Spotted Gar availability?

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i generally have nothing but good things to say about George at Shark Aquarium, he was the one who helped import the first Cuban gar in recent history for me, and also worked with me to import the tropical gars for the first time.

that being said, i would assume the gars listed on the site are Florida gars, just like any other other supplier gets a hold of. I have not seen a true spotted gar from an LFS in ages, and highly doubt any (that aren't collecting locally within their range) have L. oculatus.

we may be reducing the number we are using for our upcoming experiment, so shoot me a PM if you are interested in one and i will keep you posted--
--solomon
 
I've been keeping my eye on that Trop that George has... hoping the price goes down someday but knowing SA's prices (not a complaint, just a fact) and also the fact that the fish will only keep growing, I don't see it going down anytime soon.
 
Madding;4351010; said:
I've been keeping my eye on that Trop that George has... hoping the price goes down someday but knowing SA's prices (not a complaint, just a fact) and also the fact that the fish will only keep growing, I don't see it going down anytime soon.

yeah, IMO they normally have great stock, but some normally "cheaper" fish are quite expensive, but others that are usually pretty expensive are reasonably priced. i think they have a 14" longnose listed for $149...

either way, i can't complain about his store and service, both are top notch and i've done business with him several times over the past years--
--solomon
 
Madding;4351010; said:
I've been keeping my eye on that Trop that George has... hoping the price goes down someday but knowing SA's prices (not a complaint, just a fact) and also the fact that the fish will only keep growing, I don't see it going down anytime soon.

Yea, I have my eye on that one too. I have never seen one for sale at any price, so was not sure if that was high or not. What is a "reasonable" price to pay in the continental USA for a trop? Glad I did not g with good old impulse!
 
screaminleeman;4351252; said:
Yea, I have my eye on that one too. I have never seen one for sale at any price, so was not sure if that was high or not. What is a "reasonable" price to pay in the continental USA for a trop? Glad I did not g with good old impulse!

The only ones for sale in the US right now are from old imports (some of which Solomon himself organized) so you will be looking at big fish (18"+) that should probably run around 180-250 each from a private hobbyist. Not many shops will have them. Of course if you want the fish enough you will pay what you want, as we all do from time to time. :)
 
yeah, be glad the market is somewhat "saturated" in the past couple years...in the first tropical gar order (the one that george and i organized, Richard and some others on AP helped it along too), the small specimens at 4-6" were $300 each, and the "larger" specimens at 8" were $350 each. on top of that, only 6 "large" fish were brought in, and i think it was just 30 of the smaller fish (MAYBE 50, but 30 seems right).

price has since come down (as always happens once rare fishes become somewhat more accessible...look at tigrinus cats, gulper catfish, and roseline sharks), but those prices are generally set by whoever is selling the fish, there aren't a ton around, so people shopping for rarer gars have to pay what the seller lists or look somewhere else--
--solomon
 
dude thier prices suck!!

Long Nose Gar 14" $199.99

bwahahahahahahahahahahaha

Tropical Gar 20" $399.99

not as funny but still alittle funny
 
I actually talked to George on friday and he offered to sell me the 20" tropical gar for 200.00 shipping included.

Yes I am serious, it's going to be here tomorrow.

Remember people: Never be afraid to ask! The funny thing about live fish is that when a huge one doesn't sell the vendor can grow desperate to be rid of it.

Websites do not update as often as a good business owners mind. :)

Pics tomorrow-
 
michael you're killing me..!! good going on the great find! looking forward to seeing pics!
 
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