Overstocked? Or OK For Now?

[ShaneRiordan]

2x Jack Dempsies: 6" and 4" (just bought them today for $10 each)
1x Florida Gar: 8"
1x Black Spotted Eel: 7" (in that brown cave)
1x King Midas

The Gar is kind of freaking me out. He's acting like he can't turn around, but he definitely can. The base of the tank is about 18", so he has plenty of room for now. He twists and contorts his body like he's stuck, but he clearly is not. I just rearranged the tank tonight to give the Dempsies their own "area" to claim. It's working, and the Midas is leaving them alone...but I just hope the Gar is just trying to get used to the new arrangement.

Any help or opinion would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[tyl089]

how big is your tank?

gar is going to grow up big no matter what anyway said maximum length of 52.4in. on Google. Keep that in mind.

 

[ShaneRiordan]

how big is your tank?

gar is going to grow up big no matter what anyway said maximum length of 52.4in. on Google. Keep that in mind.

55 gallons. Yeah, I know of the Gar's size capabilities. If I can't upgrade tank size before I go home for the summer, I'm going to have to sell it back to the LFS here. Should get around $80-$100 for it, so although I would really prefer to keep the Gar, the money is a nice substitute.

 

[pharmaecopia]

A florida gar will reach a little under 24" in captivity. Those are also terrible tankamtes for the gar. Cichlids are never recomended with gars.

 

[charles-n-charge]

A florida gar will reach a little under 24" in captivity. Those are also terrible tankamtes for the gar. Cichlids are never recomended with gars.

i agree. although ive have had success with some more mild cichlids like oscars and some of the more peaceful species of africans. but your stock wont work.
as for size, id say youre fine for now, but definately need to upgrade soon. IMO youll need a 180-220 for the gar. and id ditch the cichlids.
btw, the reason your gar is having a hard time turning is because they are not very flexible fish and need a lot of room to turn. this problem goes away as they get larger for some reason. dont know why.

 

[striped bass]

55 gallons. Yeah, I know of the Gar's size capabilities. If I can't upgrade tank size before I go home for the summer, I'm going to have to sell it back to the LFS here. Should get around $80-$100 for it, so although I would really prefer to keep the Gar, the money is a nice substitute.

WOW thats a lot of cash for a trade in my LFS are in the business to make money if i was to show up with that gar i think i would be lucky to get but $30.00 and prob in store credit...

 

[nfored]

WOW thats a lot of cash for a trade in my LFS are in the business to make money if i was to show up with that gar i think i would be lucky to get but $30.00 and prob in store credit...

That's what I thought to did realize you could even get money for a trade in.

I have wanted a gar for ever but didn't want to deal with the hassle of cooking him once he got to big :j/k:

Tank water looks pretty clean. are you going to have enough bio with those hob filters once those fish start getting big?

 

[MonsterMinis]

I agree 100% w/ the cichlid and Gar combo being bad... It usually works well until the cichlids reach maturity ( I just had to re-home some pike cichlids that suddenly turned on my gar but where fine for a few monthes) And I'de particualrly be wary of the Jacks.. if they pair up they are likely going to start attacking everyting. Spiney eels are also poor tank-mates for cichlids ime.

 

[mshill90]

55 gallons. Yeah, I know of the Gar's size capabilities. If I can't upgrade tank size before I go home for the summer, I'm going to have to sell it back to the LFS here. Should get around $80-$100 for it, so although I would really prefer to keep the Gar, the money is a nice substitute.

55 gallons are only 12" in depth, not 18".

 

[Natalie]

I'd say the 55g is good for the two Jack Dempseys. All of the other fish need bigger, separate setups. A Midas can do ok in a 55g but most males need more room than that because they eventually reach 13-15" total length (and 55 gallon tanks are only 12" deep). Based on agression, the Midas will need to be solo unless you can provide at least a 6-foot-long tank, then tankmates may be tolerated. The gar will obviously need a lot more room and needs to be away from the cichlids.