my gar wont stop swiming up and down the tank walls and is tearing his noseup in the process. Hes about 12in and has been doing it for ever since i moved into my appartment. I fig its the water but everything seems normal. he dosnt do it all the time, he takes breaks and hangs out at the top or bottem for awhile, and then goes a it again. He used tp live alone, without a heater, without lights, and a smaller tank, he only eats live and he used to be my freinds but this piranha bit off mostof its tail and one fins but both sortof grew back and he makes it around the tank ok
spotted gar nose damage
- Thread starter seaflea
- Start date
What size tank is it in now? Are there any tankmates? What exactly are you feeding, how often, and what is the light cycle you use on the tank?
Have you tested the water at your apartment to see if anything is very different from where it was before?
Also, how long has he been acting like this (days, weeks, months, etc).
Have you tested the water at your apartment to see if anything is very different from where it was before?
Also, how long has he been acting like this (days, weeks, months, etc).
hes in a 120 2 oscers a small knife..he only eats golds and rosys. ive been trying to ween him but he refuses. i put golds and some rosys in once a week for him. lights r on from 7 till 7 right now. i havnt been able to find anything diffrent with the water other then before it was from a well and now its city water. i use prime. hes been doning this for months, sometimes he wont do it as much for a week or two and other weeks he does it all the time. he has prenty of rocks and fake stumps to hide in or around.
seaflea;3456672; said:
This may just be his normal behavior. If you can take a video of it and post it for us, then we might be able to say if its abnormal or not. Are the oscars showing any kind of aggression towards the gar? They could be stressing it out enough that it's behaving oddly, but not actually being aggressive enough to cause visible damage.
actright1;3457396; said:
This isn't necessarily going to fix the problem. Too many "trees" or other obstacles in the tank can hinder a gar moving around and stress them out as well. They need plenty of open space to move around. Some surface cover may be appreciated, but not a bunch of vertical obstructions.
As for feeding, have you tried using tong's? If not, use tongs to wave a small piece of market shrimp, fish fillet, freeze dried krill, earthworm (or anything besides feeder) in front of his face. Sometimes they need to be enticed to strike the new food, and if you're waving it in their face its easier for them. A lot of my gars didn't seem willing to feed off the bottom of the tank until they had already gotten used to eating prepared foods.
You can also start off using the tong's to give him live feeders. Once he associates the tongs with food that way, then try offering other foods.
no the oscars dont show any aggression. There pretty cool with each other..he dosnt mind if they rub up against him and they dont care if he bumps into them. sometimes they all hang out in one corner at the bottem so i dont think its the fish that stress him. ill try the tongs, used my fingers before lol.