The Golden Chinese Algae Eater is much like the Chinese Algae Eater, but it is albino. They also go by the name of Siamese Algae Eater, Indian Algae Eater or Sucker Fish. Juveniles are extremely useful, as they clean the surfaces in the tank of algae - but adults are not well suited to community tanks.

Young Siamese Algae Eaters will fit into most community tanks. They are not overly aggressive. But this is not true for mature species. Mature Chinese algae eaters usually display aggressive behavior towards other species of fish. They are known to harass and terrorize tank mates. They can also attach themselves to the sides of other fish, which can seriously injure the other fish. If this occurs the algae sucker must be removed permanently. As these fish become older they become more and more aggressive. It has been reported that they stop eating algae as they get older, and this defeats the main purpose of having them in aquarium. Because they tend to grow rather large, they do much better in a large tank of at least 75-gallons. In addition to displaying aggression towards other species, the mature Algae Eaters will defend their territory - even against other Algae Eaters. Aquariums of a hundred gallons or less should only have one Algae Eater. As far as the aquarium setup, the Sucker Fish is not a fussy fish, but it prefers lots of hiding places, such as rock piles, vegetation and a dimly lit tank. Algae Eaters will spend most of their time on the bottom of the tank, sucking algae of the substrate and rocks. The Golden Chinese Algae Eater has an average lifespan between 8 and 10 years.

The Golden Chinese Algae Eater's light brown body makes it a more exotic choice than the regular Chinese Algae Eater. The Siamese Algae Eater usually has a brown body, with dark brown to gray features. These features can be stripes, spots or both. A few fish will be a pure light yellow color. At maturity, the Algae Eater will reach a size of roughly four to six inches. The largest documented Chinese Algae Eater was 11 inches in length Sucker Fish are tubular, with long narrow bodies. When they are eating algae off the glass, you can see their mouth, which is a round suction device. Males tend to be larger than females and will have larger, warty heads.

The Chinese Algae Eater is originally from southeast parts of Asia, including India and Thailand.

Algae Eaters are pretty self-reliant. It is important not to clean the algae in your tank if you have a Sucker Fish, as the algae are their source of food. They like water between 75 and 82 degrees fahrenheit, with a slightly acidic to neutral pH, ranging from 6.2 to 8. They only need to be fed when there are no algae in the tank. If this happens, large quantities of flakes, shrimp pellets and vegetables should be put into the tank. Algae Eaters should not be put into newly established tanks, as there will not yet be any algae present for them to eat.

Do not plan on breeding the Golden Algae Eater. Little is known about their breeding patterns and the two sexes are extremely difficult to distinguish.