Photo: Dances, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Doctor fish
Garra rufa
12 cm
Adult size
300 L
Minimum volume
4
Minimum group
8 years
Lifespan
Water parameters
Understand these values- Genus
- Garra
- Diet
- omnivore
- Social life
- small group
In the wild
Overview
The “doctor fish” is used in treatment pools where it nibbles dead skin, with debated effectiveness against psoriasis. It is often unclear whether the fish sold are really G. rufa: the species, as currently understood, probably includes several species.
- Scientific name
- Garra rufa (Heckel, 1843)
- Classification
- Cypriniformes › Cyprinidae
- IUCN Red List
- Least concern (LC)
Natural habitat
Middle East: Jordan, Orontes and Tigris–Euphrates basins, coastal rivers of southern Turkey and northern Syria
Observations (GBIF) and localities Native countries Rivers and lakes
It prefers headwaters and fast tributaries, in clear, oxygen-saturated water where a rich biofilm grows, but also lives in lowland rivers, reservoirs and temporary habitats that partly dry out.
Behaviour
Fairly peaceful, it tolerates its own kind poorly in a small tank; kept alone, it becomes aggressive towards fish of the same shape. A group of three or four settles into a hierarchy without harm. It grazes algae but is not strictly herbivorous: live or frozen prey, sinking food and vegetables. It likes current and fairly cool water.
Sources:FishBase Seriously Fish GBIF · Base map: Natural Earth