# Garra Rufa - HELP!!!!



## amcmullen80

I have recently purchased Garra Rufa fish for my salon, re-searched a number of factors ie size of tank filtration and heat etc, have everything in place at the moment. Put fish into tank gradually and they took very well. Left them for 24 hours to return to salon to find approx 25 fish on floor, and water to be very cloudy/cabbage colour. at the fish centre, I was not advised to purchase a lid, after chatting (crying) to the girl in the shop she confirmed that the fish do jump and need to be covered, and that I prob have a problem with the water in the tank. She has advised me to do a 25% reduction in the water today and tomorrow. Will this help the situation???? What else can I purchase or do to make the water look clean. Also I was given a food suppliment and advised to feed every other day one tab, this has currently fell to bottom of tank and is disolving slowly, fish have slightly eaten it, the girl in shop has said that I got fish that were slightly plump and me feeding them a tab has made them not eat dead skin on feet or hands. Huge problem if anyone has advice please post. Regards


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## Guinevere13

If you type in Garra Rufa in the search at the top you will find a couple of threads about the fish.


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## Guest

First of all, ditch the aquatic store where you bought the fish from. If the store assistant has told you to_ reduce_ the amount of water and not physically _replace_ it, any toxic waste substances will increase in concentration and exacerbate the problem. You need to have the water tested for pH, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate.

Fish normally jump because of poor water quality, not due to a lack of a lid. Chemicals that 'clean' the tank for you are a waste of time and produce the signs of a lazy fishkeeper, so don't go down that path!

_Garra rufa_ will only consume skin when all other food sources have been exhausted, so it is more or less safe to say that these fish are being starved to death and deprived of a varied diet. I have nothing against the owners of these so-called 'fish spas', however for the welfare of the fish involved, the sooner they are banned by the UK government, the better.


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## Fishy person

It is not unusual for Garra rufa to jump out of a tank in the first few days regardless of water quality always put a lid over your tank when not in use.
As for Garra rufa only eating skin if they are hungry is rubbish my garra rufa get fed twice a day and they still respond to my hands when i put them in the tank. youll find the fish won't eat due to bad water conditions
Your water quality is a issue test the water for ammonia,nitrite and nitrates meanwhile do regular water changes around 10 to 20% water change a day i would also suggest stop feeding for a couple of days to reduce the ammonia,nitrite and nitrates levels. I would resist putting in chemicals into your tank let nature mature your tank properly. Speak to your supplier they should be able to help.


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## Guest

Fishy person said:


> As for Garra rufa only eating skin if they are hungry is rubbish my garra rufa get fed twice a day and they still respond to my hands when i put them in the tank.


It's not 'rubbish', it's a basic fact. How long do the fish rasp away at your hands after being fed, a few minutes?


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## aquaticstore.com

Garra rufa are an incredibly jumpy fish, not just for the first few days, we know we handle thousands of them every week. Always keep a cover on your spa tank when not in use.

As for feeding, yes they will definately need additional diet other than the skin they rasp off your feet. We use algae wafers, they go mad for these and are ravenous, best to feed of an evening once your spa is no longer in use.

It is imperative that the spa is kept clean and that you have a good maintenance routine, which can be a bit fiddly with some spa's i have seen, the units that we sell are simple to clean and the access to the filters is incredibly easy.

Make sure that any filter media cleaned is done so in water that has come from the tank, DO NOT clean the filter media in tap water, you will kill off the benifical bacteria that feed on the harmfull fish wastes.

Tempreture is an area of some debate for garra rufa fish, i have found that keeping the tempreture between 28c - 30c the fish seem to be more active and therefore peform better in a spa.

As for spa's themselves, i think that they will be here to stay, having set up and obsereved the fish in these units, the fish really do seem to enjoy and thrive in this environment.

If anyone needs any further assistance, please feel free to get in touch.

aquaticstore.com


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## MattFisher

Chillinator said:


> It's not 'rubbish', it's a basic fact. How long do the fish rasp away at your hands after being fed, a few minutes?


unfortunatly this is completely true! These fish in the wild will browse on fillamentus algae all day and the fact that dead skin has absolutly no goodness in it what so ever suggests they are starving to even contemplate eating it. My garra rufa get fed small amounts 3 times a day and they will not even bother responding to my hand when im cleaning the tank. This suggests to me that they are satisfied with being able to eat 3 times a day and not hungry enough to think im food.

Im also in the same boat that i cant wait for these "fish spas" to be banned. It happend in the USA and also the UAE so its only a matter of time before it happens in the UK too.


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## lhs

we have the same problem, weve have the fish pedicure in the salon and had it for nearly 8 months but some fish just decide to jump sometimes and we dont have a lid but we have a curtain net to cover them at night, we need something to cover them during the day and we cant find anything anywhere, would someone be able to help us? thanks.


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## aquaticstore.com

Hi there, we do sell the covers for spa's what size are your spa tanks and how many do you have?


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## champy

MattFisher said:


> unfortunatly this is completely true! These fish in the wild will browse on fillamentus algae all day and the fact that dead skin has absolutly no goodness in it what so ever suggests they are starving to even contemplate eating it. My garra rufa get fed small amounts 3 times a day and they will not even bother responding to my hand when im cleaning the tank. This suggests to me that they are satisfied with being able to eat 3 times a day and not hungry enough to think im food.


the fish are sensitive to movement so of course they do not try to nible whilst you clean your tank. what makes your tank different from a spa tank? my spa fish are fed twice daily they are stimulated when feet go in the tank because the CHOOSE to go to the dangling feet and nibble on them. if the feet constantly move they go nowhere near them. I came acros this site by accident and can't beleive the biggoted rubbish i have read so far. Fish are not starved they are well looked after.


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## Fish4rent dot dk

I post a reply on this old thread, becouse I thing one thing missing.
There are two types of Garra Rufa. Normal breed and wild breed.
If you get wild breed, they jump a lot more than normal breeded Garra Rufa.


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## shuchim

Hi guys I m going to open fish spa next week and hopefully collected much knowledge from internet and bought the fish today....but still have few questions I need to ask.

1)why fishes not nibbling me,well I didn't gave anything to them to eat today and bought algae waffer which I will give in evening everyday before closing my store.

2)which type and capacity of filter shall I use for 300 fishes in one big tank.

3)how to make sure that fishes don't die(how to decrease ammonia and nitrate).

4)can I use plastic big tub beside of aquarium to cost and if yes which type of plastic?

5 ) my 150w heater not heating water at 30c because I can still feel cold water.

6)is UV lamp successful or shall I use something else ?

7)after how long shall I clean aquarium ?

Request all expert to guide me more on care of customer and fishes before I open up my own spa.....


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