Gars in a 55gal?
- Thread starter WolfFisho1
- Start date
NO!!! The smallest true gar species will grow quickly to 2 ft before slowing its growth. A 55 is only 12.5 inches in depth. Rule of thumb for true gars is to keep them in a tank twice their adult size in length. And, 1.5 times their adult size in depth (front to back).
WolfFish o1;664670; said:
no true gars can spend their life in a 55g tank, but if you have a larger tank on hand to handle them as they grow, a true gar can be grown out a bit in a 55g tank.
again, it should be stressed that this is only a feasible idea if you have someplace else to put the gar once it grows.
most true gar species will reach close to 12-14" in their first year alone, and this surpasses the 12" width of the standard 55g tank. some gar species can exceed 18" in their first year, such as the longnose gar and the alligator gar (the gators can easily reach 2' in their first year, but the rest of the species will generally stay smaller).
a young of the year (YOY) spotted, Florida, shortnose gar can easily be raised for several months in a 55g tank. you will need to keep track of it's growth, and as it develops upgrade when necessary. the fish should be able to turn without any problems in the tank, generally a width of about 2x the length of the fish is good to maintain.
so the question depends on a few factors...depends on the species especially.
for life? no, not for any true gar.
for several months as a young of the year fish? yes, it is possible and can work.
if you do feel it necessary to put a gar in a ~55g tank, i would advise a 50g breeder since it is wider (18") and gives you more time to handle the fish. good luck, and let us know if you have further questions--
--solomon
Its not the length of the snout/nose, Due to the type of scalation (ganoid) they simply are not very flexible and therefore have large turning radii compared to other fish-Anne
