i am thinking about getting a gar? The will be put in a 125 gal or a 180 gal what is the smallest growing gar and also what gars if even can be in the 125 gal or 180 for life .
a Gar question
- Thread starter cornbread_5
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Short nose gar are the smallest gar species which only grow 20 inches in the wild which would not get as big in a home aquarium. If your tank is 24 inches wide it will be big enough tank since gars grow so long which a 180 gal wide would be your best bet..
shortnose gars can clear 30" in the wild, and the record is around 33".ESJBond007;1347072; said:
they are also probably the second worst gar for captivity (second to the alligator, for obvious reasons) as they are the most skittish, very unpredictable, and are among the most prone to break their backs.
go for a 180g tank (not a 125) or any 2' wide tank...wider would be better if possible. and go for a Florida/spotted gar--
--solomon
Just to add my 2 cents in... when ever deciding on a tank, ALWAYS put your fish in the bigger one. If you had 2 rooms to choose from, wich would you take??? Exactly.......same reason 
I have a spotted Gar and he is dope. I have him with 2 7" VATF'S that fly by him and even bump into him. Also just bought a 8.25" Red Tail Payara and the Gar just minds his own. Really laid back and fish friendly. I was worried about the broke back situation, and seeing that he is real melow and the speed of the other fishes dont faze him, I'm not worried about him doing that (knock on wood!!!!!!!!!). The gar also like to play in the current of my powerhead and swims with and against the current and makes his slow long turn before he hits the tank with his snout. Real aware of his surroundings
Hope this helps
I have a spotted Gar and he is dope. I have him with 2 7" VATF'S that fly by him and even bump into him. Also just bought a 8.25" Red Tail Payara and the Gar just minds his own. Really laid back and fish friendly. I was worried about the broke back situation, and seeing that he is real melow and the speed of the other fishes dont faze him, I'm not worried about him doing that (knock on wood!!!!!!!!!
). The gar also like to play in the current of my powerhead and swims with and against the current and makes his slow long turn before he hits the tank with his snout. Real aware of his surroundingsHope this helps
the payara/gar combo is definitely not advise, as is the ATF combo (but that's already been mentioned). gars instinctively go after silvery fishes...maybe not now, but eventually.
also, regarding (and somewhat related to tankmate combos) just because a gar hasn't slammed into the tank from being spooked yet, doesn't mean it won't happen (especially when the risk has been greatly increased by tankmate choices)...AND it only takes once to break its back...so it's not like one would see warning signs in ~99% of cases.
in terms of tank size, go with the bigger tank with larger juveniles-sub-adult fishes or adult fishes when talking about gars, in terms of YOY or small juveniles, a step-wise progression of tank size is better--
--solomon
also, regarding (and somewhat related to tankmate combos) just because a gar hasn't slammed into the tank from being spooked yet, doesn't mean it won't happen (especially when the risk has been greatly increased by tankmate choices)...AND it only takes once to break its back...so it's not like one would see warning signs in ~99% of cases.
in terms of tank size, go with the bigger tank with larger juveniles-sub-adult fishes or adult fishes when talking about gars, in terms of YOY or small juveniles, a step-wise progression of tank size is better--
--solomon
