Chinese algae eater tank mates

Chinese algae eater: semi-aggressive, 11 in, kept in groups of 6 or more, swims in the bottom and middle of the tank and needs about 95 gallons. The list below checks every species in our catalog against it.

Each species is checked against Chinese algae eaters both ways: mouth size, fin nipping, temperament, territory, water overlap and keeper reports.

Good tank mates

Panda corydoras
Corydoras panda
Fits
Friendly armoured catfish that sift the sand in groups; need soft substrate and a group of six or more.
1.6 in · 17+ gal · 72–77°F · pH 6–7.2
Cherry shrimp
Neocaridina davidi
Fits
Bright red dwarf shrimp that graze all day and breed in a planted tank; tiny bioload, but fry are snacks for most fish.
1.6 in · 4+ gal · 72–75°F · pH 6.5–7.8
Amano shrimp
Caridina multidentata
Fits
The best-known algae-eating shrimp, made famous by Takashi Amano; bigger than cherries and a good fit for planted community tanks.
2 in · 7+ gal · 72–77°F · pH 6.5–7.5
Black widow tetra
Gymnocorymbus ternetzi
Fits
A hardy, deep-bodied tetra with black 'skirt' fins; easy for beginners, but a small group nips the fins of its tank mates.
2.4 in · 22+ gal · 68–79°F · pH 6–7
Common pleco
Pterygoplichthys pardalis
Fits
The classic store 'algae eater' that grows to nearly two feet, fouls the water and eats less algae with age; a fish for very large tanks only.
22.8 in · 203+ gal · 77–82°F · pH 7–7.5
Kuhli loach
Pangio semicincta
Fits
A banded, eel-like loach of about 4 inches that burrows by day and explores the bottom as a group in the evening; needs soft sand.
3.9 in · 17+ gal · 70–79°F · pH 3.5–7
Leopard sailfin pleco
Pterygoplichthys gibbiceps
Fits
A tall-finned pleco with a brocade pattern that is sold at 2 inches and grows to about 20, needing a very large tank and heavy filtration.
19.7 in · 187+ gal · 77–86°F · pH 5–7
Severum
Heros severus / Heros efasciatus
Fits
A calm, large South American cichlid often kept with angelfish and catfish; eats soft plants and any fish that fits in its mouth.
7.9 in · 76+ gal · 72–84°F · pH 5.5–6.5
Three spot gourami
Trichopodus trichopterus
Fits
The most common gourami: hardy, omnivorous and an air breather, though males can turn quarrelsome, especially when spawning.
5.9 in · 26+ gal · 75–86°F · pH 6–8
Assassin snail
Anentome helena
Fits
A yellow-and-brown striped predatory snail kept to control bladder, ramshorn and trumpet snails; it breeds slowly and never becomes a pest.
1 in · 3+ gal · 70–81°F · pH 7.2–8
Bladder snail
Physella acuta
Fits
A small left-coiled snail that usually hitchhikes in on plants; a self-fertilising hermaphrodite, so a single one starts a colony.
0.6 in · 1+ gal · 63–84°F · pH 7–8
Dwarf orange crayfish
Cambarellus patzcuarensis
Fits
A bright orange crayfish of about 1.5 inches and the only popular crayfish that fits a planted tank with peaceful fish.
1.6 in · 10+ gal · 64–79°F · pH 6.8–8
Malaysian trumpet snail
Melanoides tuberculata
Fits
A cone-shelled snail that lives in the substrate and stirs it; it breeds without a mate and gives birth to live young, so it fills a tank fast.
1 in · 2+ gal · 64–77°F · pH 7–8.5
Mystery snail
Pomacea diffusa
Fits
The most popular large aquarium snail; it leaves healthy plants alone and lays its eggs above the waterline, so numbers are easy to control.
2.2 in · 7+ gal · 68–82°F · pH 7–8
Ramshorn snail
Planorbarius corneus
Fits
The classic flat-coiled snail every fishkeeper knows; it cleans up film and leftovers, breeds easily, and the red form is especially popular.
1.4 in · 4+ gal · 70–81°F · pH 7–8
Bamboo shrimp
Atyopsis moluccensis
Fits
A large, fully peaceful shrimp that catches floating food with fans on its front legs; it needs strong flow and a mature tank or it starves.
3.1 in · 17+ gal · 73–82°F · pH 6.5–7.5
Black phantom tetra
Hyphessobrycon megalopterus
Fits
A calm, deep-bodied tetra with a black shoulder patch; males with tall dorsal fins put on harmless sparring displays.
1.4 in · 23+ gal · 72–82°F · pH 6–7
Boeseman's rainbowfish
Melanotaenia boesemani
Fits
A two-tone rainbowfish, blue-violet in front and orange behind; needs warm, hard, alkaline water and a long tank.
3.5 in · 34+ gal · 81–86°F · pH 7–8
Ghost shrimp
Palaemonetes paludosus
Fits
A cheap, see-through North American shrimp whose insides are visible; easy to keep, but short-lived and often hard on fry and shrimplets.
1.9 in · 7+ gal · 64–82°F · pH 7–8
Kissing gourami
Helostoma temminckii
Fits
The famous kissing fish grows to about 10 inches and can live over 20 years; its kisses are really contests for dominance.
9.8 in · 95+ gal · 72–86°F · pH 6–8
Paradise fish
Macropodus opercularis
Fits
One of Europe's first aquarium fish: a hardy, striped labyrinth fish that lives without a heater, but males are pugnacious.
3.1 in · 23+ gal · 61–72°F · pH 6–8
Silver dollar
Metynnis argenteus
Fits
A large, disc-shaped silver fish related to piranhas but plant-eating; skittish, shoaling and able to strip a planted tank bare.
5.9 in · 81+ gal · 75–82°F · pH 6–7
Weather loach
Misgurnus anguillicaudatus
Fits
A long, cool-water loach that digs in sand and reacts to pressure changes; a good goldfish companion that reaches up to 11 inches.
11 in · 76+ gal · 64–73°F · pH 6–8
Colombian ramshorn
Marisa cornuarietis
Fits
A large striped ramshorn from South America that grows to about 2 inches and eats almost every plant, plus other snails' eggs.
1.8 in · 13+ gal · 70–81°F · pH 7–8

And 5 more in the species catalog.

Risky

And 91 more in the species catalog.

Avoid

And 5 more in the species catalog.

Every tank is different. Set yours up once (size, water, who already lives there) and each species is checked against it.

Related guides