jumping gar?

[sbuse]

my 18" fl gar has jumped out 3 times now...i have a plexy glass top that is duck taped on and it still manages to get out...i have placed some extra rocks and things on the top to try to contain this beast...has anyone else had jumping issues with thir floridas? or any other gars for that mater?

it is in a 6'x2'x2' 180gal right now and has been in there since it was 6-8"...

 

[Conner]

I have a shortnose gar that always knows when I move a lid and then leave the room... He's ended up on the floor several times. He's about 16", and he's leaped through a 1"x4" slot where the lid wasn't sitting perfect at the beginning of a water change. I don't know what they think they'll find once they're out of the tank...

 

[jworth]

Out of 5 Floridas that have been in my tanks over the last few years, only one has been a jumper and it did so 2 times despite extra precautions. I sold that fish and it jumped to its death in another tank it just seems some are more prone to it than others but something must be spooking it. I suggest addressing that issue. Tankmates are probably the culprits.

 

[thefishmaster1]

DO U HAVE A GOOD HOOD

 

[E_americanus]

the jumping really isn't species-specific with gars...if you have a fish in a tank, be prepared for the possibility of it jumping out. period.

gars are good jumpers, so they may warrant more attention. tape will work if you have glass tops and tape the corners down (i do this on my 120g). on my larger gar tank i have an entire old bed frame on top of the tank (collapsed into two rows)...this gives appropriate weight and weight distribution so the gars can knock off the tops. gars are quite strong, make sure you have heavy tops and something to weigh them down that will not damage the entire tank if it's knocked off.

good thing is that since they breathe air, they have a bit more of a fighting chance if the gar jumps out while you're gone!--
--solomon

 

[Madding]

I've never had a gar jump out... yet.

 

[sbuse]

Out of 5 Floridas that have been in my tanks over the last few years, only one has been a jumper and it did so 2 times despite extra precautions. I sold that fish and it jumped to its death in another tank it just seems some are more prone to it than others but something must be spooking it. I suggest addressing that issue. Tankmates are probably the culprits.

the tankmates that it is with are all different from the other jumps as its latest jump was lat night... the only thing that is the same is the clown knife and they never fight...i watch the tank for many many hours in the night and day and nothing ever messes with the gar...ever...

DO U HAVE A GOOD HOOD

i have plexi glass covering the entire tank with ducked tape all around it...i have siliconed it one before and it got out...this top keeps my aros and polys in the tank, but the gar is magicaly immune to it...

the jumping really isn't species-specific with gars...if you have a fish in a tank, be prepared for the possibility of it jumping out. period.

gars are good jumpers, so they may warrant more attention. tape will work if you have glass tops and tape the corners down (i do this on my 120g). on my larger gar tank i have an entire old bed frame on top of the tank (collapsed into two rows)...this gives appropriate weight and weight distribution so the gars can knock off the tops. gars are quite strong, make sure you have heavy tops and something to weigh them down that will not damage the entire tank if it's knocked off.

good thing is that since they breathe air, they have a bit more of a fighting chance if the gar jumps out while you're gone!--
--solomon

i just can figure out how the gar can get out and the aros/bichirs can't...idk if it is cause of how it is shaped it can power through and slip out since they are like weges in all...

it is a real good thing they breath are cause the first jump it was out for a few hours and i thought it was dead as it was crispy on the floor...when i went to put it up almost in tears it started to squrm after i touched it so i put it back in and it came back...last nights jump my roomate saw it jump and it was out all of 30 seconds...

i have added large rocks to the top and put them on top of tiles to distribute the weight more...i am thinking about going with a thicker solid acyrilc top and making an angle iron frame to go around the top..or doing a raised glass frame around the top and leaving the top open or a screen top that i will make...idk yet

 

[Conner]

i have added large rocks to the top and put them on top of tiles to distribute the weight more...i am thinking about going with a thicker solid acyrilc top and making an angle iron frame to go around the top..or doing a raised glass frame around the top and leaving the top open or a screen top that i will make...idk yet

You want to have a solid top, even if you do a raised frame. Gar can jump quite high. Mine jumped out while I was standing next to the tank once. The top of the tank is about 5.5 feet off the ground. I have 10 foot ceilings, and the gar jumped over my head and within about 2 feet of the ceiling. Scared the bejeebus out of me, and smacked the floor like you wouldn't believe. He was fine as soon as he had recovered from the shock. You'd never know he jumped if you look at him now.

I have a custom light hood on top of my tank that is 6'Lx8"wx8"t. It seems to be enough weight that they can't easily force the glass lids up enough to get out. But if I leave the slightest gap between lids, I can expect to find a gar on the floor within an hour...

 

[xander]

how's your water? i only have gars jump when there's something up with my water..especially since yours has done it 3 times.

 

[E_americanus]

how's your water? i only have gars jump when there's something up with my water..especially since yours has done it 3 times.

gars may also jump if there is something up with the water, however, they will also jump if they are spooked, going for good, erratically breaching, etc etc...water quality and jumping are definitely not singularly directly correlated--
--solomon