I would put the smaller shortnose in the pond so the koi can have a chance of getting away. If the koi are females then it would be harder for the gars to try to eat cause they are more plump. As for acclimation, I usually just put them in the pond and away they go. I would be more worried if they are going from warmer water to colder pond water. All I can say is expect a growth spurt, you might be needing that 220 before you know it. The shortnose might puff up for a bit but it will go away over night.
Should I put a shortnose in my pond???
- Thread starter Conner
- Start date
Put one more in my tank and then do it!!
I think its a good idea. Throw them all out there for the season and take your time on that 220. They should be fine out there. Just toss 'em in (or gently place
). Should be fine clear into the fall and will definitely pack on some size. They may not take pellets anymore though when you take them out after all of the feeders in there. There is a risk to the koi but they should be ok.
I think its a good idea. Throw them all out there for the season and take your time on that 220. They should be fine out there. Just toss 'em in (or gently place
). Should be fine clear into the fall and will definitely pack on some size. They may not take pellets anymore though when you take them out after all of the feeders in there. There is a risk to the koi but they should be ok.
jworth;4307420; said:Put one more in my tank and then do it!!
I think its a good idea. Throw them all out there for the season and take your time on that 220. They should be fine out there. Just toss 'em in (or gently place
I'm down to just 3 shortnose, I don't think I can let any more get away... I miss the one I did trade to you, although I really like this lap. He fits into the tank nicely. And he and my big senegal are best of buds now...I may try transferring one of the shorties out there this weekend, so that I'll be home for most of 48 straight hours to keep an eye on things. If it goes well, then I may try tossing a few others out there as well.
I did think about the feeder/pellet issue. I wonder if I keep feeding pellets, will they actually eat them? Or will they pretty much just dine a la cart on the feeders when they're hungry? I suppose its a question I can only find out the answer to the hard way...
oops just clicked no.
i mean yes but the gar will eat the koi. When i give my guys feeders the feeders are often 4 to 6 in(raised to that size)
while they cant eat all of them(most they eat almost all, occationally i over estimate my guys, lol) they kill all of them. guaranted. Iv seen my gar skin feeders that were too big before.
i mean yes but the gar will eat the koi. When i give my guys feeders the feeders are often 4 to 6 in(raised to that size)
while they cant eat all of them(most they eat almost all, occationally i over estimate my guys, lol) they kill all of them. guaranted. Iv seen my gar skin feeders that were too big before.
I'm now thinking about throwing my true spotted gar out there first, since he's the runt of the group, and doesn't seem to be growing well with all the other larger gars around. Maybe a few weeks of healthy feeders in 3,500g of water will let him hit a growth spurt. And since he's only about 11-12" long, he shouldn't be able to do much more than scrape up the koi.
Well I did it. I went ahead and put the true spotted gar (11-12") and the shortest shortnose gar (~14", longer than I thought) into the pond. They both seemed to react alright to it, and the spotted gar was going after feeders before he'd made it to the other end of the pond.
However, I do believe I have some of THE stupidest feeders in the world. They're trying to school with the gar... I swear, if the shortnose had happened to open his mouth at one point, a feeder would have just swam into it for him...
I did take some pictures as well as video, but I don't have time to upload it at the moment. I will do so later today so you guys can see. They look good in the pond, although its hard to get good pictures unless they're close to the surface (not to mention I've got a crappy little point and shoot camera).
However, I do believe I have some of THE stupidest feeders in the world. They're trying to school with the gar... I swear, if the shortnose had happened to open his mouth at one point, a feeder would have just swam into it for him...
I did take some pictures as well as video, but I don't have time to upload it at the moment. I will do so later today so you guys can see. They look good in the pond, although its hard to get good pictures unless they're close to the surface (not to mention I've got a crappy little point and shoot camera).
good decision...
now pm me your address then ignore the guy in the hockey mask with the landing net out there in a few days
now pm me your address then ignore the guy in the hockey mask with the landing net out there in a few days
jworth;4314348; said:good decision...
now pm me your address then ignore the guy in the hockey mask with the landing net out there in a few days
Nuh-uh!
we've been away from the house all day, so as soon as I got back I went out to look at the pond and find the gar. Well it took about 10 minutes before the spotted gar appeared and cruised around the perimeter, with a gaggle of comets following him. The shorty never did surface. Either he was well hidden in the plants, or he was hanging out on the bottom in the deep end, which is too dark for me to see down into clearly.
I think I overestimated the ability of the gar to catch the comets. They have no problem catching comets fresh from the store in a fish tank. its a confined space, the comets are disoriented and not necessarily in the best of health, being tossed into a strange location with different water.
whereas these comets have been living in this pond for nearly a year, know it very well, are VERY healthy, and are larger and stronger than your average store bought comet. Plus they have a whole pond to evade the gar in, rather than a very confined little fishtank.
So I think the gar are going to have a lot more difficulty catching the feeders than I thought they would. Even more so for the koi, which are much larger and faster than the comets.
