Red garra
Garra rufa
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The doctor fish from Turkey, Syria, Israel, Jordan, Iraq and Iran is known for 'fish spas', where it nibbles bathers' skin. In the wild it lives on the bottom, preferably in flowing water, grazing biofilm from rocks, and scatters its eggs over gravel. It is a complex of similar species, and it is unclear which of them is sold in the trade.
- Scientific name
- Garra rufa
- Family
- Cyprinidae
Fact sheet
General
- Water
- Freshwater
- Group
- Fish
Taxonomy
- Family
- Cyprinidae
- Order
- Cypriniformes
- Synonyms
- Discognathus crenulatus, Discognathus lamta, Discognathus obtusus, Discognathus rufus, Garra lamta, Garra rufa crenulata, Garra rufa obtusa, Garra rufus
Origin
- Native region
- Ásia
Water
- Temperature
- 14–20 °C
- pH
- 6–8
- General hardness (GH)
- 1–15 °dGH
Size and lifespan
- Adult size
- 12 cm
- Minimum tank (volume)
- 243 L
- Minimum tank (length)
- 120 cm
Behavior
- Temperament
- Peaceful
- Social life
- School
- Swimming level
- Middle
- Diet
- Herbivore
Care
- Care difficulty
- Moderate
Reproduction
- Breeding strategy
- Egg scatterer
Conservation and trade
- IUCN status
- Least concern (LC)
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