I am a new gar owner and was wondering if some people here could give me some tips. I am raising my gar in a 78 gallon tank as a starter only. In this tank I also have a large pleco, 3 crayfish and 2 large goldfish. I have been feeding my gar strictly feeder goldfish but after losing 75% of the last batch i have decided to switch to shrimp. My gar will not take the shrimp and now I am noticing some fin decay. It is not terrible but seems to be affecting most of his fins. They seem to be separating.....I will try to get a picture of this to attach to this thread tomorrow to see if it will help. I realize that the gar will eventually need a bigger tank but i don't believe that his size warrants it at this time. I have had him for about 6 months and he is approximately 10 - 12 inches in length. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Fin Decay and diet change
- Thread starter fshrmn
- Start date
fshrmn;3114240; said:
remove the pleco as it will slime suck on the gar and can fatally injure it. this behavior is extremely unpredictable, but eventually happens, so best to separate them immediately.
what is your filtration on the tank? when was your last water change and how often do you change your water? fin damage like this on a gar is likely due to ammonia burn complications. i would do a 50% water change every other day or two days in between until the damage goes away. this will likely help greatly. if there are high ammonia or nitrite levels, it will affect the gar's appetite as well.--
--solomon
try threading a thin fishing line though the shrimp while its alive (I know its not pleasent for some) and keep it at top of the water, or try feeder guppies
I am only able to do water changes once every 3 weeks due to my job. I work a schedule that required me to be on shift for 15 days and off for 6. I usually do a water change on my first day off and another before i go back to work. I regularally test the water and ammonia is always at 0. Nitrite and Nitrate levels are usually low as well. I have not noticed any attempt at all of the pleco going after the gar. I have heard about this problem before but will consider removing him again. Are otocinclys okay to keep with a gar? Surprisingly he doesn't eat them. He has tried but must find them quite unappetizing as he spits them out. My pleco is also a bit larger than my gar. Please advise
I just completed a water test and these are the results......pH is about 8, Ammonia is 0, Nitrite is 0, and Nitrate is 10-20. I am doing a water change this morning. I was also wondering if his fin damage is permanent or will it improve over time?
I was not planning on feeding the gar live shrimp. Is it better to feed it raw shrimp or cooked shrimp??
Hi,
While i'm not a gar keeper....yet I do keep bichirs, tire tracks and a few other fish of the monster variety.
If your water is good chemicaly, it sounds pretty good, then think more towards biological problems like fungus and the like.
This stuff is crazy! Attacks the thinnest parts, (fins), first and works it's way in.
Since you had a die off of gold fish,(very dirty fish), that die off may have been due to this type of thing. Your gar was in the same water.
So it may be prudent to dose your tank.
On the feeding try frozen silversides cut up int small pieces.
My Bichirs will only do shrimp when they are very very hungry but go for the silver sides.
While i'm not a gar keeper....yet I do keep bichirs, tire tracks and a few other fish of the monster variety.
If your water is good chemicaly, it sounds pretty good, then think more towards biological problems like fungus and the like.
This stuff is crazy! Attacks the thinnest parts, (fins), first and works it's way in.
Since you had a die off of gold fish,(very dirty fish), that die off may have been due to this type of thing. Your gar was in the same water.
So it may be prudent to dose your tank.
On the feeding try frozen silversides cut up int small pieces.
My Bichirs will only do shrimp when they are very very hungry but go for the silver sides.