I'm new to gars, but I just upgraded to a 180g tank and my LFS had a 9" Florida gar that really caught my eye the other day. So I've been researching gars and I see that they may eat whatever fish they are with that could fit in their mouths but I'm not exactly how sure how much that is. I recently bought a few rainbow sharks that are about 2" now, though they should grow quick. I also have a 6" needlefish, two 3.5" dwarf gouramis, a 6" pleco, 2 1.5" cory cats, and 2 3" balas. I know alot of those guys are two small now to be with a gar, but some of them like the balas and rainbowsharks will grow quickly. I know I have to wait on the gar for now but what kind of guidelines should I follow on what size fish I can have with a Florida gar of about 9"? Thanks
How much can a gar fit in its mouth?
- Thread starter tonyis
- Start date
The 6" Pleco should be fine, though I wouldn't mix any of the other fish you have quoted there under 3" with a 9" Gar.
tonyis;4643850; said:
gar are pretty gape limited in the sense that they can only swallow prey items that are as wide as their snout width. however, that does not mean that they won't attempt to take down prey items too large for them to eat. this is especially so for streamline or shiny fishes.
more specific to your question, i do not think it is advisable to mix the fish you currently own with a florida gar. the reason is that while they might be fast growers, so is the gar. not to mention the gar will max out at around 20inches.
there isn't a length vs length guideline for gar vs potential tankmates as there are many other factors to consider, such as their (potential tankmate) level of activity, colour, body mass, aggression. but i feel pretty safe in saying that none of the fish you mentioned will mix well with a florida gar.
also, algae eating plecos are a big no-no with gars, as they tend to suck on the gars body slime and kill it
Gars are topside killers, they'll pretty much take control of the tank as soon as they are introduced. I had a trio of 3" bichirs that were already in my tank before i introduced a 5" florida gar i bought. Needless to say, the bichirs died one after another within the next few days. If you insist, make sure there are plants for the other fishes to hide. Wouldn't worry too much about the pleco though, highly doubt it could fit into the gar's mouth. But since Alex has said they're potentially hazardous towards your gars(slime-sucking and all that), i'd stay away from them.