Chinese Sucker

About

The Chinese sucker (Myxocyprinus asiaticus) is one of the most misleadingly marketed fish in the hobby. Juveniles are sold under a string of trade names, 'Chinese banded shark', 'freshwater batfish', 'high-fin banded loach', and they are genuinely arresting young fish, with tall sail-like dorsal fins and bold banded patterning. The problem is that almost no one selling them mentions that those cute little fish can reach close to a metre in length and live for 25 years or more. It is the only Asian member of the family Catostomidae, a group of fleshy-lipped, bottom-feeding fishes found almost entirely in North America, and it is native to the Yangtze River basin in China. In the wild it forms groups and undertakes seasonal migrations into fast-flowing headwaters to spawn, which tells you something about the kind of space and current it expects. It is entirely peaceful and can be kept alongside other large riverine species in a suitably scaled setup, but that scale is the catch. This is not a fish for a standard home aquarium. Captive breeding has not been documented; juveniles in the trade are produced commercially using hormone treatments. It is also illegal to own privately in several countries, so check your local regulations before pursuing one.