There really seems to be a lack of information on how to care for these foot spa fish. Several people have already stumbled into this forum looking for information on why their garra rufa fish are dying and how to look after them properly. I don't have personal experience with garra rufa but I thought it might be a good idea to start a thread where some basic information on their care can be shared with those desperately searching for information on the well-being of their fish as well as how to save their investment.

Don't believe everything your supplier says. They are in the business of selling fish, not their long term care. While their may be some conscientious suppliers out there many if not most will say whatever helps them sell the maximum number of fish. I have seen some particularly bad advice about how many fish per gallon you can keep.

The care of garra rufa may differ in some ways to that of a normal aquarium but many of the basic principles are the same:

1) Size of tank. No matter what your supplier says you will need a certain amount of water volume for each fish. A very basic rule would be one gallon of water for every inch of fish or 1 litre of water for 1cm of fish. And don't forget to take into account the adult size of the fish. They may be tiny when they come to you but they will soon grow. One source below recommends 10 gallons for each garra rufa. These numbers may not seem practical to some but overcrowding will lead to unhealthy and often dead fish.

2) Good filtration is important. Research the type of filtration best for you and make sure it has sufficient capacity for the number of fish you have (again the company selling a filter might exaggerate it's capacity so do independent research). A filter works mainly in two ways. It collects larger debris from the water which can then be removed when the filter is cleaned. Even more important once the tank is cycled the filter will be full of good bacteria which remove ammonia and nitrites from the water.

3) Cycle the tank before you get your fish, this will take about 4-6weeks. Doing a 'fishless cycle' is much more humane to the fish and will cost you many less losses.
The Aquarium Nitrogen Cycle
Beginner FAQ: The Nitrogen Cycle
Fishless Cycle / Nitrogen Cycle

4) If your tank was not cycled and you already have your fish you may need to do daily 50% water changes with dechlorinated water to keep ammonia and nitrites under control until the cycle is finished. The stress of cycling weakens fish. Ammonia causes burns to gills fins etc and fin damage and weight loss are typical and in this weakened state fish are prone to many illnesses . You will likely have some deaths but your aim is not to loose a large portion, or all of your fish.

5) Buy a good test kit, it's worth the investment. It will help you through tank cycling and be a helpful tool in the long term care of your fish. Strips are not so accurate so get the liquid type (with test tubes and droppers). You want one that tests for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates. Things like PH can be tested but are not so important. Don't use products like ph up and down, they are too hard to control and will cause swings in water chemistry that are harmful to fish. Within normal ranges fish will get used to your water if acclimated slowly (Drip acclimating fish).

6) Once things are running smoothly you will still need to do regular water changes. Water changes remove nitrates and excessive heavy metals etc. Many people do 25% weekly water changes on their aquariums but in heaver stocked tanks you may need to change more water, for example 50% twice weekly. Don't change more than 75% of the water at one time or it might shock the fish.

7) Many chemicals like perfumes and soap are very toxic to fish so make sure people do not have residues of these on their feet.

Many have raised concerns about garra rufa foot spas leading to them being illegal in some places. It is not purpose of this post to weigh up the pros and cons but make sure you give it some thought including whether you are able to provide for the needs of the fish.

As I say I'm not an expert in these fish specifically so please feel free to comment or add information. If you have any questions there are many very experienced fish keepers on this forum, who have kept many types of fish, and are always ready to give high quality general advice on fish keeping.

More reading:
Fish of the Week: Garra Rufa / Doctor Fish
Care Tips - Garrarufaspa-Dr Fish
Stop Garra Rufa Foot Spa'S - Help Save The Garra Rufa Fish

A general rule I've always used for selecting good filtration - either get a filter rated for >2x the size of your tank, or get a filter with ~4x the gallons of your tank in gallons per hour (flow rate).

Example: 55 gallon tank. You would either want a filter rated for >110 gallon tanks, or a filter that moves water through at ~440 GPH.

Just my thoughts though.

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Officially fishless until after the move....tune in later for details!

Good advice

Great stuff! Thanks for sharing a lot.

Wickworth dont put links in a post to off topic things.

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"Come to the dark side....we have cookies...and filters/heaters/and water changes!"