potential monster?

After years of fish keeping. I have kind of a situation on my hands.(maybe) about a month ago I bought a Chinese, algae eater (Gyrinocheilus). or Chinese sucker mouth as some refer to them as. I bought him because, I was told that they are pretty effective. but after doing some google research (results my very) I found out that they can get almost a foot long, stop eating algae after about six months, and indulge in Lepidophagy (scale eating) get overtly territorial and basically turn into a nearly one lb parasite.  so far the little fella has grown considerably, but seems peaceful. no one in the tank pays him much mind. and he pops out every now and then to scout for edible matter. so my question/questions to you all is how much of what I have read is true? have any of you had issues good/bad? with this species? do I have a set amount of time before I have to give this guy the proverbial boot? please let me know thanks in advance.

This is a species I would keep my eyes on. If over aggression does develope re home it. These fish are an effective algae eater when small but is known to be territorial once the reach maturity. I have kept these & minnow type fish that seem okay while small then got funky once they reach maturity. Time depends on individual fish, you may even get lucky & have that one fish that you never have an issue with , which is possible as well. Normally this species would be kept in a large aquarium as an adult. Some other species that are known to get spunky when larger are Red tailed sharks and Flying Foxes. All 3 of these fish are quite common in the trade, quite common to purchase without any warning, and quite common removed once they reach about 4 inches.

If you plan on keeping this fish I would consider tank mates that stay on the upper parts of the tank.

Yes, Chinese algae eaters are nasty. They do get large and get very mean, and yes very territorial. The thing is they will attack/feed at night.

My suggestion, get rid of it now.

I've had a couple that got to be around 4-5 inches..... At that size they did chase some of my friendlier fish, but when I relocated to my cichlid tank, they were whipped into shape ( literally and figuratively) ...... I wouldn't keep them very long in one of the peaceful community tanks that are flooding the forums as of late.

I did pretty much the exact same thing, so I feel for you...

I had him for probably two years and never had a problem with mine as far as I could tell, but then again I didn't pay that much attention until someone mentioned the issues that you brought up. I'd say keep it for now, but keep an eye on it once it reaches about 4" or more. Like madness said, they only really come out at night, so it might seem peaceful even as other fish start to get their scales sucked off.

Good luck re-homing it when the time comes, I couldn't find anyone who would take it except The Fish Store in Seattle, and they already had several huge plecos and other over-sized fish in their 20 gallon orphan tanks so he wouldn't have been any better off, probably would have just died in there.

ya, they can be a PITA. i also had to relocate my gold CAE in with my cichlids who don't put up with his crap. mine is about 5 years old and about 4 inches and still eats algae. he minds his manners around the cichlids now that they have put him in his place. LOL. knowing what i know now i would will not buy any more of them or recommend them to any one. Siamese algae eaters are much more efficient with algae clean up and really only fight with each other in my experience. you might try them instead.

iandraco wrote:ya, they can be a PITA.  i also had to relocate my gold CAE in with my cichlids who don't put up with his crap.  mine is about 5 years old and about 4 inches and still eats algae.  he minds his manners around the cichlids now that they have put him in his place.  LOL.  knowing what i know now i would will not buy any more of them or recommend them to any one.  Siamese algae eaters are much more efficient with algae clean up and really only fight with each other in my experience.  you might try them instead.  

 SAE are awesome for planted community tanks. Great recommendation of an alternative landraco  !

Otocinclus is also another good one I have heard, and they stay even smaller. Cory at Aquarium Co-Op has some cool and unusual Oto's like Zebra Oto's (which are obviously more rare and expensive than the normal ones), it would totally be worth checking out if you want to do a school of something smaller rather than one big "algae eater" which, like you said, will stop eating algae pretty quickly.

LuminousAphid wrote:Otocinclus is also another good one I have heard, and they stay even smaller. Cory at Aquarium Co-Op has some cool and unusual Oto's like Zebra Oto's (which are obviously more rare and expensive than the normal ones), it would totally be worth checking out if you want to do a school of something smaller rather than one big "algae eater" which, like you said, will stop eating algae pretty quickly.

Another good suggestion!

An all time favorite for me  for planted tanks 30 gallons plus is Bristlenosed plecos. But everyone that's anyone ;)that has a fully planted tanks house Otto cats and or algae eating shrimp. These little buggers get into every nook and cranny. Just like the Bristlenosed Pleco , real work horses in aquariums.

Amano shrimp are actually my favorite, if you can keep them happy they will do mad work on your fine-leaved plants and keep them spotless. I had issues with algae on Anubias leaves before I got them, and now they are kept clean all the time by the shrimp.

CRS are good for this too, they do a good job of keeping my java moss nice, clean & green.

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I've never had any luck with fish as an algae eater. they always go for an easier food source after time. snails, shrimp have always been my go to clean up crew