#red garra

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.

Red garra!

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.