Author(s): Xander (Alexander Eng), Madding (Michael Morgan)
Photos by: Xander
Edited, Arranged, and Referenced by Xander
*** All Information & Images Copyright 2010 Alexander Eng et al. and www.MonsterFishKeepers.com OR used with permission. No material (listed above) may be reproduced without permission.
Species Information
Scientific Name:
Atractosteus spatula
Common Name(s):
Alligator gar, Gator gar, Catan
Distribution:
North America: ranges from Mississippi River basin from southwestern Ohio and southern Illinois in USA south to Gulf of Mexico; Gulf of Mexico Coastal Plain from Enconfina River in Florida, USA to Veracruz, Mexico (Fishbase.org).
Description:
The Alligator gar has a short, very broad snout. Their pattern and appearence can vary greatly throughout their lives as they age and mature.
"Very young specimens have a dorso-medial white stripe, which is lost when the fish reaches approximately 10-15cm" (lepisosteidae.net). Juveniles to sub-adult gator gars can be identified by their large eyes (even when compared to other Atractosteus species) and "dashed" pattern along the lateral side of the fishes. They range from a bronze to dark colouration.
As they age, gator gars tend to lose most of their patterning and adopt an olive to grey colouration with some dashing on the posterior of the fish.
Gator gars usually have a blotched or stritationed patterned fins, and are the largest (both in length and girth) of the 7 extant species of gars.
Captive Care Guide
Average Captive Max Size:
36” – 48"
Average Captive Growth Rate:
Age: yoy
Expect rapid growth from this fish. They can easily reach 18" long (sometimes even more) within their first year.
Gator gars tend to put on length very quickly and it is normal for them to seem "lengthy" until they plateau at roughly 18". Following this, they start gaining mass and grow somewhat more exponentially.
Age: 2 years
Fish are believed get between 18” – 30” in their second year.
Age: 3 years and up
Growth rate slows from this point onward, but do not expect negligable growth from your gator gar from this point on.
Suggested Husbandry:
Tank Size:
Follow the step up rule of thumb for a growing fish. For an adult specimen, nothing less than 1.5 times the fishes length for the width of the enclosure and tripple it's length for the length of the enclosure.
Atractosteus spatula is requires a large amounts of space and an incredible amount of dedication to be successfully kept. Even when compared to other gars. Ensure you are able to provide the space and necessary dedication BEFORE acquiring one.
Water Parameters:
Atractosteus spatula is insensitive to most water conditions, provided they are kept in static water conditions* (refer to Atractosteus genus guide). One does not have to have much aeration as they are air breathers. A moderate pH is recommended, though others (whether notably low or high) can be tolerated. The important thing again, is to keep conditions stable and aviod sudden fluctuations.
Most gars are very resilient to water conditions (with the exception of the pH sensitive Cuban gar) but clean water is still important for your fish’s health and longevity, so remember to keep up on water changes and have abundant filtration to deal with the excessive waste left over by these large predators.
Tankmates:
Alligator gar are the most aggressive species of gar and their track record amongst aquarists is testiment to that. They are extremely unpredictable with tankmates and tend to attack/shred tankmates even if YOU think the tankmate is too large to be swallowed. To quote Richard "do not house anything you'd mind losing with a gator gar".
If one insists on having tankmates with gator gars, some that seem to work fairly well are - other gator gars, large cats & other primitive fishes - of a similiar size. Bear in mind that many of these fishes have very different growth-rates from gator gars, and might be cause for an unsuccessful mix if attempted early on in life. It might be better to grow the gator gar and the intended tankmate seperately and only mix when they are of large sizes, relatively stable sizes.
However, gators are still gars and much larger and/or active tankmates do tend to harass to them (especially during the younger stages of the gar's life). Continue to avoid the list of tankmates provided in the generic Lepisosteidae guide.
References
Fishbase.org
Lepisosteidae.net
Photos by: Xander
Edited, Arranged, and Referenced by Xander
*** All Information & Images Copyright 2010 Alexander Eng et al. and www.MonsterFishKeepers.com OR used with permission. No material (listed above) may be reproduced without permission.
Species Information
Scientific Name:
Atractosteus spatula
Common Name(s):
Alligator gar, Gator gar, Catan
Distribution:
North America: ranges from Mississippi River basin from southwestern Ohio and southern Illinois in USA south to Gulf of Mexico; Gulf of Mexico Coastal Plain from Enconfina River in Florida, USA to Veracruz, Mexico (Fishbase.org).
Description:
The Alligator gar has a short, very broad snout. Their pattern and appearence can vary greatly throughout their lives as they age and mature.
"Very young specimens have a dorso-medial white stripe, which is lost when the fish reaches approximately 10-15cm" (lepisosteidae.net). Juveniles to sub-adult gator gars can be identified by their large eyes (even when compared to other Atractosteus species) and "dashed" pattern along the lateral side of the fishes. They range from a bronze to dark colouration.
As they age, gator gars tend to lose most of their patterning and adopt an olive to grey colouration with some dashing on the posterior of the fish.
Gator gars usually have a blotched or stritationed patterned fins, and are the largest (both in length and girth) of the 7 extant species of gars.
Captive Care Guide
Average Captive Max Size:
36” – 48"
Average Captive Growth Rate:
Age: yoy
Expect rapid growth from this fish. They can easily reach 18" long (sometimes even more) within their first year.
Gator gars tend to put on length very quickly and it is normal for them to seem "lengthy" until they plateau at roughly 18". Following this, they start gaining mass and grow somewhat more exponentially.
Age: 2 years
Fish are believed get between 18” – 30” in their second year.
Age: 3 years and up
Growth rate slows from this point onward, but do not expect negligable growth from your gator gar from this point on.
Suggested Husbandry:
Tank Size:
Follow the step up rule of thumb for a growing fish. For an adult specimen, nothing less than 1.5 times the fishes length for the width of the enclosure and tripple it's length for the length of the enclosure.
Atractosteus spatula is requires a large amounts of space and an incredible amount of dedication to be successfully kept. Even when compared to other gars. Ensure you are able to provide the space and necessary dedication BEFORE acquiring one.
Water Parameters:
Atractosteus spatula is insensitive to most water conditions, provided they are kept in static water conditions* (refer to Atractosteus genus guide). One does not have to have much aeration as they are air breathers. A moderate pH is recommended, though others (whether notably low or high) can be tolerated. The important thing again, is to keep conditions stable and aviod sudden fluctuations.
Most gars are very resilient to water conditions (with the exception of the pH sensitive Cuban gar) but clean water is still important for your fish’s health and longevity, so remember to keep up on water changes and have abundant filtration to deal with the excessive waste left over by these large predators.
Tankmates:
Alligator gar are the most aggressive species of gar and their track record amongst aquarists is testiment to that. They are extremely unpredictable with tankmates and tend to attack/shred tankmates even if YOU think the tankmate is too large to be swallowed. To quote Richard "do not house anything you'd mind losing with a gator gar".
If one insists on having tankmates with gator gars, some that seem to work fairly well are - other gator gars, large cats & other primitive fishes - of a similiar size. Bear in mind that many of these fishes have very different growth-rates from gator gars, and might be cause for an unsuccessful mix if attempted early on in life. It might be better to grow the gator gar and the intended tankmate seperately and only mix when they are of large sizes, relatively stable sizes.
However, gators are still gars and much larger and/or active tankmates do tend to harass to them (especially during the younger stages of the gar's life). Continue to avoid the list of tankmates provided in the generic Lepisosteidae guide.
References
Fishbase.org
Lepisosteidae.net
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