as far as I know the tongue should go back to normal after it get fed for a while, so it isn't deformity just a sign of an underfed gar.
I had one like this and he was kept with guppies I breed. He would chase them, get them in his mouth and then release. I tried silver sides and that worked for a week and mixed it up with shrimp after another week. Then switched to frozen bloodworms and he loved them. The lump on mine didn't go away though. After another month of this he didn't make it. He was well fed and knew when I was feeding him. It was a sad day to see my first gator gar die. Now I have one that is 14 inches and loves feeding time!!!
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