Anyone Else Keep Garra Rufa?

[Wanderer]

Hi there, I have shared lots of information about how I came to keep garra rufa fish and how I fell in love with this type of fish, on my thread titled "worried some of my garra rufa fish might be sick". I have never kept fish before, except a long time ago as a child, but I have become so fascinated now. I just wanted to start a thread so that people could share their knowledge and experience of this wonderful breed of fish. Anything about them including behaviour, their favourite food, best plants to keep with them, whether or not yours have bred/ laid eggs, their general health and well-being, etc.

I will post some more pictures of mine. Here is the tank I acquired on ebay, it is a garra rufa pedicure set-up, however my family and I only use it for this purpose sometimes.....I really just keep the fish as pets. I am trying to rehome some of the fish (I have done this successfully for 25 of them yesterday- went to a good home I think) because I think I may have the tanks a bit overcrowded and I want them to be healthy. I thought it was ok to keep a lot together; the ones I now keep in the tank on the right side were all kept together in the fish pedicure place I visited, which is how I came to fall in love with the garra rufa fish. It closed down recently (which I discovered by chance, and only just in time) and I bought all the fish from the tank I had used the week before. I thought that this many would be ok together if they already lived in a tank together of about the same size at this place. 5 of the fish in the left hand tank came from the lady I bought my spa from, and 15 were from a supplier on ebay (all healthy). I thought that the tank was already well cycled but I realize now that the bacteria in the right hand tank probably died ecause I didn't fill it with water until the next day.

So this, along with overcrowding is likely why I had the spike in ammonia.

Also, how much do you feed your garra rufa fish? I give 2 algae wafers a day between 21 fish, and more for the larger tank.

 

[Wanderer]

My Garra Rufa fish enjoying Miramo Balls, or "Moss Balls". The heart shape on the pebble in the tank was there already when I found it. The fish seem to like the pebbles and suck on them. I had some decorative plastic rocks in there which they left alone; I removed these because I thought they looked tacky....natural materials look so much nicer.

I have ordered some driftwood, Java Fern, Java Moss, biorb ceramic rock (for tying plants to) and coconut shell caves for the fish.

And (LOL), not really related to the fish forum, but here is a picture of a fat pigeon (I thought he is cute!) being nosey on the skylight window as I was tending to my fish! I wondered what the sound was and there he was again. And no, he is definitely not going to get near my fish!

 

[Wanderer]

I guess no-one else here keeps garra rufa then?

 

[Wanderer]

A pebble with a naturally formed alien looking face that I found on the beach this last weekend:

And yes, I know that the fish tank looks somewhat dirty....I thought it was fish spit residues on the inside, however today I realized that it was on the outside and I gave it a wipe over.

 

[fluttermoth]

I guess no-one else here keeps garra rufa then?

I've met only a couple of people ever who've kept G. rufa.

Tbh, most people who want fish, want something brightly coloured or strikingly marked or shaped. Poor G. rufa don't have much of that going on for them, really

But if you like them, that's the important thing

 

[Wanderer]

I guess no-one else here keeps garra rufa then?

I've met only a couple of people ever who've kept G. rufa.

Tbh, most people who want fish, want something brightly coloured or strikingly marked or shaped. Poor G. rufa don't have much of that going on for them, really

But if you like them, that's the important thing

I thought about getting other fish.....however garra rufa seem to be the only fish that actually interact with you, hehe.

 

[Bugdozer]

I know someone who has garra rufas, they have a big rock with lots of holes in that they like to hide in and also the moss balls. They seem to like them!
Just remembered, they feed King British flakes.

 

[minnnt]

The Panda is a much more favourable fish due to it's nicer colouration, the Ruffa won't get a look in.

 

[Wanderer]

The Panda is a much more favourable fish due to it's nicer colouration, the Ruffa won't get a look in.

Nah. Garra Rufas have cuter faces.....and more personality than most other fish.

 

[Wanderer]

Although there is a fish at my workplace in an aquarium there that looks a bit like this fella:

I've heard people call this fish ugly but I find him exceedingly handsome! Looks kind of like a mini water dragon.

 

[snazy]

I would love to keep Garra Rufa one day, just as pets. I find them very fascinating. Well done!!!