Loaches Online Forum

I got me a Garra flavatra today, made a special order at my LFS. Didn't come cheap with 20€, ~31$. This is the most I've ever paid for one fish. A very robust fish, built like a tank Can someone tell if its a male or female?

Hey Janma,
Welcome to the "Panda Loach" club.
Can't tell you about sexing this fish but would like to share some experience with you:
1. Make very sure your tank is fully covered - they can get out even with the slightest opening - found one of mine dead on the floor one morning, a couple of days after I got them .
2. Get a few more of them - you will love them. I have 4 (had five ) because they are out of this world!! They huddle together, chase each other, etc. They are full of antics and behave just like a bunch of puppies!!
3. Algae pellets is my main food for them and they graze on algae-covered rocks/stones the moment I place them in the tank (keep a supply of them).
Hope you will enjoy them as much as my family and I do.

I have a MP aquarium and covered the backholes with duct-tape. It should be sealed tight.

Here are some more pics. This is a very active fish, always on the move and eating algae. It has also dug a hole in the sand at the front left corner for some reason unknown. Lovely fish, I have to get it a friend or two.

I'm so envious. These fish are on my must have list.

Congratulations to your new friend. Yes, great idea to get more, they show very much social behavior.

They additionally enjoy bloodworms too. About biweekly or less they get shrimps. I have various dry veggy foods, I did nor see them take fresh veggies - I need to try again.

Interesting are those little, kind of white dots your pic shows. 2 on its left and one on its right side. The spot on the right side is in exactly the same position as 2 of my Garra had one. It was not ich. and stood at the fish for more than 3 weeks, as soon as they disappeared, I moved them from the Q-tank to the main tank - no incidents.

I did a male/female research - no luck. There are some little cones (horns) between their top barbles, which look like tubercles - but I guess they are not. All 8 have those.

A few days ago, I took a pic, showing just a little "sanded" head and "neck". That may be tubercles, but I don´t know.

Make sure you offer plenty of caves and pipes. They need it . They are the ones, using my waterbridge pipe the most, and like to stay overnight in there.

They are smart.

They like flow and are very good climbers, during water change let some water flow along the glass, they climb out, kin the stream above their entire body lenght. They are very playfull, within their group and even with you. They use ther fins to suck onto things, as well as a device right behind their mouth-opening (oval sucker).

Unfourtunately I also paid 18€ for the first ones, the other´s I got for 10€. 18€ was also my most expensive fish, but they are worth every penny.