How Big...
- Thread starter a7x_6661
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niblit;1999129; said:
just how big is that, can it go in with a gator gar without the gar trying to kill it?
a7x_6661;1999033; said:
If cared for properly and given the space they deserve between 4 and 5' in lengh. This is rarely achieved in captivity as most owners stunt their growth due to lack of feeding, inadequate filtration and water changes, and most commonly by keeping them in tanks which are just far too small for them to develop properly.
Some people will tell you they only grow to 3' in captivity. This is because they have never seen the a fully grown wild fish or can't get their own to reach it's full potetial. For an authoratitive answer, check out fishbase.org, but be mindful they tend to quote the largest recorded sizes.
Best
JC
Jarcave;1999490; said:
ok thanks.
Dynamite;1999497; said:
gator gars get up to 5' on captivity given proper care.
you'd need a monster tank to get one to 6ft. I've had 2 rtc, longest i had one was 12 years before he decided to try to eat his 10 inch frontosa tankmate that he grew up with! didn't end pretty - i had to fish him out and get the frontosa out of his mouth. He only lived a couple of days after that. the biggest i have grown is 28 inch in a 280 gallon tank and i've rarely heard or seen bigger than that. Even in public aquariums they rarely beat 4 foot. However if looked after properly and fed right the growth rate is astounding.
r6.robski;2000760; said:
i believe she could provide proper care for one to get pretty big. and were gonna get a 24'x12'x4' above ground pool for my gator gar. and gators will kill anything that they can fit in their mouths. which is why we are asking the question of how big they get. cuz i have heard up to 5' and that would be good size fish to go in with the gar.
I'd say on average I have never seen one over 4.5' in person, and have seen only a few pics of them in the 5-6' range ever. Those would be exceptional individuals, but you never know. With proper maintenance, and feeding I'd think they would max out between 3' and 4'. 4.5' if your lucky enough to own it for 30+ years. Even at 3' you wouldn't have to worry about your gar. RTC are impossibly thick for their length. They also have one of the hardest skulls of any fish. They also have an extra plate of bone not found in any other catfish that protects the vertebrae closest to the skull, effectively elongating the skull over top of the body. You'd be hard pressed to find a fish in freshwater that could eat or kill a rtc unless it's another rtc, jau, piraiba, ect. I know of numerous asian fish keepers that keep alligars with their rtcs. Go for it, just hope that the winter doesn't kill them off.