Chinese Algae Eater (Gyrinocheilus aymonieri)

yoink

Great for algae control, only draw back is it can be a bit territoral, likes to dig and have some where to hide.

daniel

I have two of these guys. They are about 6 inches long and I love them. they rarely fight but I have a long 55 gallon tank with lots of hiding spots. Gorgeous bottom feeders!

Robin

lauraleellbp

This is the worst fish I've ever owned. Grew like a weed and got uglier and meaner the bigger it got. It either outright killed or bullied to death almost every fish I ever tried to keep with it. They can grow up to 12" and as they get bigger they tend to stop eating algae and instead outcompete all the other fish for fish food. I really would not recommend this fish.

jaysen

i agree and feel this fish is not suitable for peaceful aquariums. they get large and stop eating algae. they have killed many fish in my aquarium, even larger ones. the albino ones do look nice when they get larger but i would stay far from them.

aznkonner

When small and fed extremely well these guys are peaceful. However, they do get aggressive if they're even the slightest bit hungry. I had one with koi long ago and these guys killed the koi. They like to eat the slime coat on bigger fish. And like someone mentioned before as they get bigger they stop eating algae. I think the change in diet might be due to some sort of preparation for breeding. They also get very lazy once they get large. I think these guys would do well with small fish like cardinals and other small quick tetras. Larger fish have larger bodies in which these guys can suck on and eventually kill.

bellearoo

I have four Chinese Agae Eaters, one in a 5 gallon tank with my guppies and three others in my 77 gallon tank with guppies, platies, swordtails, angel fish and three siamese algae eaters and a very large common pleco. Two of them are the kind with the zipper type stripe down their sides and one is a gold one. They have many fish they could kill if they wanted, but they all seem to get along. Like others have said they aren't good for cleaning algae off of tank surfaces, and when I got them a couple of years ago they were only 2 inches and I had no idea they and my two plecos got so big. They are now over 6 inches long. They do swim around all fast and crazy and wreck stuff sometimes, and they like to move the gravel around and dig under things, and they can be rough on the plants. But when others talk about them sucking on their other fishes slime coat it is because they are hungry. They need to be fed more than just flake food, and they do like algae, but they want it in wafer form, such brats. They also like cucumber, squash and other vegetables. If they are well fed they are much better behaved, but I won't ever buy them again, they get too big and can be too messy, especially the plecos. But I am a responsible fish owner and have true affection for my pets so I will keep them until they die. I would recommend them to people who have large tanks and enjoy large fish, they are not for the small tanked beginners and that is how the petshops sell them as. They really need to stock some other smaller algae eaters for the beginner.