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    Chinese Algae Eater

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    fishybobo123
    The document provides information on the Chinese algae eater fish, including its description, habitat, diet, behavior, breeding and availability. It notes that the fish was first described in 1883 in northern India and central Thailand. It inhabits lakes, rivers and flood plains, using its sucker mouth to adhere to surfaces. When young, it is a good community fish that forages on algae, but can become territorial and harass tankmates when older. Not much is known about its breeding in captivity, though the author discovered fry unexpectedly in a heavily planted tank.

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    Chinese Algae Eater

    Uploaded by

    fishybobo123
    138 views4 pages
    The document provides information on the Chinese algae eater fish, including its description, habitat, diet, behavior, breeding and availability. It notes that the fish was first described in 1883 in northern India and central Thailand. It inhabits lakes, rivers and flood plains, using its sucker mouth to adhere to surfaces. When young, it is a good community fish that forages on algae, but can become territorial and harass tankmates when older. Not much is known about its breeding in captivity, though the author discovered fry unexpectedly in a heavily planted tank.

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    All you need to know about Algae Eaters

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    The document provides information on the Chinese algae eater fish, including its description, habitat, diet, behavior, breeding and availability. It notes that the fish was first described in 1883 in northern India and central Thailand. It inhabits lakes, rivers and flood plains, using its sucker mouth to adhere to surfaces. When young, it is a good community fish that forages on algae, but can become territorial and harass tankmates when older. Not much is known about its breeding in captivity, though the author discovered fry unexpectedly in a heavily planted tank.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as doc, pdf, or txt
    138 views4 pages

    Chinese Algae Eater

    Uploaded by

    fishybobo123
    The document provides information on the Chinese algae eater fish, including its description, habitat, diet, behavior, breeding and availability. It notes that the fish was first described in 1883 in northern India and central Thailand. It inhabits lakes, rivers and flood plains, using its sucker mouth to adhere to surfaces. When young, it is a good community fish that forages on algae, but can become territorial and harass tankmates when older. Not much is known about its breeding in captivity, though the author discovered fry unexpectedly in a heavily planted tank.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as doc, pdf, or txt
    of 4

    Chinese algae eater

    The Chinese Algae Eater was described by Tirant in 1883. They are found in northern India and Central Thailand. They inhabit large and medium sized waterways such as lakes, rivers and flood plains where they found adhered to solid surfaces with their 'sucker' type mouth. This fish that we are calling the 'Chinese Algae Eater' is one of those fish with a multitude of common names, including such things as: Algae eater, Indian Algae Eater. Siamese Algae Eater, Siamese Headbreather, Sucker loach, Sucking loa, Sucking loach, and Biforated Carp. Not the most beautiful of fishes, the body of the Chinese Algae Eater is plain with a notable black stripe from the tip of its "nose" to its tail. Though their color is quite variable, they are often yellowish on the sides, more brown along their back, and have a yellow eye. The stripe is often broken, and there can be black spotting along the back and at the base of the dorsal and caudal fin. They have an under slung mouth which forms a sucking disk, perfect for anchoring to a surface especially in fast moving water. Size - Weight: They grow up to 11 inches (27 cm). They are mature at 4.5 inches (12 cm). Personally we have seen them at 5 inches which is a surprisingly large fish, but we have never seen one approach 11 inches. Care and feeding: Generally the Chinese Algae Eater, Indian Algae Eater, or Sucking Loach prefers an herbivorous diet of algae and vegetable matter, but they will eat live and flake foods also. You can occasionally substitute crushed lettuce or spinach for algae. This fish prefers hiding places in wood, rocks and plants. An aquarium best suited to this fish would have lots of plants and other decor. Since they graze on algae most of the time, some sunlight on the aquarium to promote the algae growth is appreciated. When small they can fit in most any size aquarium, but as they grow a minimum of 25 gallons is suggested. Of course an even larger aquarium will provide more natural algae for them and suit their needs better. Water Region: Top, Middle, Bottom: These fish will swim on the bottom of the aquarium. Acceptable Water Conditions: Hardness: 5 - 19 dGH Ph: 6.0 - 8.0 Temp: 77 - 82 F (25 - 28 C)

    Social Behaviors: When young they are a good community fish. The busy young Chinese Algae Eater will go about its business of greedily foraging algae from the glass sides of the tank, the plants, the substrate, and any decor. When it gets older however, it can start to defend a territory and can continually harass tankmates. They are especially cantankerous in groups of more than five individuals of their own kind, adult specimens are often best just kept alone. Sexual Differences: Chinese Algae Eaters have 'thorns' around their mouth. The males' thorns are more numerous and more pronounced than the females'. Breeding/Reproduction: Not much is known about the breeding behaviors of these fish. To our knowledge they have not been intentionally bred in the aquarium or commercially, though there have been reports of accidental breeding. Availability: The Chinese Algae Eater, Indian Algae Eater, or Sucking Loach is readily available and is very popular. Single specimens start at about $5.00 USD.

    Gyrinocheilus aymonieri Common name: Chinese algae-eater Family: Gyrinocheilidae (Algae eaters) Order: Cypriniformes (carps) Class: Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) Max size: 30 cm/ 12 inches Water conditions: pH range: 6.0 - 8.0, temperature 25 - 28C/ 77-82F I would like to say a few words about one of the bigger surprises I've had as an aquarist. A few years ago I was cleaning out a 50 gallon holding tank in which I kept fishes that were going to a new aquarium when the new aquarium was ready. I also used it for keeping fish I didn't know what else to do with. At this time this aquarium was home to twelve blue discus of about 10 cm, and four albino Chinese algae-eaters that were about 20 cm. The aquarium was overgrown with lots of C. Demersum since it had been neglected a little during the previous months. Now the time had come to clean this aquarium and try to weed out the jungle that had formed. To my big surprise I found a small (1.5 - 2cm) Chinese algae-eater fry. After looking around a little more I found a total of seven fry. I stopped the cleaning and left the aquarium as it was, since the water quality was good and I didn't want to change too much. I didn't see any reason to move the fry since they seemed big enough to be safe from the discus which I was moving to a 120 gallon Amazon tank in a few days anyway. The fry survived and grew relatively fast on a diet of what they could find in the wellplanted aquarium, and boiled lettuce. But I never got the parents to spawn again, and the fry themselves never spawned either. However I would like to say a few words about how the Chinese algae-eaters had been kept before the spawning, and which waters they spawned in, to see if I can help anyone else have success where I failed - to breed Chinese algae-eaters and figure out what triggers them to breed. When I found the fry their parents had been in the holding tank for about 2-3 months. Before that I had kept them in a 50 gallon tank which was heavily circulated and contained very few plants. Temperature was 25C/ 77F. They were kept with clown loaches and various barbs. I've been wondering if the fact that they were kept in a heavily circulated aquarium and then moved to an aquarium with close to no circulation and warmer water (28C/ 82F) may have simulated a natural change in conditions that precedes spawning. The breeding tank was as I said before, heavily planted, and had little or no circulation at all, due to the vegetation. The water was old and clean. Dh about 4. I can't say the exact water conditions as I don't know exactly when the spawning took place. However the

    water conditions had been relatively stable and it is reasonably safe to assume that the stated water conditions are correct. The Chinese algae-eaters had been fed a varied diet which consisted mainly of boiled lettuce and broccoli, Hikari sinking algae wafers, and shrimps. They also ate the leftovers from the food I gave the barbs and loaches, which consisted mainly of different frozen foods. Sexing the fishes I assume is simple. I believe it's done in the same way as Corydoras catfishes. Some fish have much broader bodies and I assume them to be females; males are more slender especially if well fed. Getting the fish into spawning condition seems to be quite simple if they are fed a good diet. However the problem seems to be triggering them to spawn. As I said, I never got them to spawn again. Maybe you will have better luck!

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