LFS Gar Labeling - Please Help

[Hao]

cichlid pike is fine with them as long it doesnt fit in gar's mouth

 

[xander]

Does anyone have experience keeping gar with pike cichlids? My pike is probably my tanks biggest inhabitant and a bit of a bully (likes to flare and occasionally bug the Jady Goby -- nothing serious ever comes of it)

probably a bad idea. i have had gar with oike cichlid, it only worked cause the gar was more than twice the size of the pike, and it was an atractosteus gar

 

[Madding]

The gar would be longer than the pike by an inch or so, though the pike has a little more girth. I think I'm going to get the gar after work today. I will show pictures of it ASAP and depending on the verdict I will decide if it's better off back at the LFS (the owner knows me well and has allowed me to bring fish back that don't successfully acclimate to their new home) or if I'm going to keep it.

Hopefully it will be okay for a year or so in the 150. Do most gars grow at the same pace in their first year?

 

[xander]

it's okay, but get the pike out. lepisosteus sp gar are rather delicate with tankmates

 

[Conner]

I would keep an eye on the gar-pike interactions. If it really seems like the pike is bullying the gar, it may be better to return the gar, but based on my own experience, they should be ok, as long as you make sure the gar gets enough to eat. In my tank, bullying wasn't a problem, it was the gar learning they had to be more aggressive feeding. Now they're such aggressive feeders, that most times the pike stays out of THEIR way.

Just keep an eye on them, and be ready to remove one or the other if there's obvious aggression issues.

 

[Madding]

Okay, I've got the fish at home now. It's been about two hours. It's definitely not a Florida Gar, and it's smaller than I thought, around five inches with a nice-looking girth. I believe it is a Shortnose Gar -- it looks just like the picture in my OP. So far nobody has really paid attention to it. The dat and the pike both approached it and then quickly fled after realizing it wasn't food but a newcomer. Pike darkened up moodily.

I didn't have a suitable QT tank for such a large and skittish fish so in it went.

Anyone have any different opinions now that we know it's not a Florida? I still plan on showing pics soon.

 

[Conner]

Can't really say until we see good pics. Shortnose aren't very likely to show up at an lfs, but a longnose might. I would say either longnose or florida, until we see pics.

 

[Noddy]

I run a 180 Gl and introduced a Spotted Gar (or ml Florida Gar) several months ago.
Got some strange tankmates, like an Oscar, Vieja Synspillum, 2 Plecos and 6 Silver Dollars.They all get along fine and my Gar and Oscar are handfed, so I know who gets what.
I plan not to upgrade for 2 years, judging from growthrate info I found.
The bottleneck will be the distance from front to back of my tank.
The 2 foot my Gar can use to turn now, should be enough for the time.
Still planning for the upgrade anyway.

 

[Madding]

Second day in, the gar is cruising along near the top and keeping near the surface plants. Not too skittish. He hasn't taken anything yet (live guppies or frozen krill) but I'm not worried about that. Might be a bit before he's ready to eat, because of stress and whatnot, or so I'd expect.

Pike still hasn't given him the time of day. During feeding time today everyone was looking at him but nobody approached. If anything, the tankmates seem leery of the newcomer as opposed to vice versa.

Pics to come. Thanks for the input guys.

 

[Madding]

Here are some pictures of the gar and the 150g he is housed in. Confirm ID for me? Thanks & enjoy!

Here's the Pike being camera-shy: