Panda garra care
Garra flavatra · Myanmar
Panda garras are small algae grazers from Myanmar that cling to rock and glass in moving water: young fish are banded black and gold, and adults turn darker, with gold-banded fins.
- Tank size
- 20 US gal or larger
- Temperature
- 76 to 80 °F (24 to 27 °C)
- Group size
- 3 or more
- Temperament
- Peaceful
- Adult size
- 3.5 in (a US seller’s adult size; FishBase gives 6.2 cm (2.4 in) without the tail, and a German importer gives up to 9 cm (3.5 in))
- pH
- 6.8 to 7.5
- Hardness (GH)
- Not known
- Lifespan
- Not known
- Diet
- Omnivore
- Care level
- Moderate
In a 20 gallon long
30¼ × 12½ × 12¾ in outsideHow to keep panda garras
Panda garras are small algae grazers from Myanmar that cling to rock and glass in moving water: young fish are banded black and gold, and adults turn darker, with gold-banded fins. A US seller suggests three or more in a 20 gallon or larger tank at 76 to 80 °F and pH 6.8 to 7.5; a German importer keeps them cooler, at 64 to 79 °F (18 to 26 °C). Give them smooth rocks, a current and a tight lid, since they can climb out.
Diet: Omnivore: grazes biofilm and algae; takes sinking pellets, wafers and frozen foods. Fish food types compared · how often to feed.
Where they swim: Bottom of the tank.
Panda garra tank mates
Share the temperature and water, and neither side eats, nips or bullies the other. Check the full group in the stocking checker.
Dwarf gourami
3.5 in · 10+ gal · 77–82 °F
Paradise fish
3.5 in · 20+ gal · 61–79 °F
Thick-lipped gourami
3.5 in · 20+ gal · 72–82 °F
Indian glassfish
3.1 in · 20+ gal · 72–82 °F
Upside-down catfish
4 in · 29+ gal · 72–79 °F
Keyhole cichlid
4 in · 30+ gal · 72–80 °F
Golden wonder killifish
4 in · 20+ gal · 72–79 °F
Banded gourami
4 in · 30+ gal · 72–82 °F
Keep apart
White cloud mountain minnow: No shared temperature: panda garras need 76 to 80 °F, white cloud mountain minnows 64 to 72 °F.
Reticulated hillstream loach: No shared temperature: panda garras need 76 to 80 °F, reticulated hillstream loaches 68 to 75 °F.
Pea puffer: Pea puffers belong in a tank of their own.
Fancy goldfish: No shared temperature: panda garras need 76 to 80 °F, fancy goldfish 64 to 74 °F.
Convict cichlid: Convict cichlids are aggressive towards peaceful fish such as panda garras.
Gold barb: No shared temperature: panda garras need 76 to 80 °F, gold barbs 64 to 75 °F.
What a panda garra tank needs
A tank of 20 US gallons or more (such as the 20 gallon long) with a tight lid (they jump), and the equipment below.
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Aqueon PRO QuietFlow Power Filter 10
Rated by the maker for up to 20 US gal, which covers a 20 gallon panda garra tank without being built for a far bigger one.
Aqueon QuietFlow Internal Power Filter 15–30 gal
Rated by the maker for 15–30 US gal, which covers a 20 gallon panda garra tank without being built for a far bigger one.
hygger Precise Aquarium Heater 100W
Panda garras need 76 to 80 °F; most homes run cooler, so a heater holds the temperature.
API Freshwater Master Test Kit
Tests ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH, the readings that matter most before and after adding panda garras.
Seachem Prime 100 mL
Removes chlorine and chloramine from tap water at every water change.
Fluval Edge Thermometer
Shows the water temperature at a glance, so you know it stays within 76 to 80 °F.
More choices, each with the reason it is in or out: Filters for a 20 gallon tank · Heaters for a 20 gallon tank. We don’t list fish food: any good brand of the foods under Diet will do. Plan the whole tank's equipment →
Common panda garra problems
- Climbing out: they cling to glass and can leave through small gaps, so cover the tank.
- Swings in hardness: no source gives a range for this fish yet, so keep your water steady and test it before big changes.
Test the water first whenever fish look unwell: see what your readings mean, then match the symptom. For disease, a vet who treats fish can diagnose it and advise treatment.
More to compare
Sources
Name checked against Wikipedia: Garra flavatra. Origin and the 6.2 cm standard length from FishBase: Garra flavatra; the 3.5 in adult size, temperature, pH, group size and the 20 gallon tank from Aqua Imports: Panda garra; the 9 cm maximum size and the cooler 18 to 26 °C range from Aquarium Glaser: Garra flavatra. None of them gives a hardness range or a lifespan, so those read “Not known”; the ranges are those sources’ advice for aquariums, not the limits the species tolerates. Minimum tank sizes are for an adult group. Drawings are our own; photo credits follow.
Photo credits
Real photographs from Wikimedia Commons, resized and cropped to fit; each is used under the license named.
- Panda garra Xoxpebblesxox, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Dwarf gourami Quatermass (English Wikipedia), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- Paradise fish André Karwath; edited by Muhammad, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
- Thick-lipped gourami Oliver Gorski, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Indian glassfish opencage, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
- Upside-down catfish John P. Friel Ph.D., CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Keyhole cichlid D.W., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- Golden wonder killifish Marrabbio2, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Banded gourami Sandipan Das, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- White cloud mountain minnow Petrtyl, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Reticulated hillstream loach Spiketooth, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Pea puffer Beta Mahatvaraj, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Fancy goldfish Benson Kua, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Convict cichlid S. Olkowicz, CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
- Gold barb Fred Hsu, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Kuhli loach Iidkk, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Clown loach Vlad Butsky, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Dwarf chain loach Stefan Maurer, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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