Setting up a 450g Gar tank

[Spar]

I have had a 450g reef tank for the past 5 years, but recently the glass split on me. I am fixing the tank and then switching over to freshwater for a while. And am thinking a driftwood tank with Gar's would be nice. I had a Gar for several years a decade ago and miss having one!

The tank is 96x36x30" (8x3x2.5') and has two overflows going down to a sump.

I was reading the tank size husbandry and was surprised to read about the risks of 'too large' of a tank for smaller Gar's. So I assume I will have to look for 18"+ Gar's, or at minimum 12". Few questions:
(1) How many Gar's could I put in that size of a tank (I am not a fan of over stocked tanks, so I am sure I will go well under the limit anyway)
(2) Will a variety of Gar species be ok together?
(3) What is the best source(s) online for buying Gar's?
(4) Are they a jumping risk? I have a solution for a top to the tank, but would prefer it to be open top.
(5) In my reefing days I was big on proper quarantine of my fish; is there guidance somewhere on this forum on what specific to Gar's I can do to treat and/or quarantine new Gar's? ...what common diseases/parasites are, etc.
(6) Are Gar's generally ok with having new Gar's put in across time, or are they better off all entering the tank at the same time? i.e. territorial risk.

Thanks all; I will be reading old posts in the meantime, but wanted to at least get the low hanging fruit questions off to get peoples advice.

Cliff

 

[Lepisosteus]

I have had a 450g reef tank for the past 5 years, but recently the glass split on me. I am fixing the tank and then switching over to freshwater for a while. And am thinking a driftwood tank with Gar's would be nice. I had a Gar for several years a decade ago and miss having one!

The tank is 96x36x30" (8x3x2.5') and has two overflows going down to a sump.

I was reading the tank size husbandry and was surprised to read about the risks of 'too large' of a tank for smaller Gar's. So I assume I will have to look for 18"+ Gar's, or at minimum 12". Few questions:
(1) How many Gar's could I put in that size of a tank (I am not a fan of over stocked tanks, so I am sure I will go well under the limit anyway)
(2) Will a variety of Gar species be ok together?
(3) What is the best source(s) online for buying Gar's?
(4) Are they a jumping risk? I have a solution for a top to the tank, but would prefer it to be open top.
(5) In my reefing days I was big on proper quarantine of my fish; is there guidance somewhere on this forum on what specific to Gar's I can do to treat and/or quarantine new Gar's? ...what common diseases/parasites are, etc.
(6) Are Gar's generally ok with having new Gar's put in across time, or are they better off all entering the tank at the same time? i.e. territorial risk.

Thanks all; I will be reading old posts in the meantime, but wanted to at least get the low hanging fruit questions off to get peoples advice.

Cliff

first off I will say welcome back to the bright side (freshwater). to start you can have i would say 8 gars in a tank that size if you go with florida gars, spotted gars, or shortnose which are the easiest to keep. they will grow to 18" then you will not see much growth for years. you can buy all the gars at once or introduce them over time, every time I added a new gar the others would follow it around in circles. it's great to see so feel free to add whenever you can. you can mix gar species with success it has been done by a lot of people but personally I always enjoyed species dedicated tanks. I would stay away from gator gars though. as for jumpers they do tend to get out of the tank from time to time. I always used loose fitting lids just in case. they are great fish and I'm sure you will enjoy them

 

[KNH]

I really think the idea of gars being too small for a tank is silly. That idea has been parroted around and around. I can tell you from experience that small gar about 6" did very well in my 750.

 

[Lepisosteus]

I really think the idea of gars being too small for a tank is silly. That idea has been parroted around and around. I can tell you from experience that small gar about 6" did very well in my 750.

It's an odd thing. small gars spook easily so when they run into the glass they suffer spinal damage. your 750 may have just been so large that when spooked it swims long enough to just slow itself down before smashing into the glass. I would not put a 6" gar in a 6ft tank. that's large enough to pick up speed but short enough that it won't stop itself

 

[KNH]

I've found that many fish that are generally considered jumpy or skittish don't show those traits when they have room and feel comfortable.

 

[jsodwi]

I would mix them all but I have no experience with large alligator gars. I'd try to get one of each. Florida, cuban, tropical, longnose, I have had no problems with keepin these all together. I prefer the trops though. They seem to follow each other almost like they are playing