Gar Newbie

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
E

emptyhead

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Feb 16, 2009
119
0
0
Ohio
I have the opportunity to pick up a 10" florida gar (Lepisosteus platyrhincus) this weekend. It will be housed in a 120g tank (48x24x24). It currently eats live and frozen food.

I have read some information on them, but would like to hear from some that have kept florida gars anything that may be helpful for me as I keep this fish.

I have kept other fish for years, but never a gar.

Thanks.
 
That's a good size tank, it will be good for that gar for several years, if not life. Your Florida will likely max out between 20" and 24", although it could get bigger. If it ever gets up to 23-24", then you'd need to upgrade.

They will take just about any kind of food you want to feed, once you acclimate them. My two florida's take live feeders, market shrimp, tilapia fillet, f/t silversides, fd krill, and pellets. One of my Florida's even ate flake food the one time I tossed it in the tank for another fish.

What tankmates do you have/plan on having with the gar? You want to avoid bright, flashy silver fish, or highly aggressive fish. Gars mix best with other gars and bichir's, but mine are getting long fine with a pike cichlid, red snook, indo datnoid, climbing perch, a pearsii cichlid, albino channel catfish, and even some large crayfish.

If you do decide to pick it up, make sure you post some pics. We love to see pics of new gar.
 
Thank you for the reply. I think I will be housing the gar by itself - maybe with a common pleco - if the pleco does not bother it.

Is it better for the gar to have some tankmates?

How about lots of guppies for tankmates :)
 
no plecos, other gars, bichirs or docile bottom dwellers for lepisosteus species imo. also, imo if the gar reaches 18" it needs an upgrade
 
My gar hangs out with my endlis all the time. i would recommend adding some bichir if you feel the need to add anything. Pics?
 
i don't recomend small catfish...mine likes to eat baby bullheads...i have had mine with tinfoils bala sharks and a silver aro so the silver fish deal depends on the fish itself...i also have a 10" jd with it...no isusses
 
I picked up the gar last night and added him to the tank this morning. He is by himself in the 120 and is doing well. I will try to get some pics this weekend.
 
Well, he started to just sit on the bottom of the tank and I didn't think that was normal. I added some feeder fish and he eventually began to swim about and ate a couple of them. His belly is now full and is swimming and looks good.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
MonsterFishKeepers.com
Top Bottom