''Gyrinocheilus'' is the single genus in the family Gyrinocheilidae, a family of small

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...

cypriniform Cypriniformes is an order of ray-finned fish, including the carps, minnows, loaches, and relatives. Cypriniformes is an Order within the Superorder Ostariophysi consisting of "Carp-like" Ostariophysins. This order contains 11-12 families ...

fish Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% of li ...

es that live in fast-flowing

freshwater Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. Although the term specifically excludes seawater and brackish water, it does include ...

mountain streams. The species in this genus are commonly called "algae eaters." They hold on to fixed objects using a sucker-like mouth, and, despite the name, feed on a wide range of

detritus In biology, detritus () is dead particulate organic material, as distinguished from dissolved organic material. Detritus typically includes the bodies or fragments of bodies of dead organisms, and fecal material. Detritus typically hosts commun ...

, rather than simply on

algae Algae (; singular alga ) is an informal term for a large and diverse group of photosynthetic eukaryotic organisms. It is a polyphyletic grouping that includes species from multiple distinct clades. Included organisms range from unicellular mic ...

. A "golden" variety of ''G. aymonieri'', the Chinese algae eater or "sucking loach", can be found in many pet shops and fish farms.

Sucker

The mouths of these fish have developed into a

suckermouth In fish, a suckermouth is a ventrally-oriented (inferior) mouth adapted for grazing on algae and small organisms that grow on submerged objects. All Loricariidae possess a suckermouth as do the cypriniform algae eaters of the genus ''Gyrinocheilus' ...

, which allows the fish to cling onto objects in the fast-moving water of their habitat. They therefore stay close to the bottom, where their primary food, algae, is more readily available. Uniquely among fish, members of this family have gill slits with two openings each. Water enters through one opening, and leaves through the other. This allows the fish to breathe without having to take water in through the mouth, which is in use to cling to surfaces. The Chinese algae eater is sometimes kept in aquaria to control algae. It can range up to 11 in (28 cm) in length and has a reputation for becoming increasingly territorial as it matures, and can also be aggressive to other fish, especially slow, flat-bodied species. In the home

aquarium An aquarium (plural: ''aquariums'' or ''aquaria'') is a vivarium of any size having at least one transparent side in which aquatic plants or animals are kept and displayed. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, aq ...

, the Chinese algae eater generally makes a poor tank mate. It can be very boisterous, and when improperly fed, has been known to attack other fish and rip off scales, causing infection. It rarely takes food from the surface of the water as it is a

demersal The demersal zone is the part of the sea or ocean (or deep lake) consisting of the part of the water column near to (and significantly affected by) the seabed and the benthos. The demersal zone is just above the benthic zone and forms a layer of ...

species, and as such an appropriate sinking food should be provided. It is very hardy and can endure water conditions that would be toxic to many other aquarium fish, but it should never be kept in such conditions intentionally. Thriving over a wide temperature range, 64-86 °F (18-30 °C), it is frequently kept in unheated indoor aquariums in some climates.

Species

* '' Gyrinocheilus aymonieri'' ( Tirant, 1883) * ''

Gyrinocheilus pennocki ''Gyrinocheilus pennocki'', also known as the spotted algae eater, is a species of freshwater fish endemic to the Mekong basin in Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kin ...

'' ( Fowler, 1937) (spotted algae eater) * ''

Gyrinocheilus pustulosus ''Gyrinocheilus pustulosus'' (common name: Borneo algae-eater) is a species of cyprinid of the genus ''Gyrinocheilus''. It inhabits the Kapuas, Mahakam and Kayan basins of Indonesian Borneo. It is ten dorsal soft rays and 39 or 40 vertebrae. Unse ...

'' Vaillant, 1902 (Borneo algae eater)

Similar fish

As "algae eater" is a common name for several fish, gyrinocheilids can be easily confused with other species. Most notably is the

Siamese algae eater The Siamese algae-eater (''Crossocheilus oblongus'') is a species of freshwater fish in the carp family, Cyprinidae. This bottom-dwelling tropical fish is found in mainland Southeast Asia, including the Chao Phraya and Mekong basins as well as t ...

, ''Crossocheilus siamensis'', which belongs to the family

Cyprinidae Cyprinidae is a family of freshwater fish commonly called the carp or minnow family. It includes the carps, the true minnows, and relatives like the barbs and barbels. Cyprinidae is the largest and most diverse fish family and the largest verte ...

.www.thekrib.com/Fish/Algae eaters

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q346958 Cypriniformes genera Gyrinocheilidae Taxa named by Léon Vaillant