The pH row is unusual here: four sources publish exactly the same range, which is rare enough on this site to be worth saying, and it is the widest pH row we carry. The temperature is the opposite, two degrees from four bands, and it is the one figure that puts this record outside the 75 to 76 °F the rest of the site shares.
How long do chinese algae eaters live?
Five to ten years. Tankarium publishes 5 to 10, aqua-fish around 5, and Aquariadise says they can easily surpass 10 years and even live to 15, while calling that unlikely even under perfect water conditions in the same sentence. Seriously Fish and the US Fish and Wildlife Service publish no lifespan.
Can chinese algae eaters be bred at home?
Not on our sources, and the reason is worth knowing before buying one. Seriously Fish: as far as we know it has not been bred in aquaria but is farmed for the trade in large numbers with the aid of hormones. Wikipedia says the species does not breed readily in home aquaria. aqua-fish is the only source with any detail, calling them egg-layers whose fry hatch within 2 to 3 days. On sexing, Seriously Fish gives sexually mature females as noticeably thicker-bodied, with adult males developing tubercules on the snout when spawning.
What can a chinese algae eater live with?
Fish that do not look like it and are too big to hold onto. Aquariadise names tiger barbs, swordtails, emperor tetras and mollies; Tankarium names characids, cyprinids and African cichlids. Both refuse the same groups: invertebrates, other bottom feeders and similar-looking species, with Tankarium naming corydoras, snails and Japanese algae eater shrimps outright. Not one of the fish they recommend is a record on this site, which is the honest state of our grid for this species.
Will a chinese algae eater eat my plants?
One source answers this and it cuts both ways. Aquariadise: plants and additional surfaces will cultivate biofilm for your fish to constantly feed on, however, there is a chance that your fish will also eventually eat those plants. The same page asks for plenty of caves made out of driftwood and rocks for the fish to retreat to, and for a smooth substrate to avoid injuring its underbelly. So the planted tank is both the food source and the casualty, and none of the other five sources publishes anything about live plants at all. Against our own plant records, the two that survive most animals here are our java fern and anubias, whose leaves five sources call too tough or bad-tasting, and our water sprite record is the one three sources say a plant eater will strip.
Do they suck on other fish?
Two sources say so and one explains why. Seriously Fish: it may even attach itself to the flanks of larger tankmates in order to feed on their body mucus. Tankarium describes adults sucking the slime coat of other fishes. Wikipedia gives the mechanism: the mouth is inferior with a special sucker modification which allows the fish to attach itself to smooth surfaces. A mouth built for glass will hold a flank, which is why the water column row on this record reads bottom, and on the glass.
What a chinese algae eater needs that an otocinclus does not
Three things our sources ask for, and the first is a tank nobody expects.
- A five foot baseSeriously Fish asks for 150 by 45 cm as the smallest considered, on a fish sold beside two inch algae eaters
- Smooth sand or rounded graveltwo sources ask for it, and the mouth is the reason: it is built to hold onto flat surfaces
- No similar-looking tank matesone source records particularly high levels of aggression towards similar-looking fishes, which is most of the fish it is sold beside
Every item our records ask for is gathered on the tank setup topic.
Nothing here is a paid link. It is the shortfall between what this record asks for and what a boxed kit contains.
How this record was compiled
- By
- Verified
- Sources
Seriously Fish, Gyrinocheilus aymonieri, Wikipedia, Gyrinocheilus aymonieri, Aquariadise, chinese algae eater, Tankarium, chinese algae eater, aqua-fish, chinese algae eater and US Fish and Wildlife Service, species profile
- Conflicts
Printed rather than resolved: one source says the fish occurs naturally in neither of the countries it is named after and another lists a Chinese province in its range; a federal database lists siamese algae-eater among its common names, which is a different species we hold a record for; the adult size is 11 inches on two technical sources and 4 to 5 in a tank on two care sheets; and the minimum tank runs 30 gallons, 50 gallons and a 60 by 18 inch base
- Blanks
Growth rate stay empty until a source we trust states them
- Not recorded
A growth rate, because none of the six sources publishes one; a breeding method, because the most technical source says it has not been bred in aquaria and is farmed for the trade in large numbers with the aid of hormones; and whether the fish in a shop is one of those hormone-farmed fish, because nothing on a tank label says so