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The Garra Rufa, commonly known as the Doctor Fish, is a unique and fascinating species that has gained popularity as an aquarium fish due to its ability to eat algae. This small freshwater fish, which can get to 4 to 5 inches in length, is native to the Middle East, where it was originally used in spas for its therapeutic abilities.
One of the key features of the Doctor Fish is its ability to eat algae, which makes it an excellent addition to any aquarium setup. This fish is particularly well-suited to small aquariums, where its size and algae-eating habits make it an ideal cleaner for maintaining a healthy environment.
Compared to other species of Garra, such as the Panda Garra, the Doctor Fish is particularly adept at eating algae. While the Panda Garra is also a great algae eater, it tends to prefer larger pieces of food and may not be as efficient at keeping the tank clean as the Doctor Fish.
In addition to its algae-eating abilities, the Doctor Fish is also a social and active species that can provide entertainment for aquarium enthusiasts. These fish are known for their playful behavior and can often be seen darting around the tank or interacting with other fish.
Overall, the Doctor Fish is an excellent choice for anyone looking to add a small, active, and efficient algae-eater to their aquarium setup. With its unique appearance and entertaining behavior, it is sure to be a popular addition to any collection.
Our Food Recommendation for Algae Eaters:
NorthFin Kelp Wafers
NorthFin Veggie
NorthFin Community
Our Tank Parameters
Tank Recommendations
Love these little guys. They are very hardy active little fish with big personalities. They do their job very well.
Everything arrived alive! Great stock of fish, snails, and shrimp. Provided great resources on acclimation and other information as well!
Doctor Fish | Garra rufa | Algae Eating Nano Fish
Doctor Fish | Garra rufa | Algae Eating Nano Fish
I ordered some doctor fish from Flip Aquatics. All of them (plus a bonus one) arrived alive and were packaged very well. It's been a few weeks now and every one of them is thriving. Highly recommend purchasing from these folks.
The Nano fish are great , the doctor fish I would not recommend That fish boobs, all over all the time disturbs.
The fish arrived healthy and lively and has grown quite a bit in almost three weeks. It is one of my favorite fish to watch in the community tank. It is constantly zooming around and getting into things- completely hilarious!
I got four and they are busy, busy fish. They clean all day long.
Doctor Fish | Garra rufa | Algae Eating Nano Fish
Doctor Fish | Garra rufa | Algae Eating Nano Fish
All fish arrived healthy and full of energy. They delivered to upstate NY in the cold of February and the fish were well insulated and warm. Will definitely be buying from Flip again.
This fish is energetic and curious. If you also have an algae problem this fish is great as they ate all the pesky hair algae I had in my tank!
Not sure what to do with these fish. I received two doctor fish. One seems to be a really nice fish. The other is annoying to pretty much every other fish in the tank. He goes after them all, especially the other doctor fish, but that one gets breaks as he's chasing the other fish in the tank. I'm not sure what to do with him.
Super personable and fun to watch fish. Love the 2 I bought so much I'm getting 3 more
Best online fish shop I have purchased from! Fish arrived healthy and in amazing packaging.
For being small, does a great job cleaning my tank. Comes out a lot more then I expected. Cute to watch. Doesn't bother any of my shrimp or other fish.
Absolute algae eating machines. They’ve been in with my ranchus making the tank nice and shiny
I have 6. These fish are very active swimming all over the tank. They are eating the algae and keeping the substrate clean. These fish have grown so fast. Highly recommend these fish and any fish flip aquatics they have nice healthy fish.
My three garra rufas are still going strong. I'd have to say that the listed information that they grow to "only a few inches in length" is a bit misleading. They are now about 6" long and rival my roselines for size. lol They're awesome fish though and thriving in my 125 gallon community tank. They do an EXCELLENT job at keeping the algae away. I feel badly for fish of this type that are used in the beauty industry, as they are kept hungry so they'll eat skin cells. These guys love their food SO MUCH that it's sad to think of them going hungry.
All survived the shipping and are currently enjoying their time in my tank.
Very happy on their healthy condition
The doctor acclimated well and is quite busy eating algae! He comes to the front of the tank to say hi and that's the kind of fish I like...friendly!
These guys blew my mind. I had black beard algae (one of the most stubborn kinds of algae) in two of my tanks that I had been fighting for months. They had it cleared in a week. Absolutely worth the buy if you've got algae problems.
I bought 2 doctor fish for my 40 gallon aquarium and they made short work of the algae that covered all of my live plants. They arrived healthy and ready for action!
Awesome cleaner fish, He has been cleaning house since he arrived
They arrived promptly and in excellent health. I am very pleased with this purchase. I highly recommend Flip Aquatics for all your fish and shrimp needs. Thank you very much.
They all are doing great.
These fish never stop working!
Great turn around time, with awesome and healthy livestock. Will definitely oder more.
Great condition on arrival! These little fish are all go, very little chill. Great little algae eaters. I love them already!
I ordered two of these little work horses. Both arrived fine, however one died the next day. Not sure what happened. Acclimated together and it is an established fully planted tank. The healthy one is doing great and as Doctor Fish are known for is a little work horse for my tank cleaning crew
I originally put three of these in my 22 gallon shrimp tank. I didn't notice any predation on behalf of the garra rufas, however, they got large enough pretty quickly that I felt they'd be better suited to my 125 community tank with my panda garras, cories, roselines, rainbows, and rummynose tetras. They are hard workers when it comes to eating algae and will also clean up any leftover food. They do tend to get very excited at dinnertime and will sometimes knock other fish out of the way but it's not due to aggression but exuberance. They are more like clumsy puppies with big feet. They are fun to watch and tend to hang out in close proximity with one another but aren't afraid to go it alone as well.
