#3 and #4...

Conner

Fire Eel
MFK Member
Dec 27, 2008
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:D

I released the two shortniose gars into the pond just a few minutes ago. They thanked me by soaking me, the stand, the floor, a canister filter, and even my light canopy :irked:.

The smaller guy I just used the net, scooped him up, walked him outside, and deposited him in the pond (first video).

The second shorty, however, I wanted to lay out and measure, so that I could have an accurate measurement for Sol. He soaked me the most. I got him in the net, carried him out back, and set him down on a towel on the ground. I had a 12" ruler and a measuring tape laid out, and damned if he didn't try his hardest to make sure I couldn't get a measurement...

BUT, I got it, and he is exactly 17.5" long! :WHOA: I tried to get a couple decent pics of him with the ruler and measuring tape, but he decided he could swim on concrete :screwy:, so I had to scoop him up and toss him in the pond. I forgot to record, so I turned it on at the last second and at least caught the splash as he went in the water :grinno:.

Do you guys know how hard it is to hold a digital camera with one hand and a 17.5" gar with the other? :nilly:

Anyways, PICS! (and video):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgJ3t4192V0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=De8i6nyNMVM

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Madding

The Ninth Holostei
MFK Member
May 11, 2009
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Awesome!

Though I dare say I wouldn't have bothered uploading that second video at all... :D

Are those floating plants new? I don't remember them. I think they make the pond look even better and I bet the gar absolutely love them! Cheers to catering to your fishes preferences.

- Michael​
 

Conner

Fire Eel
MFK Member
Dec 27, 2008
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Yah, I probably shouldn't have bothered with the second vid. But you CAN see the gar near the end, at the very bottom of the pond, right in front of the skimmer ;).

The floating plants aren't new, but I haven't really showcased them in pics before. Plus they're growing constantly, so every day there are new plants out there. They'll probably cover the entire surface in another month or two...

I don't get to see the gar nearly as much when they're in the pond, but I have no doubt that they're happier... besides, they'll probably be coming back in to a 220g (30" wide, not tall) in a couple months, especially if I sell my house and move... although I have a feeling whatever future house I have, they're WILL be a pond build... ;)
 

xander

Manjuari
MFK Member
Sep 6, 2007
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very nice conner, and i have to say incredible growth on the shortnose too!

ps: i know how hard it is to hold a dslr in 1 hand and a 20" gar in the other..it's never a good idea. hhaa
 

E_americanus

Penguin Lover
MFK Member
Aug 14, 2004
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primitivefishes.com
great pics! glad this was a successful move! i'm impressed and glad you took the time to shoot some pics and video...i moved 4 decent-sized gars today and had a little help, but was still in too much a hurry to snap shots (just sliced some tissue samples though :)).

will be great to see their growth and pattern when you take them back out after the season--
--solomon
 

Conner

Fire Eel
MFK Member
Dec 27, 2008
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Yah, the smaller two gar I put out first were pretty easy to move compared to these two.

I'd estimate the sizes of the gar in the pond as follows:

Spotted - ~12"
#1 shorty - ~13"
#2 shorty - ~15"
#3 shorty - 17.5" exactly

The larger of my two Florida gar is almost the same size as the largest shorty, but about 3 times the girth. The smaller Florida is probably about 13-14".
 

Conner

Fire Eel
MFK Member
Dec 27, 2008
4,461
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Kentucky
And I can wait to see them in a couple months either :). Its going to be fun wrangling them back out and into the 220g....
 
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