The Garra Rufa is usually mista­kenly called the surge­onfish. It got this name because it has been proven to alleviate the symptoms of diseases in connection with light therapy. (Ichth­yo­therapy) In its original habitat it lives as a school of fish in very nutrient-poor waters (thermal springs) that are on average 35°C warm. There it feeds mostly on small algae. There it feeds mostly on small algae. In the warm water it is difficult for most plants to survive there. When more than 200 years ago the people living there went to the thermal springs to bathe or to relax, they noticed how trustingly the Garra Rufa's approached them in a shoal. The people noticed that these nibbled at your skin and had taken a liking to it. When some of them noticed that their skin improved after bathing and nibbling, a kind of wellness tourism settled there. Many reported from alleviating complaints of various skin diseases such as neuro­der­ma­titis and psoriasis.

Our Garra Rufa's are fed separately every day. They are fed alter­nately with high-quality plant food, as well as food tablets with a high spirulina content and fresh vegetables. We do not let the fish starve, so that they are forced to eat their skin. Each Garra Rufa thus has its own will and decides for itself whether it wants to nibble or stay in its provided retreat.

The Garra Rufa are kept species-appro­priate, so that they and you can feel comfor­table. We use larger tanks than actually prescribed. Because of this, we are allowed to keep more fish in the tank and therefore have a more effective fish pedicure than other fish spas that only use the fish pedicure as a byproduct. There is no stress on the fish when you slowly dip their feet into the water. Nibbling is a delicacy for them and completely natural. It is compa­rable to a protein shake for us humans. The dead skin flakes are protein which is steri­lized by the previous disin­fection and cleaning.