rednnot -yeah i spelled it right.you need to listen to those who have educations and experience.no matter what your opinion is.preparred foods are the best way to go in a preparred environment(any tank).you may be able to feed anything to animals but doesnt make it right. my ally gar loves to chomp feeder rats that i raise for my snakes and spiders.but also eats fresh fillets,shrimp,but not pellets yet.pellets being the best. just because you feed your gar nothing but live food doesnt mean hes going to be more natural in your fish tank.get a clue read some books then you will see your errors.by the way heres a pic of irwin he has doubled in size in 3 months(thanks for all your past and present info richard we all know a little more about gars because of you)
Monster Eater!!!
- Thread starter downsouth
- Start date
Irwin is looking like the typical piggy Gator.... 
I would still try to get him on pellets (At least part of the time) and if that does not work, or if not suited due to tank conditions, at least enhance the Foods your feeding with a good vitamin supplement. Soaking the Fillets or shrimp in a bit of the Kent ZOE freshwater supplement has proven useful to captive predatory fish fed primarily this diet. This will add some of the missing Nutrients in this type of diet to keep the fish in good shape and growing normally.
I product I highly suggest is Mazuri Thiamine-E http://www.mazuri.com/Home.asp?Products=2&Opening=2
This stuff is a bit costly but worth every penny...
The Kent product is a more shotgun approach whereas the mazuri product is much more direct and calculated.
I would still try to get him on pellets (At least part of the time) and if that does not work, or if not suited due to tank conditions, at least enhance the Foods your feeding with a good vitamin supplement. Soaking the Fillets or shrimp in a bit of the Kent ZOE freshwater supplement has proven useful to captive predatory fish fed primarily this diet. This will add some of the missing Nutrients in this type of diet to keep the fish in good shape and growing normally.
I product I highly suggest is Mazuri Thiamine-E http://www.mazuri.com/Home.asp?Products=2&Opening=2
This stuff is a bit costly but worth every penny...
The Kent product is a more shotgun approach whereas the mazuri product is much more direct and calculated.
Polypterus;1671334; said:Irwin is looking like the typical piggy Gator....
I would still try to get him on pellets (At least part of the time) and if that does not work, or if not suited due to tank conditions, at least enhance the Foods your feeding with a good vitamin supplement. Soaking the Fillets or shrimp in a bit of the Kent ZOE freshwater supplement has proven useful to captive predatory fish fed primarily this diet. This will add some of the missing Nutrients in this type of diet to keep the fish in good shape and growing normally.
I product I highly suggest is Mazuri Thiamine-E http://www.mazuri.com/Home.asp?Products=2&Opening=2
This stuff is a bit costly but worth every penny...
The Kent product is a more shotgun approach whereas the mazuri product is much more direct and calculated.
would these supplements be beneficial to a gar on a prepared food diet?
KaraJo;1671368; said:
It would not be needed. (Hence the reason this is the suggested diet protocol) Modern formulations of prepared foods are already well set up for all needed requirements (Some more than others).
You will want to use supplements if you are feeding primarily a commercially produced live, frozen fish and seafood product diet. As much as 1/3 of the weekly intake being from a prepared (enhanced) source makes the need for additional supplementation un-needed. This Based on preliminary research and findings in Lepisosteids from the Aquaculture perspective..
Oops sorry big scary word again....demjor19;1671497; said:
Shell has little actual nutritional value so is not really needed. It can not really harm anything either though and may contain some color enhancing properties. Up to you on that one... Leave it on or don't I see no harm. I feed both ways myself...
the shell contains carotenoids, which may help with coloration (which is what richard was referring to), but i haven't noticed carotenoids (what are found in most pelleted foods, particularly the hikari brand) making much of a difference in gar pattern (at least nothing terribly distinct from other non-live foods).
as for shrimp with shells, if they are small enough go ahead and leave them on, i've tried this with my gars before and they generally just end up coughing them up...i have an AUL that could feasibly clean that stuff up, but i haven't given the gars shelled shrimp for years since it proved more work than it was worth early on (i.e. coughing up the shells).
my general mix these days (and for the past year or two, with some variations in the past 5) is chopped tilapia, cooked shrimp, raw shrimp, and the occasional hikari pellets & smelt--
--solomon
as for shrimp with shells, if they are small enough go ahead and leave them on, i've tried this with my gars before and they generally just end up coughing them up...i have an AUL that could feasibly clean that stuff up, but i haven't given the gars shelled shrimp for years since it proved more work than it was worth early on (i.e. coughing up the shells).
my general mix these days (and for the past year or two, with some variations in the past 5) is chopped tilapia, cooked shrimp, raw shrimp, and the occasional hikari pellets & smelt--
--solomon
Yesterday was in a LFS and saw this 3~4 inch Gator Gar and was wondering at what size would be best to start switching the fish over to prepared foods instead of live feeders. Thinking of setup a 55G for 2 gators and 2~4 inch Peacock Bass. And also what would be the best prepared food to feed them.
