All fish / Cyprinidae

Persian Garra

Garra persica

Also known as persian garra, persian stone lapper, garra persica, 波斯墨头鱼

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A slim, brownish grey algae grazer with a mouth turned into a sucking disc, used to cling to rocks in fast streams. Keepers like it for its busy grazing and because it suits cooler, well oxygenated river tanks with smooth stones.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

Temperament

Semi

Adult size

10 cm

Temperature

18 to 27 °C

pH

7 to 8

Smallest tank

120 litres

Keep as

Group of 5 or more

Diet

Omnivore: grazes biofilm and algae; give sinking pellets, algae wafers, vegetables and frozen bloodworm or brine shrimp

Swims

Bottom of the tank

Lifespan

5 to 8 years

Water

Freshwater

Wild range

Iran (Persian Gulf, Hormuz and endorheic basins of southern and eastern Iran), possibly Oman

Breeding

It scatters eggs over gravel and rocks with no parental care. Breeding in home aquariums is rarely reported, and fish in the trade are mostly wild caught or farmed.

Good to know

Fish of the same species can squabble over territory, so give them plenty of rock cover and current. It looks very like other Garra species, and blind cave Garra from Iran are a different, protected species.