Limit: no more than 1 per tank. Increasingly territorial with age; FKW: 50 gal per extra fish.
Check a tank with Chinese algae eater
Good tank mates for Chinese algae eater
These species share its temperature range and temperament, with no fin-nipping or predation risk under our rules. Still check your tank size and bioload in the checker.
African butterflyfish · Angelfish · Banjo catfish · Betta (male) · Black skirt tetra · Blue acara · Buenos Aires tetra · Bumblebee goby · Denison barb · Dojo loach · Dwarf gourami · Flying fox · Gardneri killifish · Giant danio · Jack Dempsey · Jewel cichlid · Kribensis · Pictus catfish · Rainbow shark · Red rainbowfish · Red-tail shark · Sailfin molly · Serpae tetra · Siamese algae eater
Avoid with Chinese algae eater
Boeseman's rainbowfish (temperature) · Common / comet goldfish (temperature) · Discus (temperature) · Fancy goldfish (temperature) · German blue ram (temperature)
Sources
Checked 2026-11-09 · confidence: high. These are cautious community guidelines, not guarantees. Not veterinary advice. Report an error.