Should I put a shortnose in my pond???

[Conner]

As you guys know, I've got 1 spotted, 2 florida, and 3 shortnose gars in a 125g tank. They are all doing great, and don't seem to be too crowded. However, the biggest shortnose is starting to push 18", and as I don't know how soon my 220g tank will be up and running, I've been wondering if I should transfer the biggest shorty out to my pond for the rest of the summer (or as long as I live here, in case I sell before fall).

My fiance thinks I should throw one (or all) of the shorties out there. She thinks the feeder comets have had the pond all too themselves for long enough!

However, I have recently added 4 koi to the pond. They are from 4.5" to 6" in length, so they should be too large for the gar (even at 18") to eat. Besides, there are between 75 and 100 feeder comets, all between 1" and 4" in the pond to feed on, plus several hundred (literally) fathead minnows breeding regularly in there now.

My question is, do you think I should put at least one shorty outside for now? Why? Do you think its risky for my koi?

Pond stats:
3,500g
15'Lx7'Wx3-4'D
Bog filter (with plants)
Lots of floating Hyacinth.
Submerged log for cover.

 

[Madding]

If that were me, I would be bummed if I put my biggest gar in a pond and could never see him. Visibility is of big importance to me.

Otherwise I say yes, throw him in there. I bet the koi will be fine.

 

[Conner]

If that were me, I would be bummed if I put my biggest gar in a pond and could never see him. Visibility is of big importance to me.

Otherwise I say yes, throw him in there. I bet the koi will be fine.

The pond is 3-4' deep, but I can see clear to the bottom to see the crayfish crawling around on it, so visibility isn't an issue really.

 

[ceeej31]

i say go for it, the gar will be too full of goldfish to care about the koi

 

[E_americanus]

that gar won't discern between goldfish and koi that much...and you'd be surprised what an 18" shorty can take down (if it can't swallow the koi, it may easily kill one while trying and letting it go).

as long as you are fine with the risk to the koi, i would say go for it as this will ease things up significantly in your tank...heck, you could put the other fishes in there too and they'd probably put quite a bit of size on them over the next month or two! beware of anything eating the fishes out of the pond and make sure there are safety measures in place to prevent the gar from just jumping out and dying.

good luck, and by all means take lots of pics of the process and once they are in the pond!--
--solomon

 

[xander]

im not too sure if 18" shorty would leave 4-6" koi alone. i've had a 10-12" gator gar (obviously with the gator it's a completely different ballgame, but i thought i'd put this out here anyways) kill 10-15" koi and try to eat them in a pond...

 

[Conner]

I might worry about the smaller two koi, but I've watched these shorties eat, and they won't bother trying to eat something they can't swallow. Even large shrimp have given them problems, and if they can't swallow it on the first try, they move on to smaller pieces.

I suppose there is the chance that it could happen, though. I guess if I start seeing dismembered koi I could always move the gar back inside...

And as far as outside threats to the fish, I have two large dogs that keep everything except the robins and cardinals out of my back yard, so I'm not too worried about predation. Besides, there's a koi/goldfish pond in the yard next door that doesn't have canine protection, so I'm sure they'd hit it first .


Any suggestions for acclimating the gar, or should I just pull them out of the tank, and toss them into the pond? Right now the temps are about equal, at least for the top 12-18" of water in the pond. The deeper areas are a little cooler.

I'll definitely take pictures if I decide to move the gar, and maybe even some video of me attempting to wrangle an 18" gar out of a tank, through the house, into the yard, and into the pond...

 

[Conner]

Oh, I could also try moving the smaller shorty(ies) into the pond. They're more like 12-13" and 15-16" in length. That might give the koi a better chance.

If it works out fine, I may throw all the gar out there to see if they hit a growth spurt. That would also give me a little longer before I need to have the 220 set up...

 

[screaminleeman]

My LNG seemed to get frustrated eating large feeder goldfish when I had it indoor in a 135G aquarium. Large is a relative word with feeders, and certainly smaller then 4" by a long shot!

It was also very noticable how upset my buddy was in that narrow 135G even at the 12" range. I moved him out to my experimental deck pond at 14" and it seems happy as can be and appetite wise, it is like someone stole my finicky/ picky LNG and replaced it with a longnose juggernaut. It has easily put on 5" since the move and I am missing one Florida Gar 9" - 10" range that DID NOT show up outside of the deck pond as a jumper. My expierience with the shortie was extremely brief as it jumped out of the same deck pond, probably trying to avoid being lunch for Logan!

Watch closely, just as Solomon stated, other fish also grow much quicker outside in ponds with greater space. As a control, I put two of my six Bowfin (all roughly equal in 5" - 6" range) inside in the aquarium. They are voracious heaters and fat as hogs, but lengthwise they are still at least two to three inches shorter now then their counterparts in the outdoor pond.

I have to be closing in somewhere on the vacinity of a thousand feeders goldies (~1" - 3" range) since the move. Be prepared to watch your goldie stock vanish extremely quickly. When that happens Hasta la Vista Koi!

 

[Conner]

So any suggestions as far as acclimation goes? Should I just toss the gar out there, since the temps are about the same, and the water quality is good? Or should I attempt some form of acclimation, perhaps with a rubbermaid tub and small power head? I just worry about it overheating in the sun...