Gar like fish for a 75 gallon?

[dani_starr]

I wasn't sure where to post this, since I want a gar, but since a gar is too big (especially the super cute spotted gars), I know I have to settle for a gar like fish, which could be characins, a relative to gouramis, etc.

I looked through the mini monster threads, but most of those guys were too small, or just not what I was looking for.

A species of fish that I am sort of interested in is the Crocodile fish (Luciocephalus pulcher, max around 7-8") or the Peppermint Crocodile fish (max around 5")

My only thing though, I am a vegan, and have a hard time feeding live fish to another fish, do they ABSOLUTELY need live fish, even tank bred/raised ones?

If so, any other species that would work for my 75 gallon tank that are gar like? (I don't like the look of African pike characins, and although I do like the spotted pike characins, I feel as if my tank is too small for them)

I'm looking for species that would be comfortable in a 75 gallon, so in the 6-8" range probably. The only other tank mate will be my Senegal bichir, Nim, who's only about ~3.5" now, but growing a 1/2" every 2 weeks or so. It will be fairly densely planted as well.

Thanks!

 

[piranhaman00]

rocket gar

 

[Kaosu]

golden wonder killifish!!!

might not be your thing but mine act like little gars..they get about 5 inches long and are super personal..and will bite allot (though it does not hurt)

they are jumpers though so a lid is a must!

 

[wantokeeptrout]

I second rocket gar. Mine initially ate crickets but it very quickly adapted to eat brown coloured cichlid sticks. I just mixed a few pellets with crickets and the gar would grab everything. over time just decreased the cricket count until not required anymore.

 

[ColeFishing]

needle nose gar would be cool. and I've known people to get away with florida gar in a 75. if was right or not IDK but th grow to 10" fast but then it slows down to 16" after that it practically stop but the make it to 18"-22" depending on diet and water

 

[dani_starr]

I actually think I do like the looks of these, although I prefer the look of the "Crocodile fish" more. Is there such thing as a "striped" or (being REALLY optimistic here) spotted "rocket gar?" I googled it, and nothing really popped up, although there was a MFK link that had someone selling a "spotted rocket gar" so maybe it does exist? http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/f...emale-FH-baby-tex-spotted-rocket-gar-pu-92503

Thanks though, never would of thought about them!

(By the way, thanks to whoever moved my post here! :0)

 

[dani_starr]

needle nose gar would be cool. and I've known people to get away with florida gar in a 75. if was right or not IDK but th grow to 10" fast but then it slows down to 16" after that it practically stop but the make it to 18"-22" depending on diet and water

Thanks, but I don't like the look of needle nose gars, I know I know, I'm picky I could never do that, I would feel like an awful person to keep a fish in a tank it couldn't turn around in. :/

 

[ColeFishing]

Thanks, but I don't like the look of needle nose gars, I know I know, I'm picky I could never do that, I would feel like an awful person to keep a fish in a tank it couldn't turn around in. :/

Yeah I'm not a fan of needle nose gar either. But the Florida my friend had only got 17". He just doesn't have any deco in the tank so the gar has as much space as possible but I agree with you. I'd feel bad too. From personal experience I'm not a fan of rocket gar just Becuase theyre never what you would expect. Mine just hung out underneath the filter and never moved. Not to mention he was a terrible hunter as well. It would take about 30 minutes for him to catch a goldfish. By that time I was bored of watching him hunt. I ended up giving him to a friend after about 5 months. According to him it's got a lot more interesting as it got bigger. But this may be just my experience


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[dani_starr]

golden wonder killifish!!!

might not be your thing but mine act like little gars..they get about 5 inches long and are super personal..and will bite allot (though it does not hurt)

they are jumpers though so a lid is a must!

I'm actually looking into golden wonder killifish, and other killifish species that reach around 5-6," they do have a gar-like look to them, except with a burst of color too. Sorry I missed your post last night!

As for the lid thing, my tank has a glass cover that completely covers it all, except for a 2" gap in the back. But it has this plastic liner stuff that came with it in 2 pieces, and it covers the entire 2" gap completely, except for a small 1/2" square notch that was cut in one corner by the previous owner.

I was wondering if that is enough o2 exchange? I have a wet dry sump underneath with a built in corner overflow and a return pipe, but should I drill/poke tiny holes through the plastic so there is more o2 exchange since Nim (my Sen) is an "air breather?" I know they couldn't be huge holes, since Nim, potential rope fish, rocket gars/killifish/??? are all prone to be jumpers/escape artists.

Thanks

 

[dani_starr]

Yeah I'm not a fan of needle nose gar either. But the Florida my friend had only got 17". He just doesn't have any deco in the tank so the gar has as much space as possible but I agree with you. I'd feel bad too. From personal experience I'm not a fan of rocket gar just Becuase theyre never what you would expect. Mine just hung out underneath the filter and never moved. Not to mention he was a terrible hunter as well. It would take about 30 minutes for him to catch a goldfish. By that time I was bored of watching him hunt. I ended up giving him to a friend after about 5 months. According to him it's got a lot more interesting as it got bigger. But this may be just my experience


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Oh good, so I'm not the only one who doesn't like the look of them. They just look like kinda bleh and not really gar like, it's probably just me, but in my opinion, I think that the spotted alligator gars look like they have a paddle like mouth and fins, kind of like some adorably cute water dinosaur- which the needle nose gar, does not.

As for a terrible hunter, as long as I could get them to eat non live foods, then I am a 100% okay with a terrible hunter since I would most likely scoop out the goldfish to "save" him.. lol. I've rescued baby platies and ghost shrimp from becoming lunch before (and they weren't bought as feeders, just turned out to be bite sized to my adult platies and female bettas).

(Off topic but Oddly when I was younger (like 10 or so), we kept a giant wolf spider who was HUGE and looked like a mini tarantula, and looking back on the pictures, SUPER CREEPY. But we fed her crickets and I still don't know how on earth I did this when I was younger- PINKY MICE. Now learning how spiders kill their prey, I feel sick. All those poor itty baby mice, didn't have a chance.)

Anyways, as long as if I got a group (since they like to be in groups, correct?) and they weren't hiding all the time, if they wanted to claim an area underneath some floating plants and chill there all day, fine by me. I am okay with it, as long as they are somewhat visible, unlike plecos or raphaels, which you can spend half a day hunting for, and never find.

Are there any other color variants of rocket gars or similar species that look like the spotted pike characins (Boulengerella maculata), but stay smaller? (I'm worried that the spotted pike characins would get scared, crash into the glass, and break their back or bend their "beak" as I've read that's common in smaller tanks. I don't know if smaller means 75 gallon, or if it means smaller like 50 gallon?)