Which gar should I get?

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In the case that the vendor improperly labelled the fish, what's the max captive size on a Florida gar? And how fast will it grow relative to a spotted?


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from what ive had before Flg grow faster than the spotted ones ive had a flg hit 36'' before he jumped outta the pond. he was 2or3 years old got him at 14''
 
Spotted and Longnose gars are native to Ontario. Being native fish there are some odd laws and combine that with the status of spotted gars in Ontario as being at risk causes more laws.

Essentially if it originates outside of Ontario you can possess it, there is more to it than that but not too relevant to the conversation.

Ethan, Arapaimags two big gars are his gator and his longnose, both I which are over 3 feet. His other gars aren't as big.
 
From what I've read it comes down to a spotted gar having bony plates btwn their gills in a location called the isthmus and a Florida not having them. Seems straight forward to me, but then again I've never had to ID them myself


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so it is unsure that the fish is a spotted gar, and do you have any picture of the fish?
 
Spotted and Longnose gars are native to Ontario. Being native fish there are some odd laws and combine that with the status of spotted gars in Ontario as being at risk causes more laws.

Essentially if it originates outside of Ontario you can possess it, there is more to it than that but not too relevant to the conversation.

Ethan, Arapaimags two big gars are his gator and his longnose, both I which are over 3 feet. His other gars aren't as big.



point being still there not illegal to own/have in ont.

and as far as what i said im going by what mike told me.
 
point being still there not illegal to own/have in ont.

and as far as what i said im going by what mike told me.

Not illegal as long as they are not from ontario, thats the loophole of sorts that allows "spotted" gars to be sold in pet stores. But there are still more laws regarding the ownership of these species.
 
im 100% sure you cant catch them outta any of the great lakes in ont canada. i may be wrong because there are a few stupid people out there. and i dont think spotted gars are illegal in ont. (all true gars are legal) dont qoute me on that tho.

Spotted gars and longnose gars do occur in Canada with the spotted gars being limited to a few rivers in Ontario from what I remember; Solomon would be able to tell you way more on the exact ranges. The issue with spotted gars is their protected status; it must not be from Ontario in order for it to be legal, and you need to be able to prove it from my understanding.

From what I've read it comes down to a spotted gar having bony plates btwn their gills in a location called the isthmus and a Florida not having them. Seems straight forward to me, but then again I've never had to ID them myself

Ya, go ahead and try to determine that, and let me know if its gill plates and/or head are still in their original condition; it's not as simple as it sounds and shouldn't be attempted by someone who hasn't been shown how to do it by an expert.

I live in PA and based on my research all true gars are legal here

Nope, that's not the case. Haven't you ever wondered why spotted gars are listed as "Closed Year-Round" in the PA Lake Erie fishing regulations?

That gar legality sticky needs updated, by the way; I haven't gotten around to submitting the most recent changes to Xander yet.

In the case that the vendor improperly labelled the fish, what's the max captive size on a Florida gar? And how fast will it grow relative to a spotted?

Captive maximum sizes and growth rates are pretty much the same. We have stickies for a reason.
 
Spotted gars and longnose gars do occur in Canada with the spotted gars being limited to a few rivers in Ontario from what I remember; Solomon would be able to tell you way more on the exact ranges. The issue with spotted gars is their protected status; it must not be from Ontario in order for it to be legal, and you need to be able to prove it from my understanding.



Ya, go ahead and try to determine that, and let me know if its gill plates and/or head are still in their original condition; it's not as simple as it sounds.



Nope, that's not the case. Haven't you ever wondered why spotted gars are listed as "Closed Year-Round" in the PA Lake Erie fishing regulations?

That gar legality sticky needs updated, by the way; I haven't gotten around to submitting the most recent changes to Xander yet.



Captive maximum sizes and growth rates are pretty much the same. We have stickies for a reason.




thanks for the useful info makes me wanna look up more on it
 
from what ive had before Flg grow faster than the spotted ones ive had a flg hit 36'' before he jumped outta the pond. he was 2or3 years old got him at 14''
I doubt it is a FLG! that grow rate is faster than most gar species and it is about the same as Alligator gar!
 
Spotted gars and longnose gars do occur in Canada with the spotted gars being limited to a few rivers in Ontario from what I remember; Solomon would be able to tell you way more on the exact ranges. The issue with spotted gars is their protected status; it must not be from Ontario in order for it to be legal, and you need to be able to prove it from my understanding.



Ya, go ahead and try to determine that, and let me know if its gill plates and/or head are still in their original condition; it's not as simple as it sounds.



Nope, that's not the case. Haven't you ever wondered why spotted gars are listed as "Closed Year-Round" in the PA Lake Erie fishing regulations?

That gar legality sticky needs updated, by the way; I haven't gotten around to submitting the most recent changes to Xander yet.



Captive maximum sizes and growth rates are pretty much the same. We have stickies for a reason.

I checked the sticky, it had info on all species except spotted. Maybe it's just not showing up right since I'm using my iPhone. Ok so if spotted and floridas are nearly indistinguishable and have very similar size and growth rate, what exactly is so different about them? Is one better in a home aquarium over the other?


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