My Favorite Gar

[Techtress]

I don't currently have a fish tank for the first time in 10 years, but I thought I'd share a pic of my favorite gar with you guys. Unfortunately he is no longer alive, but I have fond memories of this big guy. I will never forget watching the curator catch tilapia from one exhibit on a fishing pole, and throwing them into this guys tank after the Belle Isle Aquarium closed due to no other zoos wanting the tilapia.

He was wild caught and a gift to the aquarium when vandals had broken in a killed fish in some of the exhibits.

 

[Hao]

dang thats monterous and the gar will be missed

 

[dpk2313]

Damn i wish he would have made it
even just to see his size today

 

[Polypterus]

Yes... I personally sorely miss him as well....And was by far my favorite of all fishes as well.. Had many a good time with that fish..
Have to ask How did you get to know Hal?

As of today I still own the inventory Card that was on his tank and it sits right on my computer..

Here is a photo of the card and the last ever Photo of him as he was transfered into the holding tank on the truck... I personally held his head on that last move and I very much cried when he was lost....

 

[nitrofish1]

thats sad that it had to die like that. looked like your veteran gator gar!

 

[Techtress]

Is that Chris on the photo in the grey? I cried also when I heard the news. I used to live in Plymouth (for 3 years) and never got very active with the fish clubs in the metro Detroit area (wish I had). Though my local shop was run by two great guys who were into freshwater stingrays and breeding them. I first went to Belle Isle with the Southwestern Michigan Aquarium Society (hometown fish club) and got to see a behind the scenes tour. I became very active early on and helped get FOBIA started. I took photos of literally every exhibit there and all the identifying signs in hopes of one day making a virtual aquarium, but I don't have the know how to make it as nice as I'd like. I've been watching how FOBIA is doing from down here in Louisville (been here for 3 years) and would love to go back up sometime to see people that are still there since the fish are long gone (cept for the koi). I miss talking to them all, though I have talked to Doug via email now and then. BTW, the names Diana.

 

[Gar keeper]

Here is a photo of the card and the last ever Photo of him as he was transfered into the holding tank on the truck... I personally held his head on that last move and I very much cried when he was lost....

I don't intend any sarcasm but with you being the "Gar God" and whatnot, I don't understand how anything could have been overlooked or forgotten that would lead to his death. I mean with how much you rip everyone on here for doing little things wrong, I can't begin to fathom how something like this could happen on your watch, unless the truck crashed and burned or something. What exactly went wrong?

Also, you smoke cigarettes? Maybe giving my gar KFC a few times wasn't the best thing to do, but smoking cigs? I hope you take care of your fish better than you do yourself.

 

[E_americanus]

I don't intend any sarcasm but with you being the "Gar God" and whatnot, I don't understand how anything could have been overlooked or forgotten that would lead to his death. I mean with how much you rip everyone on here for doing little things wrong, I can't begin to fathom how something like this could happen on your watch, unless the truck crashed and burned or something. What exactly went wrong?

Also, you smoke cigarettes? Maybe giving my gar KFC a few times wasn't the best thing to do, but smoking cigs? I hope you take care of your fish better than you do yourself.

wow, your posts get more and more useless as time goes on. maybe you should have stayed in the shadows as a lurker--
--solomon

 

[Gar keeper]

wow, your posts get more and more useless as time goes on. maybe you should have stayed in the shadows as a lurker--
--solomon

You don't make much sense... Seems like you are focusing on being stupid with me instead of actually helping to answer the questions that are being asked. What was the "useless" question that I asked?

You mean where I asked exactly what happened to this fish, so that I could get an answer for everyone to see that might help to prevent what happened here from happening again?

You mean the question I asked related to a gar passing on that was in the care of who I believe is one of the most knowledgeable gar people on this site. Obviously it was a freak accident or something wasn't calculated correctly and for me asking what exactly went wrong to prevent it from happening again is stupid?

You seem like the perfect example to me of how someone can be very intelligent in one sense and yet a complete idiot in another way.
I guess that why intelligence and wisdom are categorized as 2 separate things. I just can't figure out which one you are lacking

 

[Gator]

Congrats Gar Keeper! You've gone from lurker to troll! Can you please go back to lurker.


Now back to the topic. That really sucks that a gar of that size and age died.