# Skin eating fish!!!!



## connor 1213 (Apr 6, 2009)

Hey

was in the whopping center today and seen a think where you put your feet in a tank of loads of fish and they eat the dead skin!

Gross!

And it was £10 for 15 mins

and thoughts on this?


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## Zoo-Man (Apr 12, 2008)

One of these places has just opened in Preston, called Appy Feet. The fish are Garra Ruffa, & they remove the dead dry skin from your feet.


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## Xerse (Sep 22, 2010)

Zoo-Man said:


> One of these places has just opened in Preston, called Appy Feet. The fish are Garra Ruffa, & they remove the dead dry skin from your feet.


Wow...erm...that's...strange?..:whistling2:


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## emmabee (Oct 29, 2010)

they eat the dead skin and leave the good. it also helps the skin regenerate. its good for conditions such as psarosis (not sure if thats spelt right!) and lots of beautitians and spas use them!

im frightened to death of fish so wont be doing it any time soon!!!:lol2:


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## TheDeadDodo (Nov 5, 2010)

Theres a company which tour festivles doing this and charge something stupid like £1-1.50 a minute.
Saw one at big weekend earlier this year and it had some big que lining up for it.


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## hippyhaplos (Jan 12, 2010)

I can't say I agree with this at all!

There will be moisturisers and chemicals galore on peoples feet, none of which are beneficial to the fish at all... quite the opposite in fact!

Also the fish apparently only eat dead skin when hungry, ie they are starved.

I'll pass thanks very much


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## Zoo-Man (Apr 12, 2008)

hippyhaplos said:


> I can't say I agree with this at all!
> 
> There will be moisturisers and chemicals galore on peoples feet, none of which are beneficial to the fish at all... quite the opposite in fact!
> 
> ...


You have to wash your feet there before you can put your feet in the tanks where the fish are. Aren't fish almost constantly hungry?


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## Muze (Jun 20, 2007)

Zoo-Man said:


> You have to wash your feet there before you can put your feet in the tanks where the fish are. Aren't fish almost constantly hungry?


As a sufferer of psorisis im not sure that a quick wash of the feet would be enough. Im currently having to use some pretty strong steriod, coal tar and i think its some sort of vitamin blocker cream. 

This stuff is designed to leech into the skin (and out of) as it stains clothes long after showers and baths. TBH id not be putting my feet in with the fish for 2 reasons, firstly the risk to the fish and secondly the risk from other people's meds/illnesses that cannot be removed via the inital bathing process.


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## Mynki (Mar 24, 2010)

Zoo-Man said:


> You have to wash your feet there before you can put your feet in the tanks where the fish are. Aren't fish almost constantly hungry?


 
No fish is constantly hungry? :lol2:

And washing your feet first is not much benefit to the fish either!!!

It's a disgusting practise that should be banned in the UK right now. Garra ruffa are now being mass produced to fullfill demand from the franchises that have started ever since this hit the press. Thousands of fish die in these places due to inadequate care.

Such places have already been banned in certain canadian and US states due to fears of cross contamination of disease amongst people (Fish eats flest from a cut foot on one person and then starts feeding on somebody else with a cut etc).

Only an idiot would condone or use such a place! If you have any doubt walk into one and ask a member of staff to explain the nitrogen cycle or describe the parameters Garra ruffa should be kept in!


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## abadi (Jul 25, 2010)

I'm not sure about how bad it is for the fish but its a pretty famous practice everywhere, maybe there is a special medicated water to wash your feet be4 placing in the fish? i've seen we have one here in Harwich.

I dont think any place would be just as crazy as putting a dirty feet full of germs and i can guess not all of them are that unexperienced, still not sure though.









Are these freshwater fish?


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## Muze (Jun 20, 2007)

abadi said:


> I'm not sure about how bad it is for the fish but its a pretty famous practice everywhere, maybe there is a special medicated water to wash your feet be4 placing in the fish? i've seen we have one here in Harwich.
> 
> I dont think any place would be just as crazy as putting a dirty feet full of germs and i can guess not all of them are that unexperienced, still not sure though.
> image
> ...


All the medicated water in the world still wouldnt stop the meds i use leeching out of my skin while being "doctored" by the fish.

And as Mynki has said there are also cross contamination issues to worry about.

This just seems like a really bad and stupid idea. :bash:


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## Shell195 (May 31, 2007)

Mynki said:


> No fish is constantly hungry? :lol2:
> 
> And washing your feet first is not much benefit to the fish either!!!
> 
> ...


 
When I first saw this I thought it sounded a good idea until I researched about it. The poor fish die on mass during import and the fish arent fed a normal diet to ensure they eat skin:bash:
I will pass on this too, I dont agree with exploitation of 
animals of any species


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## Mynki (Mar 24, 2010)

abadi said:


> I'm not sure about how bad it is for the fish but its a pretty famous practice everywhere, maybe there is a special medicated water to wash your feet be4 placing in the fish? i've seen we have one here in Harwich.
> 
> I dont think any place would be just as crazy as putting a dirty feet full of germs and i can guess not all of them are that unexperienced, still not sure though.
> image
> ...


I nearly mentioned this earlier, but now seems the perfect time. The fish in your picture are not Garra rufa but Chin chin. A cheaper species that unscrupulous spa's pass off as real doctor fish. The concern with these is that they have more developed teeth and are more likely to feature in any cross contamination issues.

Yes, they are freshwater fish. I've seen tanks of Garra rufa in wholesalers destined for both pet shops and spa's. It's not a nice thing to see.


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## abadi (Jul 25, 2010)

Mynki said:


> I nearly mentioned this earlier, but now seems the perfect time. The fish in your picture are not Garra rufa but Chin chin. A cheaper species that unscrupulous spa's pass off as real doctor fish. The concern with these is that they have more developed teeth and are more likely to feature in any cross contamination issues.
> 
> Yes, they are freshwater fish. I've seen tanks of Garra rufa in wholesalers destined for both pet shops and spa's. It's not a nice thing to see.


Ohhh so its chin chin, why the hell they all got weird names?? :lol2:


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## kyledawelsh (Mar 7, 2008)

connor 1213 said:


> Hey
> 
> was in the whopping center today


is that like a huge burger king? :whistling2:

on a serious note this is in silverburn shopping centre in glasgow where the tanks are set up right in the middle of the public walkway all tanks look clean eyc but not somethin i would do lol


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## selina20 (May 28, 2008)

We have had a shop open near us that have these fish in. Its pretty expensive lol.


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## connor 1213 (Apr 6, 2009)

Lol aye Kyle I just relised I said wopping center!

Aye in silverburn!


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## TIMOTHY AND MATILDA (Oct 31, 2008)

they had them in our shopping centre it was all ladies having it done,then this big hairy man came along with big grubby boots and hairy bits and the fish were going like mad eating all the gunk off his feet,then I bet another person came along and put their feet in the same tank,poor fish :devil::devil::devil::devil:


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## miss_mystra (Jun 24, 2010)

Been hearing about these loads, can't be good for the fish like others have said some lotions and potions won't come off with a quick wash! Plus the people who own them may be excellent beauticians but probably know naff all about looking after these fish :/ 

And can't be very hygienic even with washed feet have you seen the state of some peoples feet?! You'd need a few sharks munch on them sort them out!!

Plus what happens to all these fish when the next fad comes out and no one wants em? Straight down the nearest loo


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