Garra rufa, also called doctor fish, nibble fish, kangal fish, and bonefish in New England, is a small species of cyprinid fish that is native to rivers, streams, ponds and lakes in the Anatolia and Middle East. Since the early 21st century, Garra rufa have been integrated into a spa treatment where they feed on the skin of patients with psoriasis. While the doctor fish treatment has been found to alleviate the symptoms of psoriasis,, the treatment is not curative. The red suckling (Garra rufa) is a freshwater fish of up to 10 cm and belongs to the family of the carp. They occur in the Euphrates-Tigris area, some coastal rivers of Northern Syria and southern Turkey. A population from the Kangal region in Turkey was known, which is why they are also known as Kangal. The hard-working guys, also called nibbles or doctorfish, have a reddish tinge of the tail fin.They suck and nibble with their lips and with preference the dead skin cells of the upper skin surface softened in the warm water.
