A boldly black-and-cream banded, suckermouth-style cyprinid that grazes biofilm from rocks in fast-flowing streams. Peaceful and characterful, it suits cooler, highly oxygenated, hillstream-style tanks.
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Suckermouth-bodied cyprinids adapted to fast, oxygen-rich streams, where they graze biofilm and algae from rocks. Hardy and peaceful, they thrive in cooler hillstream-style aquariums with strong flow and need supplemental feeding beyond tank algae.
More garras coming soon.
Habitat & space requirements
From the minimum an animal needs to be kept humanely, up to the ideal setup. Bigger is almost always better — minimums are floors, not targets.
Photo coming soon
Minimum
Cool fast-water tank
20 gal long / 75 L (group of 5+)
Garra flavatra needs cool (18–24 °C), well-oxygenated, fast-flowing water — they're hill-stream fish. Powerhead, smooth boulders, group of 5+ to dilute mild conspecific squabbling.
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Recommended
River-manifold setup
29–40 gal / 110–150 L
Long footprint with a river-manifold (powerheads pushing along the length). Smooth round stones and driftwood for grazing surfaces. Pair with hill-stream loaches.
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Ideal
Asian hill-stream biotope
55 gal+ / 200 L+ biotope
Long cool biotope with strong unidirectional flow, smooth cobbles, and abundant biofilm. Natural grazing and territorial display behaviour fully visible.
Life & growth stages
How this animal changes through its life — each stage often has its own care, diet and space needs.
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Egg
Fish eggs are small, translucent spheres, often laid in clutches on plants, substrate, or in a nest — or carried/brooded by a parent in livebearing and mouth-brooding species. A dark eye spot and the curled embryo become visible inside as development progresses.
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Fry
Newly hatched fry are tiny and semi-transparent, frequently still carrying a yolk sac that fuels them before they feed freely. They lack full fin structure and adult coloration, staying near cover until they can swim and forage on their own.
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Juvenile
Juveniles look like miniature adults but with developing fins and muted or different markings; many species shift pattern and color as they mature. Growth is rapid at this stage given clean water and steady feeding.
Adult
Adults show the species' full size, finnage, and mature coloration, and are sexually mature. Many fish develop sex-specific differences in size, color, or fin shape, which can intensify during breeding.
Habitat & enclosure
Keep a group of five or more in at least a 30-gallon (110 L) tank with strong, oxygen-rich flow that mimics a hillstream. Provide plenty of smooth rocks, cobbles, and driftwood that develop biofilm and algae for grazing, plus caves for shelter. Keep cooler at 68-79F (20-26C), pH 6.5-7.5, and soft to moderately hard water. High dissolved oxygen and current are key; warm, stagnant water stresses them.
Substrate
Use sand or smooth fine gravel with abundant smooth rocks and cobbles on top, recreating a streambed. The rock and surface area for biofilm matters more than substrate depth, as these fish graze surfaces rather than dig.
Equipment & setup
Provide an oversized filter plus a powerhead or wavemaker for strong current, and ensure high oxygenation with surface agitation or an air stone. A heater is optional and should be set low; many keep them at room temperature in the low-to-mid 70s F. Moderate to bright light encourages the algae and biofilm they graze. A secure lid is helpful.
Diet
An omnivorous biofilm grazer. While they rasp algae and aufwuchs from surfaces, they need supplemental feeding: sinking algae and spirulina wafers, blanched vegetables, and regular protein such as frozen bloodworms, daphnia, and brine shrimp. A varied diet keeps them filled out; relying on tank algae alone leads to a sunken belly. Feed sinking foods once or twice daily.
Behavior & temperament
Peaceful toward other species and generally good in a community, but can squabble and establish a loose hierarchy among themselves, so a group of five or more spreads out minor aggression. They are active grazers that constantly work over rocks and glass. Mix with other cool, fast-water tolerant fish like hillstream loaches, danios, and white cloud minnows. Best kept in a group.
Health
Hardy if given oxygen-rich, clean, flowing water; they suffer in warm, low-oxygen, or dirty tanks. Maintain stable parameters and regular water changes. Watch for ich, sunken belly from underfeeding, and stress from inadequate flow or too-warm water. Quarantine new arrivals and avoid copper-sensitive medication overdoses.
Tips, DIY & hacks
Buy a small group to enjoy natural shoaling and grazing behavior while diffusing intra-species sparring. Mature the tank first so biofilm is established before adding them. Do not let the tank run too warm; they prefer cooler, oxygenated water. Provide plenty of rockwork both for food surfaces and to break up sightlines.
