All fish / Cyprinidae

Garra lamta

Garra lamta

Also known as lamta garra, indian garra, stone sucker, sucker barb

Garra lamta is a slim, brownish grey cyprinid with a sucker-like disc under its mouth, which it uses to cling to rocks and scrape off algae. It comes from fast, clear hill streams and is kept for its busy grazing habits and as an unusual algae eater for cooler, well oxygenated tanks.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

Temperament

Semi

Adult size

12 cm

Temperature

18 to 25 °C

pH

6.5 to 7.8

Smallest tank

150 litres

Keep as

Group of 5 or more

Diet

Omnivore: algae and biofilm, sinking pellets and wafers, blanched vegetables, bloodworm and other small frozen foods

Swims

Bottom of the tank

Lifespan

5 to 8 years

Water

Freshwater

Wild range

India, Nepal and Bangladesh (Ganges and Brahmaputra basins, Himalayan foothills)

Breeding

It scatters eggs over gravel and stones in flowing water and gives no parental care. Captive breeding is rarely reported and is not easy in home aquariums.

Good to know

Give it strong water flow, high oxygen and a tight-fitting lid, because it can jump and does poorly in warm, still water. It can squabble with its own kind and with other bottom dwellers over territory, and it is often confused with other Garra species and with Chinese algae eaters.