Alligator Gar pond

M

mattstevens1

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Nov 10, 2012
553
0
31
deer park ny
Bought a juvie Gator Gar about a month ago. He's probably grown about 2-2.5 inches just in the past month eating like a monster. Plan on building a pond outside for him but I have a few questions.
I live in New york so it's cold, i know they are able to be acclimated to the cold water because a hatchery around me has them outside year round but would anything else be able to be in the pond with them? but my main question is. What would be a good dimensions for him ?
 
W

Wiggles92

Dovii
MFK Member
Apr 25, 2009
6,103
42
105
31
Pennsylvania
There are many factors that go into keeping gars in ponds year-round including, but not limited to, genetics, size of the gars, acclimation times, & the dimensions of the pond.

First off, how big is the gar at this time? You're going to want the gar to be as big as possible in order to give it the best chance of surviving in the pond year-round. This also goes hand-in-hand with acclimation as you'll want to put the gar in the pond as soon as it's warm enough to do so; I would add the gar late spring/early summer if at all possible. Keep the gar on live food and have food available for it at all times in order to maximize its growth & fat storage.

As for the actual pond, go as big as you can; there's no sense in trying to just provide the minimum if you have the space to go bigger. Depth is going to be just as important as footprint in this case as the pond needs to be deep enough to prevent the entire thing from freezing solid; I would go with a depth of at least four feet, but six feet would be even better. Also, don't forget that ponds shouldn't be stocked to the same densities as aquariums. What did you have in mind for the dimensions?

You could keep other gars with it as well as minnows (for the purpose of food), but I would really try anything else beyond that unless you make a fairly large pond.
 
M

mattstevens1

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Nov 10, 2012
553
0
31
deer park ny
Thank you for the response! As of right now the gar is Probably 8 inches. but growing fast. by summer he will probably be double that. And the dimensions i Was looking at (I read in New York you need atleast 4 feet deep for the pond to not freeze over) was 10 feet long by 6 feet wide by 4 feet deep is what i was looking at.

Wiggles92 said:
There are many factors that go into keeping gars in ponds year-round including, but not limited to, genetics, size of the gars, acclimation times, & the dimensions of the pond.

First off, how big is the gar at this time? You're going to want the gar to be as big as possible in order to give it the best chance of surviving in the pond year-round. This also goes hand-in-hand with acclimation as you'll want to put the gar in the pond as soon as it's warm enough to do so; I would add the gar late spring/early summer if at all possible. Keep the gar on live food and have food available for it at all times in order to maximize its growth & fat storage.

As for the actual pond, go as big as you can; there's no sense in trying to just provide the minimum if you have the space to go bigger. Depth is going to be just as important as footprint in this case as the pond needs to be deep enough to prevent the entire thing from freezing solid; I would go with a depth of at least four feet, but six feet would be even better. Also, don't forget that ponds shouldn't be stocked to the same densities as aquariums. What did you have in mind for the dimensions?

You could keep other gars with it as well as minnows (for the purpose of food), but I would really try anything else beyond that unless you make a fairly large pond.
Click to expand...
 
W

Wiggles92

Dovii
MFK Member
Apr 25, 2009
6,103
42
105
31
Pennsylvania
mattstevens1 said:
Thank you for the response! As of right now the gar is Probably 8 inches. but growing fast. by summer he will probably be double that. And the dimensions i Was looking at (I read in New York you need atleast 4 feet deep for the pond to not freeze over) was 10 feet long by 6 feet wide by 4 feet deep is what i was looking at.
Click to expand...
The gar should easily be triple that, if not more, by summer; alligator gars grow super fast and can get to be over 24" in their first year if given proper care.

I would just do a 10' x 10' x 4' pond in that case. You would just need a 20' x 20' piece of liner to pull it off while a 15' x 20' piece would be cutting it close for a 10' x 6' x 4' pond; it is only a difference of maybe $75-100 at most depending on the brand plus that will give you an extra ~1200 gallons to work with.
 
M

mattstevens1

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Nov 10, 2012
553
0
31
deer park ny
Alright yeah, I'm going to look into the prices of everything. Ive read a little bit that MOST the price is ussually labor and if i could dig the whole myself I'd be fine. stepdads a plumber so all of that will be fine. figuring the most cost will be into the pumps and monthly electric bill.

Wiggles92 said:
The gar should easily be triple that, if not more, by summer; alligator gars grow super fast and can get to be over 24" in their first year if given proper care.

I would just do a 10' x 10' x 4' pond in that case. You would just need a 20' x 20' piece of liner to pull it off while a 15' x 20' piece would be cutting it close for a 10' x 6' x 4' pond; it is only a difference of maybe $75-100 at most depending on the brand plus that will give you an extra ~1200 gallons to work with.
Click to expand...
 
W

Wiggles92

Dovii
MFK Member
Apr 25, 2009
6,103
42
105
31
Pennsylvania
mattstevens1 said:
Alright yeah, I'm going to look into the prices of everything. Ive read a little bit that MOST the price is ussually labor and if i could dig the whole myself I'd be fine. stepdads a plumber so all of that will be fine. figuring the most cost will be into the pumps and monthly electric bill.
Click to expand...
I would use a Bobcat or something else with a bucket/scoop to at least start the hole if at all possible as digging 48" down with shovels is going to take a pretty long time.
 
M

mattstevens1

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Nov 10, 2012
553
0
31
deer park ny
Yeah I didn't plan on digging by hand :p but other then that, Do you know a general idea of monthly water bill changes?

Wiggles92 said:
I would use a Bobcat or something else with a bucket/scoop to at least start the hole if at all possible as digging 48" down with shovels is going to take a pretty long time.
Click to expand...
 
W

Wiggles92

Dovii
MFK Member
Apr 25, 2009
6,103
42
105
31
Pennsylvania
mattstevens1 said:
Yeah I didn't plan on digging by hand :p but other then that, Do you know a general idea of monthly water bill changes?
Click to expand...
I'm not sure on the dollar amount, but I never had to top-off my artificial ponds more than a few times this past summer so it wasn't any worse than running a sprinkler or two to water the yard; evaporation wasn't a huge issue as long as it rained every once in a while.. Just put the pond in a spot that doesn't get that much sun, and you'll avoid excess evaporation. I would also avoid any fountains & running water features as well since they'll increase the evaporation rate; use a big pond-grade aerator instead to keep it aerated.

Also, for filtration, install a bottom-drain system; it will keep it much cleaner.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
zoomed.com
hikariusa.com
aqaimports.com
Store
Top Bottom