True gar for a 200G

[Andri Pogo]

I have never owned a gar before and would like to know if my 200G, 6.5'x2'x2' would be a possible home for a Florida or Spotted gar ?
They get around 20" right ?
I had a Neddlenose but he died yesterday so the upper part of the tank is free.

I would have to check if i can order since im in the middle of nowhere
The only gars available right now in the country are 2x 4" longnose gars which i think will get to big ?
But if i could keep them for a year or two and if they are competable with my other fish maybe it would be easiest to get them.

Also, since i dont know gars personally, would a Florida/Spotted gar be competable with my other fish? See signature.

 

[xander]

yes it can fit in there for abt 2 years. and i should think the gar's compatible with most of yr existing fish.

 

[demjor19]

a florida/spotted gar would be fine in a 200g for quite some time. although they do reach 20+ inches they tend to slow down very much at 16-18 inches. my larger florida/spotted gar is about 2 years old and still doing fine in a 180 and hasnt grown more than 1" in the past 6 or more months.

don't be fooled into thinking gar are top water only fish. they do spent much of there time at the waters surface, but lay on the bottom very often also (each fish is different though). so watch what tankmates you plan on mixing him with.

hope this helps.

 

[Andri Pogo]

ok thanks i will then check if i can order the spotted gar.. but what do you think about the longnose gars ? just since they are available right now it would be good i they worked for some time. Also they are much slimmer so they are less likely to eat tankmates ?
Or are their temper similar ?

And how much would an 4-5" Longnose go for in the states ? They are ~100USD here for each

 

[demjor19]

ok thanks i will then check if i can order the spotted gar.. but what do you think about the longnose gars ? just since they are available right now it would be good i they worked for some time. Also they are much slimmer so they are less likely to eat tankmates ?
Or are their temper similar ?

And how much would an 4-5" Longnose go for in the states ? They are ~100USD here for each

long nose gar go for about $30 here (DEPENDING ON LOCATION) at the size you have mentioned. just because longnose are thinner does not mean they wont eat tankmates. trust me...these fish always amaze me. what tankmates do you plan on keeping him with?

 

[Andri Pogo]

These are current fish in the tank and the size:
1x Paroon shark - 8"
3x Clown Knife - 8-10"
1x Black Ghost Knife - 6"
1x Lima Shovelnose - 8"
1x Walking Catfish - 10"
2x Polypterus Palmas palmas - 8"
3x Polypterus Senegalus - 6"
1x Polypterus Ornatepinnis - 3"
2x Ropefish - 12-14"
1x Rainbow Snakehead - 4"
2x Oscar - 2-3"
1x Synodontis 4"
1x Angelfish

The tank was bought mainly for the Paroon (until he outgrows it), the Knifes, the Polypterus and the Lima. Others are not so important.

How big do Longnose gars get in aquriums ? i know they can get up to 5 feet in the wild. And do they grow very fast ?

 

[KaraJo]

These are current fish in the tank and the size:
1x Paroon shark - 8"
3x Clown Knife - 8-10"
1x Black Ghost Knife - 6"
1x Lima Shovelnose - 8"
1x Walking Catfish - 10"
2x Polypterus Palmas palmas - 8"
3x Polypterus Senegalus - 6"
1x Polypterus Ornatepinnis - 3"
2x Ropefish - 12-14"
1x Rainbow Snakehead - 4"
2x Oscar - 2-3"
1x Synodontis 4"
1x Angelfish

The tank was bought mainly for the Paroon (until he outgrows it), the Knifes, the Polypterus and the Lima. Others are not so important.

How big do Longnose gars get in aquriums ? i know they can get up to 5 feet in the wild. And do they grow very fast ?

I wouldn't do longnose just because that's what's available now. I would do some more research and find out if you can get a nice Florida or two. I'm pretty sure you will have some missing tankmates eventually...That oscar is toast depending on what size gar you get. and gar grow quite rapidly over the first few months. a 3" ornate and a 4" syno may make nice snacks as well. You would be surprised at what gar can fit in their mouths. once your snakehead gets bigger (depedning on how big that species gets), he will find a nice snack in some of your fish as well. Just be careful wen you are mixing tankmates, it may work for a while, but there are no guarentees and even if the gar can't get them down, they may try anyway and you'd be left with a dead fish...

 

[Andri Pogo]

yeah that was what i was most worried about, that the gar/s would try to eat some big fish and kill them doing it. I saw some picture here on MFK where a gar tried to eat a Clown knife but couldnt fit him in the mouth...
The snakehead is a dwarf species, only grows to 8" max.
I´ll sell the oscars if they are in danger, not really into them.
And i can trade the 3" ornate to a 8" one. The prices are just so high here i got the small one 3" for 100USD, 8" for ~200USD.

But thanks alot for the help, i will check if the Florida/Spotted are available for order.

 

[demjor19]

i would also go w/ a florida/spotted gar. the size is more suitable for a 200g and they have a great temperment. as stated above..some of the tankmates may create some issues, but just watch them closely if you decide to do it.

longnose gar get around 2-3 feet in captivity.

 

[xander]

IMO the Clown Knives, Rainbow Snakehead and (soon to be big)Oscars would be a problem. however i have no idea what Paroon shark, Lima Shovelnose, Walking Catfish and Synodontis are. but the oscars(when large) and co won't b gd for gars at all...

the gar that tried to eat the knives was an alligator gar, which is an entirely different story altogether. in this case it's more likely that the knife'll go for the gars. it might work, but that'll depend on the moods of the fish, so it's pretty risky. the oscars would def have to go, as they're either prey when small or bullies when large.