Smallest " True Gar "
- Thread starter Adam-011
- Start date
Depends on conditions, sex and genetic locality of the fish.
The Old ideas by comparing size to wild maximums need to be tossed out and replaced with conditional averages which are more accurate to what in reality one would encounter.
For the sake of simplicity.. Florida, Spotted, Shortnose all seem to get about the same average size in captivity of 20 to 25". (Often less) Tropicals are not much longer 20-30"... Cubans are data deficient but really might not get much larger than tropicals.
Min tank size is one of those 1/2 gallon critter keepers though you could get away with a deli cup.... Depends on the size of the fish...
The Old ideas by comparing size to wild maximums need to be tossed out and replaced with conditional averages which are more accurate to what in reality one would encounter.
For the sake of simplicity.. Florida, Spotted, Shortnose all seem to get about the same average size in captivity of 20 to 25". (Often less) Tropicals are not much longer 20-30"... Cubans are data deficient but really might not get much larger than tropicals.
Min tank size is one of those 1/2 gallon critter keepers though you could get away with a deli cup.... Depends on the size of the fish...
pwmin;1625313; said:
They can get bigger and do have the potential to do so. This should not be ignored or discounted, it is just not accurate to expect it to occur, These are not average sized fish often being quoted for size. They are record sized ones and not representative of the population as a whole.
In some populations some fish do get a lot bigger than in others in disjunct populations. Some fish kept under certain captive conditions will grow faster and larger, some will grow average even under these conditions.
I'm personally sick of the "this fish needs this size tank" stuff... This is not accurate in practical husbandry. What you need is a tank matched to the size of fish you have and with gar this is critical. You cannot have too large or too small of a tank for the given fish. There is no clear cut rule. It is all individual. To keep these optimally it is desirable to have multiple housing options available.
Polypterus;1625507; said:
I have heard exactly the same advice about tank size from other people, but don't understand it. Especially with gar, why is it not advantageous to keep them in a very very large tank? Why not put a 1' long gar in a 700g by himself? Will he feel insecure? More prone to injury?
As long a proper feed is available and assessable that would likely not be a problem depending on dimensions and conditions. (particularly in tank habitat structure) Add another four or so 1' gar would be better as it would reduce Fast start responses to negative stimulus. Gars will do better in loose schools of their own kind as they then will watch each other for responses. This does calm them somewhat..
Add some stupid fish (Aro, Chiclits, catfish) to the tank you however just changed this and now the gars requirements change drastically...