Alligator Gar Literally Bursting From Overeating?

[Wiggles92]

As ridiculous as this sounds, has anyone had a gar eat to the point where it literally started to burst?

I'm pretty sure that one of my indoor alligator gars has done just that since there appears to be a small bloody hole on his underside after he gorged himself on rosy reds yesterday. Water parameters are great (no ammonia, no nitrite, very low nitrates), the feeders were quarantined, there's no decor besides a sand substrate and a live plant, and its only tankmate is a slightly smaller alligator gar, so this is really all I can come up with considering the fact that this happened after feeding.

I'll try to get some pictures of the gar later after I move it to a hospital aquarium so that it will recover (hopefully).

 

[pharmaecopia]

I have never had this happen and when I powerfeed I usually leave at least 50 feeders in the tank at all times. Even with this constant supply of food they stop eating eventually. I have done this with cubans and floridas, they get pretty thick, but that's all that happens.

 

[Industrial]

I've seen gars bite each other during feeding time, I'd say it's more likely he was bit by another alligator gar than he ate until he started to split open.

 

[xander]

other gator biting might be a more viable explanation. ganoid scales must be tough to burst

 

[Wiggles92]

I should point out that the apparent burst is at the seam where the scales meet along the middle of the gar's belly rather than at some other point; the hole seems too even and centered to be from the other alligator gar biting it.

 

[wcc963]

pics might help

 

[Wiggles92]

I need to let it settle into the hospital aquarium for a little bit before I stress it even more with pictures.

 

[Wiggles92]

Well, so much for it getting better: It just rolled over onto its back and died; it looks like it bled some more beneath its slime coat while it was in the hospital aquarium.

Sadly, it didn't even get to be 12" long. These three little alligator gars haven't shown the crazy growth that they're supposed to despite ample amounts of food, good water quality, and appropriately-sized aquariums.

 

[xander]

sorry for your loss ryan

 

[Kyel]

I have actually had an angel fish eat until it burst.