All fish / Cyprinidae

Menon's Garra

Garra menoni

Also known as menon's garra, menoni garra, silent valley garra, stone sucker

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A small, slim brownish loach-like cyprinid with a sucking disc under the head, used to cling to rocks in fast hill streams. It is kept mainly by enthusiasts of Indian stream fish and river-style biotope tanks, where it grazes biofilm from stones.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

Temperament

Peaceful

Adult size

7 cm

Temperature

18 to 24 °C

pH

6.5 to 7.5

Smallest tank

80 litres

Keep as

Group of 5 or more

Diet

Omnivore: biofilm and algae, sinking pellets and wafers, blanched vegetables, bloodworm and brine shrimp

Swims

Bottom of the tank

Lifespan

5 to 8 years

Water

Freshwater

Wild range

India (Western Ghats, Kerala: Silent Valley, Kunthipuzha and Bhavani drainages)

Breeding

Not recorded as bred in home aquariums. Like other Garra it is probably an egg scatterer over gravel in flowing water, with no parental care.

Good to know

Needs cool, very well oxygenated water with strong flow and smooth rocks; it does poorly in warm, still tanks. It is an endemic with a small range, so wild-caught stock is rarely available and should be sourced responsibly.