Here is the gar I got from nechiclids. (by the way i highly recommend!)
This is the gar that I showed before I got him and had some conflicting opinions on what it is. As you can see he is doing great in my tank and now has his spots. definitely not a short nose.
Hovering at the surface and lying on the bottom are normal behaviors for these gars. If you're keeping up on proper routine maintenance, there should be nothing to worry about.