The main issue they have with me and other ignorant fish keepers is that we don't heed their self professed expertise and knowledge in everything gar.
I wouldn't say it's all self-professed...you may find it somewhere on the boards, but i would guess it would take quite a bit of digging to find a flat-out statement where i say "i am a gar expert, you MUST listen to me".
i would say, however, that the knowledge has been built over many years, as is the case with poly, in keeping many many individuals and keeping all species (multiple individuals of all species). unless you have done the same, don't profess to know any better. that's also not to say that we haven't tried to help here and there. it's when info has to be repeated for the billionth time because someone doesn't want to run a search or even better, someone asks about a controversial combination and almost everyone says no, but the OP waits for one jackass with the exception working for 3-5 months and then tries it and things go awry. wow, awesome run-on.
They have spoken and that's what all that needs to be said.
Solomon, Poly and their followers will tell us what is possible and we are privileged to be given their time and opinions.
For this they expect us to listen or they will get upset.
My gar has thrived and it’s health and exceptional growth are proof. It has progressed through many tanks thought it’s growth and has always been kept with other fish.
what does that even mean? what do you know about gator gar growth rates with your sample size of 1. look up stats and you'll learn more there. gator gar growth rates should far exceed most other fishes.
I know you think I and many on here are trophy hunters but I really never asked or cared for your advice or opinions.
Other ignorant trophy collectors on here like johptc keep large predators in community tanks quite successfully and in tanks the gar experts would have you believe the fish could thrive in because the conditions are not optimal.
I have taken on and absorbed all your points of views and have chosen to continue with what has worked for me and plan for the gars progression. He will eventually reside outside alone (at least that is a good plan) until then he stays with fish lager enough to look after themselves.
If you don’t like what I post stay off my threads (sometimes threads need an appropriate response; if you don't like what we have to say to your threads, don't post them...it's an open forum), as for Atractosteus spatula how many have you “experts” had the experience keeping and looking after anyway?
although i feel we definitely don't need to justify ourselves to you (since the info is already out there), you should know that poly and i have kept many gator gars over the years. richard has had more hands-on experience with very large specimens than i have, but trust us in that we've accumulated plenty of our own experience with these fishes over the years. we also aren't regurgitating the experience of others...it's our own fish-keeping in 99% of the cases.
Is it one, two, five, or none, I am really all ears to heard about your hands on experience with keeping this species you profess to know how to house and raise optimally.
They are quite funny in their sincerity that they are not just hobbiest but so much more I just LMAO.
i generally don't like to have to respond to these comments (especially feel it's unneeded when the person doesn't know how to spell hobbyist - it's tropical fish hobbyist magazine...not "he's the hobbiest person around"...sorry, i digress). richard works for a zoological society and has worked for the oldest aquarium in the united states and has decades of experience with gars. therefore gars were a professional component, not just a hobby. for me, components of my MS research and all of my doctoral research focuses on gars...so it's more than a hobby for me too. i enjoy the hobby aspects and consider them quite valuable...which is why we're actually trying to help and bridge the gap between the hobby and other areas of gar science.
hope that answered some of your comments--
--solomon
