180gallons;2349146; said:
Hi, I've been thinking of adding a gar to my tank but not sure what kind. I do not want one that I will have to get rid of because he out grew my tank (180gal). I have never owned a gar before and am not sure one would be compatible with what I have.
2 23" clown knives,
3 4" synodontis eupterus,
1 4" stripe raphael,
1 8" african lung fish.
Wheather a gar is a good choice or not, any other suggestions of something compatible are always welcome. Thanks in advance for your help.
if you're looking for a gar that requires no special care and will not outgrow the 180, spotted/florida gar is the way to go. if you want to add one right into the tank, i suggest that you get a gar of at least 16inches with some mass on it. 18inches would be preferable.
some issues with tankmates.
clown knives are generally not good tankmates for gar. they're aggressive and territorial, and is likely to spook the gar/cause it to break it's back. especially at this size, it greatly increases the chances of the gar getting attacked/stressed. a gar smaller than the suggested is extremely likely to picked on and will not live comfortably. anything under 10inches is likely to be killed one way or another.
the 4" fish will sooner or later be be attacked by the gar, best if you rehome them. i'm suprised the knives have left them alone.
african lungs are, as a rule of thumb, bad tankmates for anything. it's suggested you remove it from the community.
if you remove the knives, your chances of keeping gar would increase vastly! however, if you decide to get a small one, keeping it in such a big tank is a bad idea.
here's some info on growing out gar.
Gars in general
:should be housed in a small enclosure when young. for example, a 6" gar in a 2x1x1. tank size should be stepped up stage by stage as the gars grow. this is because small gar get skittish and dart really quickly in all directions. a large tank gives the gar enough space to gain so much speed that when it does bump into the tank walls, they sometimes break their backs. however it is possible, albeit not advised, to keep small gars in large tanks.(for example i have 6 6"-7" spotted gars in a 120gal, which is 4'x2'x2') i credit my success to the heavy cover(branches and plants) and many hiding spots i have around the tank.
:imo for an upgrade the next tank, increasing the width is far more important than increasing length. imo a 5x2.5 would do better than a 6x2. a 6x3 would be set for many years, if not life. however this is only in my opinion. if you still want an upgrade, according to e_americanus, width still is more important. he said that a 6x4 footprint would serve better than an 8x3 footprint.
Spotted/Florida gar. Lepisosteus Oculatus/Plathyrinchus
:2x1x1 up till they are around 8"
:4x2x2 would last them a couple of years. mine got to 17" in a year and was still very comfortable in the 120gal
i personally think a spotted/florida gar can live in a 180 for life, thou an upgrade(width wise) would of course be more comfortable.
good luck, let us know if you have any more questions. keep us updated