Gar compatable with Gar?

[BOTR]

I have been doing a bit of searching, and have not found a good answer for a question I have. I was basicaly wondering what types of Gar are compatable with each other? I understand the size incompatabilities, i.e. Gator Gar, but what about water params(mostly temp I would guess)..... agression levels.... ect.

I currently have Tropical Gar, and One Cuban comming soon. I am interested in the possibility of mixing some Gar in an 1800g indoor pond.

Thanks,
Chris

 

[demjor19]

I have been doing a bit of searching, and have not found a good answer for a question I have. I was basicaly wondering what types of Gar are compatable with each other? I understand the size incompatabilities, i.e. Gator Gar, but what about water params(mostly temp I would guess)..... agression levels.... ect.

I currently have Tropical Gar, and One Cuban comming soon. I am interested in the possibility of mixing some Gar in an 1800g indoor pond.

Thanks,
Chris

You can pretty much mix any gar species as long as size permits it. The only place you would be likely to have issues is if a Gator Gar is involved. Other than that expect a few nipped/ripped fins and some minor scrapes...nothing serious.

 

[channarox]

agreed.
any gar except a gator can be mixed.
gars are very tolerant to ph,except cubans,so it should be fine.

 

[BOTR]

I am aware of the fact that Cubans react more poorly to PH fluctuations. This is not an issue. Mainly I am concerned about temp ranges and aggression issues. I think I will limit myslef to Trops and Cubans as they seem the most compatable in these areas.

This post is one that brought my question to the surface.

Originaly posted by Polypterus....

2. Identification of these fish is important if you are to attempt keeping one. Gars are not a one size fits all fish and you can not treat one in the same manner you treat and keep another. It has long been assumed and wrongly so that you can just treat all the same. This is really a rather asinine concept. The more that we have been learning about gars the more it is becoming very clear that each species is very different and each species requires a different method of husbandry.

 

[channarox]

I am aware of the fact that Cubans react more poorly to PH fluctuations. This is not an issue. Mainly I am concerned about temp ranges and aggression issues. I think I will limit myslef to Trops and Cubans as they seem the most compatable in these areas.

This post is one that brought my question to the surface.

Originaly posted by Polypterus....

2. Identification of these fish is important if you are to attempt keeping one. Gars are not a one size fits all fish and you can not treat one in the same manner you treat and keep another. It has long been assumed and wrongly so that you can just treat all the same. This is really a rather asinine concept. The more that we have been learning about gars the more it is becoming very clear that each species is very different and each species requires a different method of husbandry.

i think that fl/spotteds can be kept with the same params as a cuban.
as for aggression,there will be little to none.
mostly during feeding time when thery try to snatch food from each other.
as for other gar species,im not too familiar with them.

 

[StripeGirl]

what if you have a wimpy gator gar like mine?My spotted chases him sometime and they are both 12 inches.

 

[channarox]

what if you have a wimpy gator gar like mine?My spotted chases him sometime and they are both 12 inches.

that gator could go nuts any time.

 

[E_americanus]

what if you have a wimpy gator gar like mine?My spotted chases him sometime and they are both 12 inches.

gator will eventually come around...very very statistically unlikely he will remain that timid for the rest of his life. they are both 12" for now, but the gator will very soon surpass this size due to its growth rate...and will leave the spotted gar behind (in overall size).


Chris -

- to answer your question, i would go with what you hear from richard, myself, and maybe a couple others since your question has to do with keeping any of the gar species together. i see a lot of regurgitated advice popping up, and as it's copied (like with most things) some of the facts seem to get distorted.

in your case it depends on the conditions you wish to maintain in your pond.
-if you maintain the temp around 70F-82F you can keep any of the gar species together just fine (in terms of TEMP).
-if you use a slightly higher pH or a substrate that will buffer your pH by a decent amount, you will be fine keeping any of the gars together.
-if you have similarly sized individuals you should be ok keeping any of the species together.
-one major concern, species-wise that you would have to consider is shortnose gars. they seem to be the outliers in terms of tank-size vs success rate in captivity. i would advise against this species for the pond unless you get a larger individual OR grow one out in a smaller space first. it sounds, from your previous post, that you want to go with just the Atractosteus species (at least the two smaller ones) for now.

-if a longnose is to be mixed in with the Atractosteus bunch, i would suggest a larger specimen so it's not as easily picked on. Florida and spotted should go just fine with your combo.

i think that should hopefully cover things for now, feel free to let us know if you have further questions--
--solomon

 

[BOTR]

gator will eventually come around...very very statistically unlikely he will remain that timid for the rest of his life. they are both 12" for now, but the gator will very soon surpass this size due to its growth rate...and will leave the spotted gar behind (in overall size).


Chris -

- to answer your question, i would go with what you hear from richard, myself, and maybe a couple others since your question has to do with keeping any of the gar species together. i see a lot of regurgitated advice popping up, and as it's copied (like with most things) some of the facts seem to get distorted.

in your case it depends on the conditions you wish to maintain in your pond.
-if you maintain the temp around 70F-82F you can keep any of the gar species together just fine (in terms of TEMP).
-if you use a slightly higher pH or a substrate that will buffer your pH by a decent amount, you will be fine keeping any of the gars together.
-if you have similarly sized individuals you should be ok keeping any of the species together.
-one major concern, species-wise that you would have to consider is shortnose gars. they seem to be the outliers in terms of tank-size vs success rate in captivity. i would advise against this species for the pond unless you get a larger individual OR grow one out in a smaller space first. it sounds, from your previous post, that you want to go with just the Atractosteus species (at least the two smaller ones) for now.

-if a longnose is to be mixed in with the Atractosteus bunch, i would suggest a larger specimen so it's not as easily picked on. Florida and spotted should go just fine with your combo.

i think that should hopefully cover things for now, feel free to let us know if you have further questions--
--solomon

Solomon,

Thank you for the thoughtfull answer. I was counting on one of you to chime in, and was looking forward to reading your response. I have noticed a few individuals as well that have a knack for spewing information, and having it come out wrong. It's suprising how quickly people can become "experts" in the online world....... A dangerous thing for a new member who believes what he is reading.....

I will most likely be sticking with the 2 Atractosteus species for now, possibly using the 450g for the others, if I do indeed decide to keep them. Would you advise that I raise the Cuban to a larger size before adding him to the pond? The dims on it are 10'x8'x3'. I would be adding the Cuban as well as a Tropical that is only about 9" at the moment. Possibly I would be better off raising them both in the 450g for a bit to get some size before giving them the extra room?

Thanks again for the info.

Chris

 

[xander]

Solomon,

Thank you for the thoughtfull answer. I was counting on one of you to chime in, and was looking forward to reading your response. I have noticed a few individuals as well that have a knack for spewing information, and having it come out wrong. It's suprising how quickly people can become "experts" in the online world....... A dangerous thing for a new member who believes what he is reading.....

I will most likely be sticking with the 2 Atractosteus species for now, possibly using the 450g for the others, if I do indeed decide to keep them. Would you advise that I raise the Cuban to a larger size before adding him to the pond? The dims on it are 10'x8'x3'. I would be adding the Cuban as well as a Tropical that is only about 9" at the moment. Possibly I would be better off raising them both in the 450g for a bit to get some size before giving them the extra room?

Thanks again for the info.

Chris

imo(this is no gospel truth if solomon/richard/jordon says otherwise they would be the ones who are correct) there would be little difference between raising 9" gars in the pond vs in the 450. how big are your cats? we advise against large tanks for small gars as there is a higher chance they break their backs and might have some difficulty finding food, something you might want to consider. personally i feed your best bet would be to grow them out in a smaller tanks first, at this point a 2' wide tank, perhaps a 120gal-180gal would work well, till the gars get to ~18inches. only then would i feel safe adding them to a 450. other than that they should grow very large in the pond.

ps some guys here are telling me of their 2yr old 30inch cubans. perhaps your fish might be able to attain that size in such a large enclosure.