Need help (newbie here)

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TheLastKon said:
I agree. That tank is way too small. I know we see videos of large gars in small tanks all the time but many of those fish weren’t grown out in a small tank. Even though I Say “small” these are still 300+ gallon tanks that the gars are housed in. The gars are so big they make the tank look small. For the most part gator gar The hardest part about caring for a gator gar is the tank. It needs a much larger tank then most people can provide. Partially because it can break its back if it doesn’t have enough space to turn.

If you want to know if your gar is comfortable it should be swimming slowly around the tank exploring and memorizing the sides. If it’s jumping or not moving much or big eating then that’s a sign of an unhappy Fish.

Food wise you can give it live food and he will eat. If he doesn’t you have a problem. Getting him to eat other stuff other then live will take time but not too hard to train.

Gars are generally very strong Fish and Can take a lot of abuse but needs large tanks. The max size escapes me at the moment but I do remember one member saying that their Platinum gator gars grew to 36 inches in 3-4 months...so yes a 40-60 gallon can buy you a few months but know that it’s potential is 36 inches in 3 months and that we’re holding back its potential in a smaller tanks.
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IMG_20170410_194024839.jpg
 
TheLastKon said:
I agree. That tank is way too small. I know we see videos of large gars in small tanks all the time but many of those fish weren’t grown out in a small tank. Even though I Say “small” these are still 300+ gallon tanks that the gars are housed in. The gars are so big they make the tank look small. For the most part gator gar The hardest part about caring for a gator gar is the tank. It needs a much larger tank then most people can provide. Partially because it can break its back if it doesn’t have enough space to turn.

If you want to know if your gar is comfortable it should be swimming slowly around the tank exploring and memorizing the sides. If it’s jumping or not moving much or big eating then that’s a sign of an unhappy Fish.

Food wise you can give it live food and he will eat. If he doesn’t you have a problem. Getting him to eat other stuff other then live will take time but not too hard to train.

Gars are generally very strong Fish and Can take a lot of abuse but needs large tanks. The max size escapes me at the moment but I do remember one member saying that their Platinum gator gars grew to 36 inches in 3-4 months...so yes a 40-60 gallon can buy you a few months but know that it’s potential is 36 inches in 3 months and that we’re holding back its potential in a smaller tanks.
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View attachment 1294632
 
I have 2 Florida Gars and they only get up to 3 feet. However, they need plenty of space. Here is my two and I will be upgrading to a minimum 300 gallon tank.IMG_20170410_194024839.jpg
 
Gourami Swami said:
Having kept both, a goldfish is much much easier to care for than a gar is. Not that that statement was even an important part of that long post you took it from...
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Wow.. So how is keeping a goldfish much easier? I wish to learn since you kept both

No point quoting a wall of text to what I agreed right? Lol
 
Galantspeedz said:
Wow.. So how is keeping a goldfish much easier? I wish to learn since you kept both

No point quoting a wall of text to what I agreed right? Lol
Click to expand...

Water changes on a 30 gallon tank required to house a fancy goldfish are much easier than water changes on the 300+ gallon tank a gar requires. Also, not all gars will accept pellets and many have to be weened off feeders to accept fillets, frozen food, etc. So feeding them can be more difficult. Also, the young gars need to be able to eat whenever they want to support somatic growth, so many people keep a small population of feeders in the tank with the gar. which needs to be added to/supported.

Here is a good thread to educate yourself:
https://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/threads/proper-husbandry-for-your-gar.419773/#post5169701
 
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Straight to the point, what are your future plans for this fish?
Obviously you knew this is a massive growing (8ft) fish right, did you know that? If not I suggest returning it to the store, this is an advanced species for people with massive amounts of money and or passion to put the effort in to keep one properly.
I guess one advantage of your area is you could possibly keep one in a pond if you took precautions.
 
Gourami Swami said:
Water changes on a 30 gallon tank required to house a fancy goldfish are much easier than water changes on the 300+ gallon tank a gar requires. Also, not all gars will accept pellets and many have to be weened off feeders to accept fillets, frozen food, etc. So feeding them can be more difficult. Also, the young gars need to be able to eat whenever they want to support somatic growth, so many people keep a small population of feeders in the tank with the gar. which needs to be added to/supported.

Here is a good thread to educate yourself:
https://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/threads/proper-husbandry-for-your-gar.419773/#post5169701
Click to expand...

Have a good weekend.....
 
I currently have a 3" alligator gar in a 10 gallon. I can move him to a 55 gallon but he will need to share it with 3 Oscars the same size. The Oscars will be introduced to the tank at the same time as the gar. Is this possible?
 
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