Spotted gar - breathe above the water?

[rostratusgar]

Hello. I bought Spotted gar (Lepisosteus ocelatus). Kept as Alligator gar. Alligator gar needs to breathe above the water.

My question is:
Spotted gar also needs to breathe above the water? It is the same behavior and breathing as Alligator gar (Atractosteus spatula)?

Thanks for any response.

In Slovakia:

Ahojte. Kúpil som si Spotted gar ( Lepisosteus ocelatus). Chovám aj Alligator gar. Alligator gar sa potrebuje nadýchnuť nad hladinou vody.

Moja otázka znie:
Spotted gar sa tiež potrebuje nadýchnuť nad hladinou vody? Je rovnaký správaním a dýchaním ako Alligator gar ( Atractosteus spatula) ?

Ďakujem za každú odpoveď.

 

[Wiggles92]

Hello. I bought Spotted gar (Lepisosteus ocelatus). Kept as Alligator gar. Alligator gar needs to breathe above the water.

My question is:
Spotted gar also needs to breathe above the water? It is the same behavior and breathing as Alligator gar (Atractosteus spatula)?

Thanks for any response.

In Slovakia:

Ahojte. Kúpil som si Spotted gar ( Lepisosteus ocelatus). Chovám aj Alligator gar. Alligator gar sa potrebuje nadýchnuť nad hladinou vody.

Moja otázka znie:
Spotted gar sa tiež potrebuje nadýchnuť nad hladinou vody? Je rovnaký správaním a dýchaním ako Alligator gar ( Atractosteus spatula) ?

Ďakujem za každú odpoveď.

Yes, the "spotted gar" (which is most likely a Florida gar) will surface for air just like an alligator gar, and it should always have access to air at the surface of the water.

 

[Daggel]

No, they don't breathe air very efficiently. And they are a lot less resilient than alligator gar. They could survive a couple of hours max out of the water. They also don't mix well with Spatulas, the alligator gar will tend to hog all the food and keep them from eating. that has been my experience.

if you keep them together, you will end up spending a lot of time making sure that the smaller or less aggressive fish get a decent amount to eat.

the translation on your post is a bit off, so I hope you get the gist of my message. I wouldn't personally keep them together unless I had a huge tank or pond and the resources to let them live an almost natural course of existence.

 

[Daggel]

BTW Wiggles, I am not contradicting you, I am just trying to be a bit more specific. Their primary means of getting oxygen is through their gills, not gulping air now and then.

 

[rostratusgar]

Thank you for your reply. I'll leave them breathing space above the water. When I watched my Spotted gar. I have not seen my Spotted gar to breathe air. Therefore, I ask.

 

[Wiggles92]

BTW Wiggles, I am not contradicting you, I am just trying to be a bit more specific. Their primary means of getting oxygen is through their gills, not gulping air now and then.

In captivity, they tend to mostly rely on aerial respiration by way of gulping air rather than using just their gills; in the wild, they also tend to rely more on aerial respiration when the water temperature is warmer and oxygen-deprived. I know that multiple sources state that they are facultative air breathers rather than obligate air breathers, but they tend to be obligate air breathers in captivity due to the low levels of oxygen in the water that they are kept in.

 

[Daggel]

In captivity, they tend to mostly rely on aerial respiration by way of gulping air rather than using just their gills; in the wild, they also tend to rely more on aerial respiration when the water temperature is warmer and oxygen-deprived. I know that multiple sources state that they are facultative air breathers rather than obligate air breathers, but they tend to be obligate air breathers in captivity due to the low levels of oxygen in the water that they are kept in.

Those are some big words, did you go to college? I don't know of too many people that keep fish without an aerator and a filter system. My gar gulp air about once every two minutes, some of them a lot less. My point is that they can live for 50 years in water, they won't live very long out of the water breathing air.

 

[Madding]

Those are some big words, did you go to college? I don't know of too many people that keep fish without an aerator and a filter system. My gar gulp air about once every two minutes, some of them a lot less. My point is that they can live for 50 years in water, they won't live very long out of the water breathing air.

Where in the OP's post did you get the impression he was curious about gars inabiltiy to live outside of the water? He was clearly talking about surface breathing.

 

[rostratusgar]

I thing surface breathing.

 

[Daggel]

Where in the OP's post did you get the impression he was curious about gars inabiltiy to live outside of the water? He was clearly talking about surface breathing.

I am inclined to say that your post doesn't make any sense, but I am trying my hardest to fathom it. the op clearly believes that gar do better just breathing air. they don't.

there is a big difference between gars gulping air and other species like catfish that can live for 6 or 7 hours out of the water.