i noticed in the stores they say algae eaters grow up to 6-10 inches. ive never seen them any bigger then 2 inches or so. i had 3 of them awhile ago for about a year and they barley grew at all. do they really get that big?

i believe it would depend on which type of algea eater you bought. i have 2 chinese algea eaters and they are both about 4" long now. they're supposed to grow to 10"

i believe it would depend on which type of algea eater you bought. i have 2 chinese algea eaters and they are both about 4" long now. they're supposed to grow to 10"

at my lfs they have a common pleco that is about 15".

yeah im talkin bout the chinese algae eater. and plecos and algae eaters are 2 very different fish. i beleive algae eaters are actually considered loaches.

No real idea about Chinese algae eaters, but I'd try to go for Siamese algae eaters if available, they are said to do a way better job on eating algae. They can be told apart from the Chinese ones by the black line that extends into the caudal fin. The Siamese one I once had (should have been a group though) grew to 6 inches, and had him for 9 years.

i think chinese and Siamese are the same (or similar at least) well i guess the idea of keeping algae eaters went to hell. i got 2 the other day, found both of them dead a couple days later. i got them at petco so i was able to get 2 more being that my water sample was good. the next day, what did i find? 2 more dead algae eaters. brought them back with another water sample and got store credit. i first thought it could have been because theres not enough algae because the tank is somewhat new. but a day or two without food shouldnt do it. not a single other fish has died btw. oh well better luck next time

MetalHead88 wrote:


Well... you are very incorrect algae eater is a generic term. A category consisting of any fish thats main food source is algae. The common plecostomus being the most common one of this category purchased.

Also Chinese algae eaters are sometimes called a sucking loach. But they are not a loach. It is more closely related to a catfish.

So, now I'm getting confused Noticed I added to the confusion myself even, so to tell some apart:

The Chinese algae eater is Gyrinocheilus aymonieri and is a kind of loach of the family Gyrinocheilidae.
The Siamese algae eater is Crossocheilus siamensis and is a cyprinid.
Then there Epalzeorhynchus kalopterus, the Flying Fox, which can be confused with the Siamese algae eater by the looks. And was what I confused with the Chinese algae eater.

Think algae eater in general means what Sunks said, still it's often used for the two a.m. and their relatives that have "algae eater" in their name.

The Chinese algae eater is in no way a loach and is not in the same family as loaches. It is in the same Order as both the loach, catfish, and carp. It is also more closely related to the catfish and carp than it is the loach.

Well whatever you call it, lol. Order Cypriniformes, and we call the family "saugschmerlen", where I know no better word to translate "schmerle" than with "loach". It's certainly in a different family than the clown loach or the many other loaches.

the chinese algae eater is a loach its a sucking loach also known as the chinese algae eater its closely related to the to the carp (Cyprinus carpio) they can get really big and boisterious at times i got one in my tank and he gives my oscar a run for his money.
(Gyrinocheilus aymonieri) thats the latin name have a look on the web this is off wilko


The Chinese algae eater, Gyrinocheilus aymonieri, is sometimes kept in aquaria to control algae. It can range up to 28 cm in length, but aquarium residents tend to be under 10 cm. It has a reputation for becoming increasingly jealous of its territory as it matures, and also can be aggressive to fish, especially slow, flat-bodied fish. In the home aquarium, the algae eater makes a poor tank mate. It is very aggressive and boisterous They often attack other fish and rip off scales, causing infection. It rarely swims to the surface as it likes to be on the bottom of the tank. It is very hardy and can survive in semi-dirty water, plus a wide range of temperatures, 60 - 90F, allowing it to be sometimes kept in unheated aquariums indoors.

Though in the wild they feed exclusively on algae, in the aquarium there is some controversy on the effectiveness of the algae eater. While they are young, they may be effective. But as they grow, they may develop more of a taste for processed foods and consume those instead.

The two other Gyrinocheilus species, the spotted algae eater and the Borneo algae eater, are rarely seen in the aquarium trade.


[Similar fishes
As "algae eater" is a common name for several fishes, gyrinocheilids can be easily often confused with other species. Most notably is the Siamese algae eater, Crossocheilus siamensis, which belongs to family Cyprinidae.

thats good for me ashley