Little Hal the 3rd

[Polypterus]

Seems like some people have zero sense of humor or irony so decided to close my thread on the Gator gar.. Duh I know what it is...And everyone commenting knew this as well... I just thought having a bit of fun before going to a more serious level would be a good change of pace to the rather dull highly detailed posts I'm known for. Sorry you did not get this...Maybe if you gave this about 20 more seconds you would have seen I obviously planed it this way...But whatever..

Anyhow I was just writing (Before my thread was closed): enough of that Nonsense and that I intend on keeping detailed records on the little guy and posting them as I can. Many seem to want to take on these fish so I was going to start a thread that will detail out the captive care of this fish as well as document it in a manner that people can see what they are getting into. I do have full capability of keeping this fish for life and I intend to do just that. (Wow did the Mod that closed my post see I was about to do something useful coming in later posts? Maybe you should have waited a few minutes)

The fish right now is just a bit below 5 inches and as the closed thread stated I'm also currently keeping the little guy in a 15 gallon By it self. I'm not really planning to house the fish with others until much later.

To start this off again I'll repost my pic of the little cutie... Please note that for ID purposes this fish is Ideal. It has the white stripe on the Snout, The developed large fins and the obvious short stout snout. Coloration is typical but this you may find will be variable. This variability I fully expect to show in this very fish as soon as it adapts to the surroundings it is currently in. This pic was taken basically on taking it from a white bucket so it should be expected to show pale coloration.

(Lets not close this post also please)

 

[demjor19]

the coloration seems very white for a gator gar (almost reminds me of tropicus)! as you previously said...these fish's color and pattern can very greatly. i have been wanting to tackle one of these guys for quite some time, but just dont have the room yet. within the next few years i will def. set something up and try my hand at them. great looking spatula richard! be sure to keep us updated on his rapid growth!

 

[ani-mal-lvr]

I'll be looking forward to your updates.

I am sorry iffin I was one of the causes for your previous threads demise. (I found it funny)

 

[Polypterus]

the coloration seems very white for a gator gar (almost reminds me of tropicus)! as you previously said...these fish's color and pattern can very greatly. i have been wanting to tackle one of these guys for quite some time, but just dont have the room yet. within the next few years i will def. set something up and try my hand at them. great looking spatula richard! be sure to keep us updated on his rapid growth!

Added as an Edit an explanation of coloration but will state this again. The photo was taken basically having the fish being taken from a white bucket. It has not yet adapted to the conditions of the tank. I do expect over the next few days the fish will get darker and the base color will change, Spotting I do not expect any change but the base color will. If what is expected occurs the fish will take on a darker brown or green colour over the next few days. We will see though and I'll update as it changes.

 

[demjor19]

Added as an Edit an explanation of coloration but will state this again. The photo was taken basically having the fish being taken from a white bucket. It has not yet adapted to the conditions of the tank. I do expect over the next few days the fish will get darker and the base color will change, Spotting I do not expect any change but the base color will. If what is expected occurs the fish will take on a darker brown or green colour over the next few days. We will see though and I'll update as it changes.

either way it's a great looking fish and i'm envious!

 

[Polypterus]

either way it's a great looking fish and i'm envious!

It is a great looking gator actually, much better than some I've seen.... Solomon Had it for a bit before today and fed the crap out of it. Little bastard fed well in his care....Fat little sucker...

 

[E_americanus]

It is a great looking gator actually, much better than some I've seen.... Solomon Had it for a bit before today and fed the crap out of it. Little bastard fed well in his care....Fat little sucker...

his sibling is pretty fat too

fish looks great richard, and i'm glad you were able to get some good pics of the fish while it still has the white line. by the time i get some shots it will probably be long gone and the fish 12"

also disappointed that i didn't get to post in your previous thread before it was closed...definitely a great thread. will be interesting to track and compare behavior as these little devils are grown in different environments/company.

love the title of this thread!--
--solomon

 

[AttackFish]

Love the aquascaping.
Nice full tank shot in the other thread.

 

[Polypterus]

his sibling is pretty fat too

fish looks great richard, and i'm glad you were able to get some good pics of the fish while it still has the white line. by the time i get some shots it will probably be long gone and the fish 12"

also disappointed that i didn't get to post in your previous thread before it was closed...definitely a great thread. will be interesting to track and compare behavior as these little devils are grown in different environments/company.

love the title of this thread!--
--solomon

I had to take a bunch of pics as soon as I could when seeing just how well that was showing. (Watch Primitivefishes.com for the really detailed pics) For the record this characteristic white stripe it is often very faded by the time these fish reach this size. in this fish it is very well presented even into this later age. One of my Tristoechus (Cuban gar) from last year also had this quite late and it is rare to see this on advanced stage fish. I really do not expect this stripe to last more than a week or so. If it does like it did with the Tristoechus it will be unusual..

Current tank temp is at 75 for acclimation but will be switched to fluctuating room temp as soon as the fish is acclimated and set up. I have no intention of regulating temps once the fish is set. Photoperiod will stick with what is available given this latitude plus one hour. (Half hour early, half hour later) Nothing different really from what I do with the rest of the gar collection from southern areas as far as that goes..

 

[Polypterus]

Love the aquascaping.
Nice full tank shot in the other thread.

Tank was actually set up for Little longnosed, spotted and shortnosed for this season and one I've had set up for years. It actually is also packed with live foods. Little gator might reduce my Adult Cherry shrimp colony a bit but unlikely to kill it off.

I did not repost that pic so here it is again...