not sure what to do with my gar

[syddakyd]

since i downsized to just one tank and my dog...i wanted to have the tank as lively and colourful as possible.

i have the following
2 painted turtles (1 eastern 1 western)
fire eel
4 skunk loaches
featherfin syno.
common pleco
rainbow shark

and the florida gar. i was thinking of keeping everything else and dropping in smaller cichlids/gouramis/ barbs etc...


my question is this...short of getting another tank...is there anything i can keep the gar in by itself thats worthwhile or am i just better off rehoming it.

(very hard to part with it and its gotten so thick lol...but i also want it to have a good home)


also, i keep reading their max size is 18 inches in captivity...so it would eventually need bigger then a 125 anyways, right?

 

[xander]

rehoming it would be in its best interest mate, no matter how hard it is

 

[Austin]

agreed and turtles are bad tankmates...

 

[Conner]

It could get larger than 18", possibly more than 24". You would need a 24" wide tank minimum to keep it for life. So you'll need at least a 180g tank for just the gar.

Because of that, and the bad tank compatibility between turtles and gar, it would probably be best if you rehomed it, unless you're willing to setup another tank for it.

 

[syddakyd]

agreed and turtles are bad tankmates...

definitely untrue. putting bettas with a RES in a 20g is obviously a bad idea.....turtles can make excellent tankmates under the correct circumstances.

 

[Austin]

definitely untrue. putting bettas with a RES in a 20g is obviously a bad idea.....turtles can make excellent tankmates under the correct circumstances.

what are these magic circumstances then other than a large pond? think about it this way...what do turtles eat in the wild? it can work for some time but you will wake up one day with chunks missing out of fish.

 

[xander]

what are these magic circumstances then other than a large pond? think about it this way...what do turtles eat in the wild? it can work for some time but you will wake up one day with chunks missing out of fish.

definately agree with this over the above statement

 

[Conner]

Most turtles will take a chunk out of anything slow enough for them to catch. Gars, which like to spend time laying on the bottom and do not generally move very quickly unless spooked, are a prime target for being attacked by a turtle. In a large pond they can coexist well (I will have this exact combination myself) but in aquariums they are not a good combination.

 

[Noddy]

It could get larger than 18", possibly more than 24". You would need a 24" wide tank minimum to keep it for life. So you'll need at least a 180g tank for just the gar.

Because of that, and the bad tank compatibility between turtles and gar, it would probably be best if you rehomed it, unless you're willing to setup another tank for it.

I completely aggree with Conner!

 

[syddakyd]

sweeping generalizations in this thread. granted if i starve my turtles for 2 weeks im sure they will have to try to attack the fish but common sense prevails over all.

im wondering who here is recycling information or who has personal experience


proper research, tank size, tankmates, species of turtles, food types/amount giving will all be a factor.


i am going to give my gar to this store that houses larger fish, but i will replace it with smaller fish such as "friendlier" cichlids and tiger barbs.