Garra Rufa

[MudMinnow]

Would Garra rufa be suited to a tank which is usually unheated, but would have a 'don't get to single figures' heater in it?

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

I'm struggling to come up with info from a reliable source, but I think Garra rufa are at least "low-end tropical" (as in needing at least low 20s celcius) and may well need 25C or above.
 
I used to keep Garra flavatra and some sources talked of a cooler winter period without giving a precise figure. Normally I kept mine at ~22-26C (heater set to 22, sometimes in a freak hot summer spell the tank would get warmer), but when I let the tank drop naturally towards 18C over a number of days in autumn, the garra became worryingly inactive (attached to the FX5 filter strainer every time I visited the garage 5x2x2) as the temp dropped below 20C. I consequently brought the fish inside to a tank at 22C and the transformation was incredible, the garra was pootling around most of the day.

 

[MudMinnow]

Thanks. I found Garra pingi pingi being sold as a 'coldwater log nose sucker'. After finding Garra rufus available (through ebay, not too sure about online delivery of fish), I wondered about them as they're slightly smaller. But if they're tropical, that's out for the tank I am planning. If the description of 'Garra pingi pingi' as 'coldwater' is inaccurate, I'd like to hear about that. I found a source for Garra flavratra asl, but on researching them found them to be definitely tropical. From Burma/Myanmar, albeit mountain regions. Garra rufus appear to be from Syria, Iran, Turkey, etc.