Gar newbie

NocturnalX

Feeder Fish
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Oct 12, 2010
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Monster House
greetings

well first of all, you probably notice that i'm new in this site.
but i can tell from the start that it's a great website.

i'm not only new to the site, i'm also a newbie when it comes to taking care of fishes.
recently i wanted to have a pet fish, and i've always been fascinated by special fishes like the Gar.

well to cut the story short, i saw a short-nose gar in a nearby pet shop and i would really want to take care of it. it was only around 4 inches so i'm guessing it's a young short-nose? i have no idea actually, that's why i register here to seek some advice.

as i want to place it where i always see him, i want to put it near my computer table, but my computer has speakers that has tremendous bass. would the bass affect the fish in any way? like stress or something?

also what should i put inside the aquarium? should i put some pebbles, or some kind of soil in there?
and i think gars surface to breathe air, so is an oxygen tank neccesarry?

i'm sorry if i sound ignorant, but i really have no clue. that's why i want to do some research first before buying that gar that i saw.
 

creepyoldguy

Fire Eel
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Jul 27, 2010
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No gar expert here, but I've kept them in the past. Here is some recommendations from me. First, do you have the appropriate tank size? Personally I would suggest a breeder footprint (36x18) to start, then onto a 48x18, finally at the very minimum, a 72x18 but a 72x24 is more appropriate for shortnose or florida gar (most likely is a florida) They are fairly hardy fish but are very skittish especially when introduced to a new tank. First, after reading your post again, I think you may want to get the basics of fish keeping down before attempting this fish.
 

Madding

The Ninth Holostei
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May 11, 2009
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Shortnose gars are very skittish and fragile, especially at small sizes. I wouldn't recommend one for a new keeper. I'd start with a florida gar.

Being near your computer should be fine but are you aware of the rapid growth rate and potential tank size needed for a gar?

There are stickied threads at the top of the gar section with all sorts of good gar info. Read through that.

To be honest, if you're a new fishkeeper you may want to try something easier (and smaller) and work your way up.

But if you are prepared for a gar then we'll help you out.
 

NocturnalX

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Oct 12, 2010
47
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Monster House
thanks for the reply guys
well i really respect the opinion and surely you have more knowledge than me.
but i really want to keep a gar, if a short-nose gar is not recommended for newbies. then is a florida gar like the creepoldguy said, recommended?
i'm not really interested in keeping, ordinary fishes that you usually see on most home aquariums. i'm really interested in monster fishes.
 

Madding

The Ninth Holostei
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May 11, 2009
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NocturnalX;4545693; said:
thanks for the reply guys
well i really respect the opinion and surely you have more knowledge than me.
but i really want to keep a gar, if a short-nose gar is not recommended for newbies. then is a florida gar like the creepoldguy said, recommended?
i'm not really interested in keeping, ordinary fishes that you usually see on most home aquariums. i'm really interested in monster fishes.
If you're ready to keep up with the fishes growth (it could be around 20" in less than two years) then I think a florida would be perfect.
 

koltsixx

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You said your very inexperienced and just to let you know your pet is gonna take a serious financial investment on your part as well as time. Your gonna need a good filter, water parameter test kits, substrate, hood(light's since you said you'd like to see your pet), decor as well as a decent sized tank for your pet to thrive. Your looking at a couple hundred dollars in equipement even if you did it the financially responsible(Lol!) way by buying thing's off of Craigslist. Plus factor in the time to make sure your pet get's the proper nutrition and water changes it's a pretty serious decision not to be taken lightly. Getting any pet alway's is. I don't mean to sound negative, just trying to help you make a informed decision. If after reading this you still want to go forward and do it. I'll post up more specific info. on possible cost, tank size etc.....
 

NocturnalX

Feeder Fish
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Oct 12, 2010
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Monster House
thank you.
by the way, i checked the other threads for some research.
and one thing that i'm curious about is their method of eating.
i've read some threads and found out you can feed gars with shrimps.
but i want the gar to make him feel more like he's in a natural enviroment like he's hunting for food. so is it a good idea to put some really small fish in there with him so he can hunt them for food when he's hungry?
 

floridagar

Feeder Fish
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Jun 18, 2010
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chicago
NocturnalX;4545957; said:
thank you.
by the way, i checked the other threads for some research.
and one thing that i'm curious about is their method of eating.
i've read some threads and found out you can feed gars with shrimps.
but i want the gar to make him feel more like he's in a natural enviroment like he's hunting for food. so is it a good idea to put some really small fish in there with him so he can hunt them for food when he's hungry?
yes actually feeder fish are good to get but make sure you dont add the water from the bag with the feeders in it otherwise you have a risk of getting ich and other parasites inside the tank which is BAD! Also make sure you add some aquarium salt (people say it doesnt help but i think it does for ich). i have it when my fish get ich i drop the recommended amount and raise the temp in my tank and the ich goes away. but really Gars will eat any fish small enough for it's mouth. Feeder fish are cheap and are ok just make sure you dont add the water out of the bag of feeders into the main tank.
 

koltsixx

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He'll just eat as many of them as he can as quick as he can. It's instinct all predator's are opportunistic so he'll decimate anything he considers food. Also if you do more research you'll find most people try to get their fish off live food. That's because nutritionally it's better for them as well as less of a hassle. Goldfish produce a hormone(all fish do) that inhibit's growth, though goldfish seem to have it in spades. So between that and the possible introduction of disease from feeder's which are never well maintained it's pretty much not a good idea. Seriously you seem to be getting ahead of yourself a tank and filtration system should be your priorities right now as far as info goes.
 

koltsixx

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floridagar;4545968; said:
yes actually feeder fish are good to get but make sure you dont add the water from the bag with the feeders in it otherwise you have a risk of getting ich and other parasites inside the tank which is BAD! Also make sure you add some aquarium salt (people say it doesnt help but i think it does for ich). i have it when my fish get ich i drop the recommended amount and raise the temp in my tank and the ich goes away. but really Gars will eat any fish small enough for it's mouth. Feeder fish are cheap and are ok just make sure you dont add the water out of the bag of feeders into the main tank.
Sorry but disease in the water means disease in the fish so not adding the water won't help prevent disease out breaks. The safest way is a quarantine tank so you can observe the feeder's. See what I'm talking about as far as expense and dedication.
 
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