Doctor fish, or Garra Rufa, are unique bottom-feeding freshwater fish found living in the Middle East. The mineral content and warmth of the water they live in creates a scarcity of food. It is believed
that because of the limited availability of food, the Doctor Fish have developed their unusual behavior of nibbling dead skin cells from people in the water.
Originally found in the pools of a hot spring near Kangal, a small town in Turkey, the Garra Rufa fish or doctor fish, as they are commonly known have made quite a name for themselves.

Discovered in the early 1800s, these amazing fish have been reported to be beneficial in battling skin diseases, muscle trauma and joint disease, as well as rheumatic and neurological disorders. People suffering from Psoriasis have seen results after therapeutic sessions with the Doctor fish over a period of time spent in the spa waters.

Garra Rufa live and breed in the outdoor pools of some Turkish spas, where they feed on the skin of patients with psoriasis. The fish are like combfishes in that they only consume the affected and dead areas of the skin, leaving the healthy skin to grow, with the outdoor location of the treatment bringing beneficial effects. The spas are not meant as a treatment option, only as a temporary cure fur symptoms, and patients usually revisit the spas every few months. Some patients have experienced complete cure of psoriasis after repeated treatments, but due to the unpredictable nature of the disease, which is strongly influenced by endogenous factors, this may simply be regression towards the mean.

Garra rufa occurs in the river basins of the Northern and Central Middle East, mainly in Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran. It is legally protected from commercial exploitation in Turkey due to concerns of over harvesting for export. Garra rufa can be kept in an aquarium at home; while not strictly a "beginner's fish", it is quite hardy. For treatment of skin diseases, aquarium specimens are not well suited as the skin-feeding behavior fully manifests only under conditions where the food supply Is somewhat scarce and unpredictable.

In 2006, doctor fish spa resorts opened In Hakone, Japan, and in Umag, Croatia, where the fish are used to clean the bathers at the spa. There are also spas in resorts in China, such as Hainan, South Korea, Singapore and Malaysia. In 2008, the first widely known doctor fish pedicure service was opened in the United States by John Ho in Alexandria, Virginia and later in Woodbridge, Virginia, and has trademarked the treatment name of 'Dr. Fish'.

Famous for their use in spas for pedicures and consumption of dead or diseased human skin. They loose this habit if kept well fed In aquaria. Though peaceful, they like to chase each other, though no harm is ever done to each other, or other fish. Probably not best kept with large slow moving fish (at least for a few months) due to their clingy habits. They are great consumers of algae and like plecos and algae eaters, they frequently stick to the sides of the aquarium with their mouths. Best kept in groups, their playful chasing of each other is quite entertaining. They seem to enjoy currents, so the use of powerheads is recommended.

Eurasia: In the Jordan, Orontes, and Tigris-Euphrates river basins. Also in some coastal rivers In southern Turkey and northern Syria

4 - 6 years

Omnivore

Will eat flakes, pellets, sinking discs, bloodworms, and are fond of dried seaweed. After consuming regular aquarium foods, they lose interest in human skin.

Monomorphic

Females may have a rounder appearance when gravid.

Egg Scatterer

• Peaceful
• Good for community tank