Spotted Gar Information Needed

Slayer2533

Piranha
MFK Member
May 13, 2017
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Hi All,

I recently purchased two Spotted Gars who have been raised till about 6-7 inches on live food. I am trying to get them to eat sinking carnivore pellets or floating carnivore sticks so far without success. I was able to get one gar to eat a dead fish which was a start but since then they haven't eaten anything. My questions are how often do spotted gars normally go without feeding? How long does it normally take for them to start accepting carnivore pellets and which type of carnivore pellets are preferred (floating or sinking)? Also will Gars eat frozen food such as prawns with their shells removed or frozen white fish cut up. I am used to American Cichlids and Bichirs which always seem to be hungry so any information about Spotted Gars and their diet/eating habits is appreciated. So far at least one gar has not eaten in at least a week or two.
 
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Miks786

Plecostomus
MFK Member
May 23, 2017
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Hey Buddy. Gars can go for weeks without eating, I have a spotted gar that has starved himself for a month and eventually I gave up and fed him shrimp..

Gars will take cut up cubes of shrimp and fish. I usually cut up my fish and shrimp and freeze it again so when I throw it into the tank it floats and does not sink

You can also try cutting up the prawn and wrapping it around the pellet you want to feed then freeze it again and the gar will take it (making the fish stupid).. I have had my spotted for 4 months now and he still doesn't eat plain pellets but the prawn trick works

Hope this helps
 

Galantspeedz

Potamotrygon
MFK Member
Feb 28, 2017
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when i first got the gar, he was on feeder. so i buy about 40 once a week and dump in the tank for him to eat.... i than feed hikari carnivore sticks (floating) to my parrot and tinfoil barb and frozen deshelled market prawn to my fire eel and stingray

somehow within 2 weeks, the gar started eating the pellets and prawns too.... i guess the weekly feeders is not enough for him... lol

having a tank mate that eat pellets and prawns may be a good way for the gar to know that the pellets and prawns are edible...
 

Slayer2533

Piranha
MFK Member
May 13, 2017
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293
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Hey Buddy. Gars can go for weeks without eating, I have a spotted gar that has starved himself for a month and eventually I gave up and fed him shrimp..

Gars will take cut up cubes of shrimp and fish. I usually cut up my fish and shrimp and freeze it again so when I throw it into the tank it floats and does not sink

You can also try cutting up the prawn and wrapping it around the pellet you want to feed then freeze it again and the gar will take it (making the fish stupid).. I have had my spotted for 4 months now and he still doesn't eat plain pellets but the prawn trick works

Hope this helps
Thanks for the information. I have tried peeled shrimp but so far they are not keen on taking anything that isn't alive.

when i first got the gar, he was on feeder. so i buy about 40 once a week and dump in the tank for him to eat.... i than feed hikari carnivore sticks (floating) to my parrot and tinfoil barb and frozen deshelled market prawn to my fire eel and stingray

somehow within 2 weeks, the gar started eating the pellets and prawns too.... i guess the weekly feeders is not enough for him... lol

having a tank mate that eat pellets and prawns may be a good way for the gar to know that the pellets and prawns are edible...
I have my gars in with Bichir and some american cichlids who happily eat hikari carnivore sticks, new life spectrum pellets, blood worms and prawns/shrip and occasionally frozen fish. I am guessing when they are hungry enough they will go for some of these foods being offered to them. It may take them a month or so to adjust to the new tank and tank mates possibly. I am trying to get them off feeders as I wan't to avoid feeding feeders unless I get my own feeders breeding.
 

Galantspeedz

Potamotrygon
MFK Member
Feb 28, 2017
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Thanks for the information. I have tried peeled shrimp but so far they are not keen on taking anything that isn't alive.



I have my gars in with Bichir and some american cichlids who happily eat hikari carnivore sticks, new life spectrum pellets, blood worms and prawns/shrip and occasionally frozen fish. I am guessing when they are hungry enough they will go for some of these foods being offered to them. It may take them a month or so to adjust to the new tank and tank mates possibly. I am trying to get them off feeders as I wan't to avoid feeding feeders unless I get my own feeders breeding.
how about feeding minimal feeders about once a week then feed either pellets or prawns... try training 1 food first...
 

Slayer2533

Piranha
MFK Member
May 13, 2017
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how about feeding minimal feeders about once a week then feed either pellets or prawns... try training 1 food first...
Thanks for the advice. At this stage after reading alot of gar posts in this section of the forum I decided to keep sticking with advice of providing plenty of food options regularly consisting of dead food/frozen food and pellets until the gars get hungry enough to take some. I don't believe they will starve themselves to death. At the same time I have setup a smaller tank to start to try to breed Platy fish as a live food alternative every now and again depending on how the breeding goes.
 
Jul 30, 2017
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I recently purchased a gar and i had the same problem it only took feeders and then became sluggish . But because i have him with deacons he eats the sinking pellets as well as bloodworms all depends on what he can get for himself as the other fish are quite fast .
 
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