Photo: Garthhh, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Chinese algae eater
Gyrinocheilus aymonieri
28 cm
Adult size
400 L
Minimum volume
1
Minimum group
12 years
Lifespan
Water parameters
Understand these values- Genus
- Gyrinocheilus
- Diet
- herbivore
- Social life
- solitary
In the wild
Overview
Sold as the “Chinese” or “Indian algae eater”, it lives in neither China nor India. Young fish are sold with no information on their temperament, adult size (28 cm) or lifespan, which can exceed 15 years. All fish in the trade are farmed; there are albino, golden and piebald forms, and the golden form is sometimes artificially coloured by injection.
- Scientific name
- Gyrinocheilus aymonieri (Tirant, 1883)
- Classification
- Cypriniformes › Gyrinocheilidae
- IUCN Red List
- Least concern (LC)
Natural habitat
Mae Klong, Chao Phraya, middle and lower Mekong and Dong Nai basins: Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam
Observations (GBIF) and localities Native countries Rivers and lakes
It lives in flowing streams, over boulders, pebbles, gravel and sand, often near submerged wood or roots, and moves into flooded fields. Attached to surfaces by its sucker mouth, it breathes through a small opening above the gills without letting go in the current.
Behaviour
Despite common practice, it is poorly suited to a community tank: discreet when young, it becomes more and more territorial as it grows, very aggressive towards fish that look like it (Crossocheilus, Epalzeorhynchos, Garra), and may latch onto the flanks of slow or flat-bodied fish. An aufwuchs grazer: fresh vegetables (courgette, cucumber, peas), dry food and small live or frozen prey.
Sources:FishBase Seriously Fish GBIF · Base map: Natural Earth