Garra Rufa Europe

The Garra Rufa fish were discovered in the early 1800s in Jordan, Orontes and Tigris-Euphrates river basins, coastal rivers in southern Turkey and northern Syria. They are unique fishes that can live in hostile environment of such warm waters. They hide in and adhere by suction to stones and vegetation with their ventral crescent-shaped mouths and are bottom dwellers. They feed on algae, phytoplantons and zooplanktons but these are at times scarce because of the high temperatures of the water they live in. Thus the insufficient food nutrients make them feed on the dead scabby skin of bathers in the water. Garra Rufas are harmless and toothless fishes. These hardy fishes can live in warm waters of temperatures around 35 C to 43C. Because of the scarcity of food in these warm spring waters and outdoor pools, these comb fishes have developed the unusual ability to feed on dead scabby human skin. Garra Rufa fish is a legally protected specie in Turkey as the government does not want the fish to be over exploited for the use in fish spas. It was because of a chance encounter by a shepherd (among other stories) that spread the word of the healing abilities of the Garra Rufa fish. It seems that he stumbled upon a swamp at the time when he had an injured foot. The little fishes surrounded his foot, and nibbled at his wound. Later, when he discovered his wounds healed, he began to spread the wondrous tale around and that started the flocks of people to the hot springs of Garra Rufas to seek treatment for their skin disorders.