bowfin/gar for native tank

[wild caught]

ill be settin my 55 gallon up this summer(finally) and want to keep some natives. i want to choose between a gar or bowfin. i know a 55 is not big enough for a gar, but how small would a gar have to be to keep in a 55 tank for a few months? how long would it last?

also, is a 55 way too small for a bowfin? id love to get one of theese. and they eat all tankmates, correct?

thanks guys

 

[toxicfish]

Yes a 55 is way to small for a bowfin, and yes bowfin will eat tank mates unless it is in a huge aquarium and with the tankmates being large

 

[guppy]

I would not try any true gar in a 55g, they will out grow it at about 8" long, bowfins (except when mating) can be kept with similar sized fish such as channels and bass, when mating the males get very territorial and will even attack boat paddles.

 

[starrfish71]

I have been swimming in a local river and floated over a bowfin that was longer than me, so yeah, a 55g would be way too small............

 

[wild caught]

damn! i didnt know they got that big! i thought they didnt get much longer than 2 feet!

ok, well what false gars could i keep in a 55?

 

[guppy]

Starrfish is either very short or victim of an optical illusion, the world record for bowfin (Amia calva) was just under 44' and 21 1/2 pounds.

I was once scared back into a boat by what appeared to be a shark larger than I was, when we caught the fish it was a shortfin mako about 5' long.

As far as false gars or gars shaped fish suitable for a standard 55g (48"x12 1/2"x21") there are not many,
even the hujeta (Ctenolucius hujeta) and striped pike-characin (Boulengerella laterstriga) get to around 10" and need some turning room.

Two that would work great (if you can find them) are the pike top minnow (Belonesox belizanus) one of my favorite fish, a live bearer that gets 6" for males and a bit bigger for females., or the Pikehead (Luciocephalus pulcher) a bubblenest builder that gets about 7" max. A group of either would be a great 55g.

 

[wild caught]

k thanks. where could i get thoose?

 

[fishyz]

I don't know where to get them but the fish in the bottom picture looks kind of like a pencilfish.

 

[ewurm]

I agree that bowfin will outgrow a 55 in a hurry, they are ravenous feeders. They grow very fast, so a 55 will only work for months as a growout tank.

 

[guppy]

Neither is easy to find in the states, a couple UK members have them.
I have never seen the pikehead for sale and the pike topminnows don't show up very often even though they are from Mexico and Central America. There are wild populations in Florida so maybe a Florida member can get some for you. I will keep an eye open for them