Cambodian log sucker

Care at a glance

Overview

The Cambodian log sucker is a peaceful, gregarious bottom dweller that does best in a small group of three to five, where it grazes and forages together rather than living alone. It spends its time working along the floor and over rocks and wood, rasping algae and biofilm with an underslung, sucker like mouth. It mixes well with calm community fish and other active bottom feeders, though individuals can squabble briefly over feeding spots. Offer a mixed diet built around algae wafers, spirulina, and blanched vegetables, with sinking pellets and frozen foods to complete it. A tank around 120 liters or larger gives the group enough floor space.

In the wild

This fish comes from clear, fast flowing hill streams and rivers across Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam, where it clings to rocks in well oxygenated, current swept runs. It prefers cooler to moderate water of about 20–27 C and a near neutral pH of 6.5–7.5. Reproduce that setting with strong flow, a substrate of sand, gravel, and smooth stones, and plenty of water worn rock and driftwood for grazing and shelter. High oxygen levels and clean, clear water matter more to this species than heavy planting.

Good to know

Garra cambodgiensis belongs to the family Cyprinidae and grows to around 15 cm, larger than many of the algae grazing fish it is sold alongside. Members of the genus Garra have a fleshy, sucker like lower lip that lets them hold position and feed in strong current. Its breeding habits in the wild involve seasonal movement in flowing water, and there is no established record of it being reproduced in home aquaria. Most fish in the trade are wild collected or pond raised on Southeast Asian farms.

Did you know

This species is often sold as the false Siamese algae eater because it looks so much like the true Siamese algae eater, Crossocheilus oblongus. The quickest ways to tell them apart are the mouth and barbels, and the fact that the log sucker grows noticeably larger and heavier with age.

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