general- A. spatula are lepisostieds which describe the family lepisostidae. A. spatula are one of the largest freshwater fish in North America. they are also the most aggressive if the lepisosteid family.
size- in the wild they can reach lengths of 10'. but it is vey rare to see them at that size. they generally stay around the 6 or 7' mark. in the home aquarium they can max out at around 5' given proper care.
tankmates- given that they are very aggressive they tend to kill off all of thier tankmates. so if you choose to give them tankmates make it something you dont mind loosing.
tank info- to keep a A. spatula for life it will require a large pond or above ground pool. a 24x12x4 should be good for a gator. but as said before with longnose a large tank isnt always better. even though it is less likely for gators to break their back that doesnt mean it wont happen. so while the gator is still small give it a tank just wide enough for the fish to turn. the width of the tank should be about twice as long as the fish. and when you put the fish in the pond put a net over it so birds cant get to the fish. given proper care you can own quite an impressive speciman.
feeding- feeding seems to be the same with gators as all lepisostieds. get them on prepared foods such as prawns, krill, pellets, or any prepared foods.
as said before in the longnose thread feeders are not recommended. as they can carry parasites and diseases and kill your fish. feeders are however better for juveniles cuz they need a continuous supply of food as they are very fragile. they cannot be starved when small or they will likey die but can go a month without food when older. but its not good to starve them for that long. as its not healthy but may be needed to get it on prepared foods.
hope this helps. again if any info is inaccurate feel free to correct it.
size- in the wild they can reach lengths of 10'. but it is vey rare to see them at that size. they generally stay around the 6 or 7' mark. in the home aquarium they can max out at around 5' given proper care.
tankmates- given that they are very aggressive they tend to kill off all of thier tankmates. so if you choose to give them tankmates make it something you dont mind loosing.
tank info- to keep a A. spatula for life it will require a large pond or above ground pool. a 24x12x4 should be good for a gator. but as said before with longnose a large tank isnt always better. even though it is less likely for gators to break their back that doesnt mean it wont happen. so while the gator is still small give it a tank just wide enough for the fish to turn. the width of the tank should be about twice as long as the fish. and when you put the fish in the pond put a net over it so birds cant get to the fish. given proper care you can own quite an impressive speciman.
feeding- feeding seems to be the same with gators as all lepisostieds. get them on prepared foods such as prawns, krill, pellets, or any prepared foods.
as said before in the longnose thread feeders are not recommended. as they can carry parasites and diseases and kill your fish. feeders are however better for juveniles cuz they need a continuous supply of food as they are very fragile. they cannot be starved when small or they will likey die but can go a month without food when older. but its not good to starve them for that long. as its not healthy but may be needed to get it on prepared foods.
hope this helps. again if any info is inaccurate feel free to correct it.
