First time keeping gar since I was in high school. This is what I have:
Standard 220 (6'long, 2'wide, 2.5'tall). Fluval FX5 filter, and a few sponge filters hiddin in rock piles in the rear of the tank.
There are a handful of misc. small CA Cichlids in there (potential gar chow), and a pair of Nics, which spawn every month or so (I am pulling the babies with the hopes of raising some extra feeders).
I have 4 Florida Gar, ranging in size from about 11" to 14". I try to feed them twice a day, but sometimes due to work, they only get fed once a day. Their main diet is shrimp (the frozen, raw, deveined shrimp you buy in the grocery freezer section). I chop up 3 or 4 pieces, thaw, and rinse before putting in the tank. The Gar always eat every piece available, and also sometimes get lucky enough to get a bonus cichlid who gets too close to the shrimp. I do feed goldfish feeders a couple times a week as well (more for the entertainment of watching the gar hunt). The goldfish I get are kept in a 20 high at a nice cool temp and fed Extreme Monster Pellets (not your ordinary goldfish food).
That's the background..Sorry to be so longwinded, here is the question....Are my gar getting fed enough? They seem like they would eat another dozen shrimp each time I feed them!!! Can they be fed too much? Will they stop eating when they are full? Is this diet OK? I would guess it is better than just straight feeders.....I am working on introducing pellets to them right now. They look at the pellets, but haven't eaten any yet.
Anyone else feeding the same kind of shrimp? If so, how much are you feeding?
Thanks.
Standard 220 (6'long, 2'wide, 2.5'tall). Fluval FX5 filter, and a few sponge filters hiddin in rock piles in the rear of the tank.
There are a handful of misc. small CA Cichlids in there (potential gar chow), and a pair of Nics, which spawn every month or so (I am pulling the babies with the hopes of raising some extra feeders).
I have 4 Florida Gar, ranging in size from about 11" to 14". I try to feed them twice a day, but sometimes due to work, they only get fed once a day. Their main diet is shrimp (the frozen, raw, deveined shrimp you buy in the grocery freezer section). I chop up 3 or 4 pieces, thaw, and rinse before putting in the tank. The Gar always eat every piece available, and also sometimes get lucky enough to get a bonus cichlid who gets too close to the shrimp. I do feed goldfish feeders a couple times a week as well (more for the entertainment of watching the gar hunt). The goldfish I get are kept in a 20 high at a nice cool temp and fed Extreme Monster Pellets (not your ordinary goldfish food).
That's the background..Sorry to be so longwinded, here is the question....Are my gar getting fed enough? They seem like they would eat another dozen shrimp each time I feed them!!! Can they be fed too much? Will they stop eating when they are full? Is this diet OK? I would guess it is better than just straight feeders.....I am working on introducing pellets to them right now. They look at the pellets, but haven't eaten any yet.
Anyone else feeding the same kind of shrimp? If so, how much are you feeding?
Thanks.