how big will my gold algae eater get? Some sources say 12 inchs and others say only 4 inches?

Answer 1

They can grow up to 12 inches. It all depends on what you feed them. I feed mine with a high protien algae wafer, which will make him grow big fast.

Answer 2

Gold or Chinese algae eaters will grow proportionate to their habitat. For most that means about a foot long. Unfortunately they are, in my opinion and experience, nasty little creatures that have no place in a community aquarium. They really do a **** poor job of keeping the tank clean. And as stated earlier, they become VERY aggressive once they get about 3-4 inches long. I have have gold eaters actually latch onto and bore holes in some platys I had in a 10 gallon starter tank a few years ago. I netted him and threw him out the front door. Unfortunately because of their name most people think they eat algae which is false. They are veggie eaters. they love zucchini. If you are looking for true algae eaters go with plecos. You can find species at your local store that do not grow to 5 feet and weigh 100 lbs. Go with a high-fin or Rubberlipped pleco. They are smart, fun fish to watch and are very peaceful. And they do a much much better job of cleaning the tank.

Answer 3

Any source that says 4 inches is plain wrong. (Saimese algae eater are about that size, and Oto even smaller.) I've personally never seen one more than abut 8 inches, but the reliable source say 10-12 inches.

PS- Wen they get bigger they tend to be very aggressive, and eat other fish.

Answer 4

They grow to 12 inches. They will also stop eating algae as they grow older, and they will begin to suck the slime and scales off of the other fish in the tank. Then they will totally eat the fish once it dies from its injuries.

Answer 5

It will grow fairly large, up to a foot. Please do not keep it in a small aquarium in hopes that it will only grow to the size of the tank. This is called stunting and is very unhealthy for the fish, eventually resulting in premature death.