Chinese Algae Eater Facts:

Scientific Name : Gyrinocheilus aymonieri

Diet

A well-balanced Algae Eater diet consists of:

• Food may be flaked, pellet, frozen or live.
• Avoid exclusive food which is not nutritionally complete.

Feeding

Things to remember when feeding your Algae Eater:

• Feed small amounts several times a day. Portion size should be what the fish can consume in about 3 minutes.
• Thaw frozen foods if you choose to feed frozen.

Housing

• Keep in an appropriate size aquarium; provide plants for hiding, various species may prefer sparse or thick vegetation.
• Stable water quality, water temperature, and pH levels are critical to the health of the aquatic life. If you are unsure of your water quality or pH levels, Home Aquatics offers water testing.

Characteristics

• Chinese Algae Eaters have multiple small tubercles or "thorns" around the mouth. These tubercles are more numerous and pronounced on males in spawning condition.

Habitat Maintenance

Daily: Check filter, water temperature and other equipment.
Weekly: Check water quality at least once a week.
Monthly: Change 10-25% of the total volume of water every 2-4 weeks, or as needed.
Introduce new inhabitants to the aquarium gradually.

Compatibility

When young, they are good community fish. The active young Algae Eater will mind its own business, greedily foraging for algae. When it gets older, however, it can become territorial and may harass its tankmates.

Health

Signs of a Healthy Fish

• Clear eyes
• Healthy appetite
• Bright, even coloring
• Clean in appearance

Avoid overcrowded conditions; they are a major cause of stress and disease. Maintain good water quality with regular water changes and adequate filtration.

Red Flags

• loss of color or appetite
• spots or fungus on body or mouth
• erratic swimming
• frayed fins

Common Health Issues

In a community tank, they are best kept with fast-moving fish. 

The Chinese Algae Eater is an active fish that will spend most of its time on the bottom of the aquarium. For juveniles, a 25-30 gallon aquarium is the suggested minimum, but a 55 gallon tank or larger will be needed to house adults, especially when kept in a group.

These fish are easy to care for provided that they always have clean, well-oxygenated water. 

They will eat most fish foods including flakes, frozen, freeze dried and live foods such as brine shrimp, but when they are young they are mostly herbivores.