Help acclimating a wild baby gar

[BillyReuben]

This is my first attempt at keeping a gar. Yesterday I captured a 1/2" juvenile that is probably a L. oculatus. It's in a mason jar right now, which I've been aerating periodically with a pipette. This is clearly not an ideal long-term situation, so I'm setting up a spare 3gal tank to put this guy into.

I'm cycling the tank right now, accellerated with gravel and biofilter balls from an established tank, and I added a tiny pinch of instant ocean, since this fellow came from a mildly brackish site. I'm going to screen the filter intake. Is there anything beyond bubbler, filter and a hiding place that I should be concerned with?

I've gotten it to eat some small aquatic fly larvae, but it would be more convenient if I could get it to eat brine shrimp or some kind of artificial diet. Has anyone had any success with either of those?

 

[Polypterus]

You should be able to get it onto Baby brine right away. Other useful foods would be microworms and daphnia. As the fish gets larger you can begin to train it over to frozen and then prepared foods.

 

[city_of_evil6661]

do you have it in a tank yet or is it still in a mason jar??

 

[Polypterus]

It is better off in the mason jar at that size.. I have raised hundreds of small gar in Deli cups. Works great as the fish need not go far to find food. If you do put it in a tank only fill it about two inches. There is no real concern for aeration but the water should be changed frequently with aged water.

 

[city_of_evil6661]

i never thought of it that way poly.

 

[BillyReuben]

That's great to know. I did move it into a tank, about 3gal, with a filter and two very tiny Gambusia mosquitofish (~1/3"). It seems ok but I think I'll follow your suggestion and move it back into a smaller container. When you say aged water, should I swap in water from another aquarium? Is there any concern about pathogens or parasites? Or should I pre-age some dechlorinated tapwater somehow?

I've been providing live mosquito larvae, which I can find pretty easily around my neighborhood, while I struggle to hatch some brine shrimp. My brine shrimp eggs are really old (10 years or more), and I've never tried hatching them before, so I don't know if they are no longer viable, or if I've messed up the procedure somehow. Regardless, I think my gar is eating the mosquitoes, so I have some time to work out the kinks.

And while I'm hassling you experts with questions, should I be worried about feeding wild-caught food that might introduce parasites? I'm getting mosquito larvae out of random containers in my 'hood, and I think I can pull daphnia from a local pond. It would be great if I could capture a starter population of daphnia and then set up a breeding container for them.

 

[Polypterus]

That's great to know. I did move it into a tank, about 3gal, with a filter and two very tiny Gambusia mosquitofish (~1/3"). It seems ok but I think I'll follow your suggestion and move it back into a smaller container. When you say aged water, should I swap in water from another aquarium? Is there any concern about pathogens or parasites? Or should I pre-age some dechlorinated tapwater somehow?

I've been providing live mosquito larvae, which I can find pretty easily around my neighborhood, while I struggle to hatch some brine shrimp. My brine shrimp eggs are really old (10 years or more), and I've never tried hatching them before, so I don't know if they are no longer viable, or if I've messed up the procedure somehow. Regardless, I think my gar is eating the mosquitoes, so I have some time to work out the kinks.

And while I'm hassling you experts with questions, should I be worried about feeding wild-caught food that might introduce parasites? I'm getting mosquito larvae out of random containers in my 'hood, and I think I can pull daphnia from a local pond. It would be great if I could capture a starter population of daphnia and then set up a breeding container for them.

By aged water I mean just letting Tap sit for a day or two after being conditioned. Normally what I do is just run a seasoned sponge filter in a bucket and take water from this replacing it as needed. You can also use water from another tank just be sure it is from a lightly stocked one.

If you have a lot of available Mossie larvae or Daphnia use them.. In a perfect state you want this little fish surrounded with food. (See pic and you will see what I mean) There is no serious concern at all about using these or other wild foods. A simple suggestion would be to just rinse them in a fine mesh net for a few seconds before use.