Author(s): Xander (Alexander Eng), E_americanus (Solomon David)
Photos by:
Edited, Arranged, and Referenced by Xander
*** All Information & Images Copyright 2010 the authors and www.MonsterFishKeepers.com OR used with permission. No material (listed above) may be reproduced without permission.
The most appropriate way to house a gar from yoy to adulthood is to step it up accordingly to its size. This means that one cannot just have one big tank for the same fish. Instead, a small fish should be housed in a smaller tank, and as it grows, appropriate upgrades in tank size should be made.
There are several reasons for this rule.
What then, constitutes as “appropriate”? It is important to first know that there is no fixed guideline for these fish, and care should be both species and individually specific. However, as a very generic guideline, one is probably safe using the following rubrix.
Juvenile Gars
(Gars under 12")
(or Gars under 18")
(or Gars above 18")
References:
Monsterfishkeepers.com
Photos by:
Edited, Arranged, and Referenced by Xander
*** All Information & Images Copyright 2010 the authors and www.MonsterFishKeepers.com OR used with permission. No material (listed above) may be reproduced without permission.
The Step-up Rule of ThumbPolypterus;1800193; said:
The most appropriate way to house a gar from yoy to adulthood is to step it up accordingly to its size. This means that one cannot just have one big tank for the same fish. Instead, a small fish should be housed in a smaller tank, and as it grows, appropriate upgrades in tank size should be made.
There are several reasons for this rule.
- Food source
Too large a tank could result in your yoy gar having a tough time locating and or hunting for food. This will negatively impact the fishes growth and possibly stunt it (small gars need to have easy access to food as and when they please).
- Stress
Too large a tank will stress out small gar; a smaller tank would help a yoy gar feel more secure. Covering the sides of the tank, along with adding plants/decor would further improve this.
- Safety
When scared, gars tend to dart very quickly in random directions. Given enough space, any gar can gain enough speed so that when it hits the tank walls, it breaks it's back. (A 6" gar in a 20 gal will not gain enough energy to kill itself. however, put the same fish in a 120 gal and you might have a dead fish/one with a broken back).
The important thing one needs to know is that gars have a unique opisthocoelous vertebrae system, which isn't found in any other fishes except a couple gobies. So although gars may seem to dart in the same way that your payara, ATF or other fishes do, the damage potential and morphology are completely different.
Most gars take time to learn the boundaries of the tank, but they do learn them...better to increase the tank with the size of the gar so they learn these boundaries and when to stop before ramming the glass
Obviously, one cannot be upgrading the tank with every inch the fish grows. Hence, the best thing to do would be to do research (reading this thread is a good start, another tip would be to look out for which sources of information are reliable when it comes to gar), apply what you learnt when during your reading, ask questions when in doubt, and perhaps most importantly, use your common sense.The important thing one needs to know is that gars have a unique opisthocoelous vertebrae system, which isn't found in any other fishes except a couple gobies. So although gars may seem to dart in the same way that your payara, ATF or other fishes do, the damage potential and morphology are completely different.
Most gars take time to learn the boundaries of the tank, but they do learn them...better to increase the tank with the size of the gar so they learn these boundaries and when to stop before ramming the glass
What then, constitutes as “appropriate”? It is important to first know that there is no fixed guideline for these fish, and care should be both species and individually specific. However, as a very generic guideline, one is probably safe using the following rubrix.
Juvenile Gars
(Gars under 12")
Length: 3 – 4 times longer than the fish is long
Width: 1.5 – 2 times wider than the fish is long
Height: 1 – 2 times higher than the fish is long
A standard 15gal (2x1x1) tank is your best bet for small fishes (2-5"). Although they probably do even better in smaller tanks, their growth rate is so rapid that you'll find yourself having to upgrade the tank in no time. Remember to keep tanks with such small gars dimly lit and provide lots of shade/cover.
You might start to think about upgrading the tank to a 50gal (3x1.5x1.5) when they hit 10", or one might consider a 4x1.5x1.5 to hold it out a bit longer.
Sub-adult GarsWidth: 1.5 – 2 times wider than the fish is long
Height: 1 – 2 times higher than the fish is long
A standard 15gal (2x1x1) tank is your best bet for small fishes (2-5"). Although they probably do even better in smaller tanks, their growth rate is so rapid that you'll find yourself having to upgrade the tank in no time. Remember to keep tanks with such small gars dimly lit and provide lots of shade/cover.
You might start to think about upgrading the tank to a 50gal (3x1.5x1.5) when they hit 10", or one might consider a 4x1.5x1.5 to hold it out a bit longer.
(or Gars under 18")
Length: 3 – 4 times longer than the fish is long
Width: 1.5 – 2 times wider than the fish is long
Height: 1 – 1.5 times higher than the fish is long
For gars at the smaller end of that spectrum, you might look into a 3-4' long, 1.5' wide tank. But as they get larger (15-16"), you should get them into a 2' wide tank at least.
These fishes do not need very tall tanks and will do fine in a 1-2ft tall tank.
Adult GarsWidth: 1.5 – 2 times wider than the fish is long
Height: 1 – 1.5 times higher than the fish is long
For gars at the smaller end of that spectrum, you might look into a 3-4' long, 1.5' wide tank. But as they get larger (15-16"), you should get them into a 2' wide tank at least.
These fishes do not need very tall tanks and will do fine in a 1-2ft tall tank.
(or Gars above 18")
In this case, bigger is always better. For gars under 24", nothing under 5' long and 30" wide is advisable, and going at least 6' long by 3' wide is highly recommended. For extra-large gars, ponds or large enclosures are recommended.
However, it still holds true that these fishes do not need very tall tanks and will do fine in a 1-2ft tall tank.
Relevant threads to the topic of tank sizes are listed in the reference list below.However, it still holds true that these fishes do not need very tall tanks and will do fine in a 1-2ft tall tank.
References:
Monsterfishkeepers.com
