#nibble fish

Red garra!

The big cheese got his special fig treat. Unfortunately I interrupted his mealtime and he decided to say hi and beg for more even more food

I only feed small portions and take it out once they’re done, but they love to play and flip it over to get at both sides.

Nibble fish already seem like they tickle a lot so could you imagine how much it would tickle if they had access to your entire body >//w//<

Brought to you by a marine biologist who isn’t sure if she’d try this...

CLICK HERE FOR THE AC FISH EXPLAINED MASTERPOST!

If you’ve never heard of ichthyotherapy, get ready, because you will today. Today’s fish, the Nibble Fish, is famous for it. As cute as it may be to have fish nibbling harmlessly at dead skin on my feet, I don’t think I’d ever try it. Then again, I don’t have the skin diseases it’s primarily used for, but it’s still a little controversial nevertheless.

The Nibble Fish was a really tiny fish that appeared in the rivers, but went away at the end of September. They appeared during the day, from 9AM to 4PM, and they were generally scarce compared to some other things under the same, tiny shadow size. I don’t know...I always kinda just use bait for anything in the river because fishing it on my island is kind of a pain. 

Nibble fish as yet another Cyprinid. So many of these fish explained posts have been about Cyprinids, and I’m sure by now you don’t need to be told that Cyprinids are the carp and relatives, like the koi, dace, goldfish, crucian carp, among many others in game. It’s a very diverse group, with the SubFamily Labeoninae being one of the more derived groups. They are so different from other Cyprinids that some experts believe they may just be their own group, but as far as I can tell, they are still commonly considered to be among the carp. And they kinda look like the Loach, which is yet again another Cyprinid.

Nibble Fish are also called Doctor Fish because of their role in ichthyotherapy, and ACNH actually names them as such in the Japanese version, rather than the English version that uses the former name. And this, friends, is why we in science use the scientific name, which is Garra rufa :

By Dances - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=19259761

They’re a cute, little fishie native to the Middle East and will live anywhere with running water, such as rivers, streams, lakes, and even polluted versions of those. They are omnivores, eating algae, detritus (dead matter), as well as tiny animals, like zooplankton. Of course, humans have found a way to capitalize on the Nibble Fish’s nibbling by making Ichthyotherapy spas where the fish really do nibble at dead skin in an effort to treat skin diseases, like psoriasis. The procedure isn’t curative, but apparently it does give some relief to people with these problems. Unfortunately, the demand for these fish has driven populations down, although the fish is farmed for these purposes in the countries it’s often collected, such as Turkey. Still, many places have outright banned the therapy, citing that the whole operation is unsanitary and may be cruel to the fish. 

This is typically a 14 centimeter or under 6 inch long carp, but the species is actually variable, and some populations produce individuals as long as 24 centimeters, or neatly 10 inches. Reportedly the common aquarium strain from Hamam Creek, near Sivas in Turkey, grows to only 10 centimeters or 4 inches long. The broader G. rufa has a distribution through the Levant and eastwards into regions of Iran. Typically they inhabit moderately to fast glowing West Asian rivers, with rocky and gravelly bottoms. The range of this species is quite broad, and local races or subspecies may be recognized across this range.

Garra sp. are grazers by habit, and they are equipped with a downturned mouth for this purpose: in fact the lower jaw possessed a sectorial pad, that they use to brace themselves against currents, by clinging to hard substrates. As with many other bottom dwelling or benthic fishes, their swim bladder - the floatation device of typical fishes - has become reduced. Without doubt, Garra sp first evolved in upland streams, and other flowing waters, but they are able to colonise and survive in slower flowing to still water environments. G. rufa tends to avoid stagnant waters,although it is more tolerant of turbidity in the wild, than are some other species of Garra

Like many other benthic carps, Garra sp. are peaceful fishes that have evolved graze on biofilms. The items that they regularly ingest include diatoms and cyanobacteria; the amount of animal protein on their natural diets is low, and is incidentally ingested. Garra sp. are not problematic to feed, as long as their dietary intake is basically vegetable based, and it is obvious that cannot subsist only on human skin cells; such behavior is an expresion of their grazing instinct when they see an object that can be grazed on.

Naturally these grazers eat food from the bottom, so sinking items would be most appreciated by these fish; they ought to contain spirulina or similar. But ideally the aquarium should be allowed to sustain enough algal biofilm for these vegetarian carp to graze upon. Reportedly they will consume the same fresh and blanched fruits and vegetables that are commonly offered to herbivorous, grazing fishes. For example, spinach that is first blanched is a long established staple diet for algivorous fishes; but really, the aquarium should already be able to feed algae grazers before they are introduced.

As regards temperatures, the G. rufa of Kangal stock are beng kept healthy by aquarists within the temperature range of 15 to 28 degrees centigrade, and 20 to 23 degrees would probably be suggested by field data from their ordinary habitats. Apparently, the fish in the Kangal springs are active and feeding as 35 and 36 degrees, although for their safety, the water temperature should not be allowed to exceed 38 degrees - which is an impressive upper limit for a geographically non-tropical fish, and is stunning for one that may be kept all year round in a comfortable room, without supplemental heating.

In the aquarium, their water ought to be of good quality, although wild G. rufa can tolerate more turbidity than do some other Garra species. and the average pH of the Kangal springs is 7.2 to 8. Despite the rheophilic origins of Garra sp. the water does not need to be strongly flowing, as long as it has reasonably good water quality. As community fishes, G.. rufa are peaceful to other species, and to one another, other than that they may reportedly become boisterous, when their food is limited; they should be accommodated together in numbers to reflect their gregarious nature. Their habit is to hide among stones and vegetation, when they are not feeding and moving, do the aquascaping ought to provide them with retreats.