my 22" florida

[fishkeeper4244]

wat sort of tankage do you need to keep a gar?

 

[Madding]

wat sort of tankage do you need to keep a gar?

You can start small, but you're going to need to upgrade to match the gars growth until you're around 200 gallons (for the smaller gars).

Dimensions matter more than gallonage so there is no perfect answer.

Also, let's not derail this great gars thread.

 

[sbuse]

i wouldn't say the fish looks different in different places than other thick captive gars. captive gars generally tend to be "overweight" or at least have higher fat content than wild gars because they are generally getting excessive food and little exercise (the latter is just a part of captivity...with gars we can't really ever match the activity -and environmental pressures- they experience in the wild).

i would definitely recommend reduction of feeding though...at that size, the fish likely won't grow appreciably bigger, and it is just accumulating fat bodies. don't be alarmed though, as most of the gars on this forum fall into that category, at least the older gars...the "slimmer" gars we tend to see are YOY or yearling fish, as most people are posting pics when they first get their new gars (and LFS generally carry YOY and yearlings).

personally, i only feed my big gars 1-2x per week and they are just fine. sometimes i have to throw a small extra feeding in every now and then to keep the Croc II from beating on tankmates, but this has calmed down over the past few years. that being said, none of my gars are starving, they are all still generally thick and all are healthy, but they surely have fat deposits like most captive gars (compared to wild gars).

cutting the feedings down is recommended, and it definitely won't cause your gar to starve. best of luck, and great specimen--
--solomon

thanx, also thanx, for the advice. i will try to cut back on the intake for it. it will be hard to do as i feed my aro and bichirs more often then that. i may try a whole tank diet and see how that goes, i know my ornate can get nippy. i have just successfully added my 15"+ sal into the tank without it getting nipped up so i'll have to see how it goes.

i just got a YOY gar to add to the mix, after i get it off live. i had to get it eatting since it wouldn't eat at the lfs. it has started taking minnows and after it takes shrimp/pellets it will go into the big tank. i am also looking at a 450gal or a 6'-10'x6'-10'x3' pond i will be building after i move into my house.

i am going to try this summer to find some wild longnose and shortnose gars from here in MN to add to the collection.

NICE

what a great looking fish

thanx

 

[sbuse]

a bad thing that surved some sort of benifit. one of my sens just randomly died and i got a chance to put a tape on it, as i don't like to take the live fish out to tape them. you can see the gars head by it when it is on the bottom for some size comparing. the sen. was a little over 9" witch puts some perspective on the gars size.

 

[sbuse]

changed up the tank and got a few more pics. i will be getting a new camera soon so i will have some better quality pics to come.

 

[sbuse]

i also added the smaller gar into the tank.

 

[xander]

great looking tank man

 

[sbuse]

great looking tank man

thanx it just kinda hit me put the natual sand in the tank to lighten it up. i just love the natural looking tanks.

the third or forth pic down, would these be a 'profile' type shot you were talking about, just better quality for the pic we were talking about?

 

[busterbrown]

pretty sweet set up you have there. Floridas have some pretty cool patterns. I see you cleaned about half the back glass of your tank

 

[sbuse]

pretty sweet set up you have there. Floridas have some pretty cool patterns. I see you cleaned about half the back glass of your tank

thanx.

ya i ran out of go after taking out the black sand cleaning my 55gal to get the natual sand out/ into the 180gal + getting the 55gal ready to be made a sump for the 120gal. i just wasn't all that ambitous to take all the tape and plexi glass off the left side of the tank at the time. it is all done now.