Florida Gar Feeding

ricksnipe

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Oct 10, 2012
42
4
8
Landover, MD
I have a 6 in Florida gar, I was wondering what is tha best thing to feed him. He currently eats feeders and blood worm cubes. I want to maximize his growth and keep him as healthy as possible.
 

JNason11

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Feb 9, 2012
182
0
0
Maine
I would keep him on feeders constantly until he gets to be 9-10" This is when they are putting on their size rapidly... But they need constant access to food right now so i would keep what your doing for a little longer then experiment with different foods

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ricksnipe

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Oct 10, 2012
42
4
8
Landover, MD
Thanks you guys! I will take everything into consideration. I feed him every other ther and he eats about 4 medium feeders. and occasionally frozen blood worms (which he is stealing from my other fish). Is that a good feeding regiment?
 

Cichlaholics Anonymous

Polypterus
MFK Member
May 23, 2006
8,159
14
92
Miami, Florida
I would keep him on feeders constantly until he gets to be 9-10" This is when they are putting on their size rapidly... But they need constant access to food right now so i would keep what your doing for a little longer then experiment with different foods

Sent from my HTC Hero S using MonsterAquariaNetwork App
So what kind of de-wormer do you recommend for the OP? Unless you're breeding this constant supply (which most people don't do) there are health risk for fish eating store bought or wild caught feeders
 

MonsterMinis

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Apr 28, 2009
6,048
9
0
Wisconsin
24/7 access to live feeders... the sticky clearly tells you this if you read it.. and these are from EXPERTS in the gar husbandry field ( not just hobbyists but also professionals in the field)... I've taken their advise many times over the years and the only reason I am up to 8 gar..4 different species is because of their advice being sound. YOY gar need constant access to quality food.. gar are piscivores... they eat fish. Fish are the best food for them imo/ime. I prefer Prazi-pro to de-worm them every 4-6monthes but I also now keep Metro on hand... either can be mixed/injected into their food easily.

And a side note... bloodworms have little to no nutritional value to them... they are like potato chips for fish. If he likes frozen foods you can try krill, or smelt/silversides cut into smaller pieces for him. You can also buy from your grocery store ect. I personally try to stick to fw species vs sw ones ( proteins/fats ect are different) But my guys love when we have salmon for dinner and I cut a few pieces off for them ( It's oily so that means a water change the next day but they seem to relish the fatty meat now and then) Also try and feed whole fish that are small enough once it gets bigger a lot of nutrients in the brain/head and innards (i'm wary of farm raised but I have fed my guys perch ect I've caught from what I consider safe waters, just toss them in the freezer until I want to use and thaw and feed.. no cleaning/gutting ect.)

Freezing kills a lot of nasty stuff, but if you have VHS ect in your area I would avoid using fish from those waters ect... You can fish.. and feed your fish relatively easy.. Oh and my floridas in particular love any leftover nightcrawlers if my rays don't get to them first! lol
 
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