Florida Gars get nippy

[Bennlfer]

I think my largest Florida Gar is getting nippy and chewing up the tails of the other ones. You called it FishnCash.. Is it normal for them to get nippy around the 10-12 inch mark? Dont mean to mean sound like i dont trust you FishnCash but i wanna get a more solid response from more gar owners. Thanks.

 

[E_americanus]

gars kept in groups invariably get nippy at some point in their time together...happens all the time in the wild too. usually a dominant fish will pick on subordinates, but minor skirmishes among all gars in a group are not uncommon--
--solomon

PS-- keeping them well fed and in good water quality can help lessen this issue, but it almost never goes away 100%

 

[Bennlfer]

Yeah i thinking it was something like that.. Hopefully he stops so it doesnt get too much worse. Thanks Sol.

 

[justonemoretank]

I have three (12 to 16 inches) in a 180, and have never experienced this. I've had the three of them, introduced at different times, for over two years. Possibly due to a lack of space?

 

[Conner]

I have nipped fins occasionally in my tank, but then I have 9 gar in a 125g. Part of it may be aggression, but I think some of it (in my instance) is multiple gars going for food in close quarters, and simply catching tails by mistake. I've watched it happen while feeding my tank before.

There also doesn't seem to be any obvious pattern to the nipped fins, everyone gets them. From the smallest (9") to the largest (17"+).

The only ones who seem to get nipped tails the least are the Florida gars. The shortnose gars get them much more often, but then they are more spastic than the florida's...

 

[Bennlfer]

Yeah i was also thinking maybe it is lack of space, but then again, I THINK my Gars have plenty of room for now. Sometimes they do grab each other's faces or tails while going for food at the same time, and just recently my newest gar (the small one) started trying to steal food straight from the big one's mouth and im thinking this may have something to do with it. I think the behavior is normal, if it gets worse Ill act.

 

[E_americanus]

I have three (12 to 16 inches) in a 180, and have never experienced this. I've had the three of them, introduced at different times, for over two years. Possibly due to a lack of space?

didn't say it happens in ALL cases, but in most...that and two years is just a drop in the bucket. they have a lot of space for now, but you're not even dealing with mature fish yet. just enjoy the peace while it still stands--
--solomon

 

[Lepisosteus platyrhincus]

this is a common occurance keeping gar together, like solomon said. Mine do it when i add food. other than that its rare but it does happen in my tank. my largest is the main perpitrator of this. the others do it but never mess with Gary(the big boy)