Uh oh! Been bought a gift fish and don't know what to do

[pharmaecopia]

Can you post some pics of the gar. Gars are commonly mislabelled in stores. If it turns out it is not really an alligator gar the care that is required will differ.

 

[Slippery K]

The way I see it you have 2 options. Either keep it and upgrade/build a bigger tank.

or

Hold onto him until you find someone who can properly house it for the long haul, it wont be easy finding the right person though.

 

[monsterkeeper87]

Can you post some pics of the gar. Gars are commonly mislabelled in stores. If it turns out it is not really an alligator gar the care that is required will differ.

Yea I just got some, it would be much easier if it wasn't lol but it was sold as a spatular and it looks like 1 to me.

The way I see it you have 2 options. Either keep it and upgrade/build a bigger tank.

or

Hold onto him until you find someone who can properly house it for the long haul, it wont be easy finding the right person though.

Yea I think as they grow so slowly I will just look for a better home for him, he can chill in my tank for a long time so I can hopefully find someone by then.


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[pharmaecopia]

Definitely a gator. As far as growth rate expect 18-24" the first year. Second year something in the range of 6-12". After that the growth slows down a lot.

 

[Chub_by]

England's winters are by far not too cold for gar. In the northern parts of their range it gets even colder. Install an air pump in the winter to keep open a breathing hole.

 

[pharmaecopia]

If you are considering the outdoor pond route, I would do a quick search about overwintering gars outside. It'll provide more information about the proper way to go about this.

 

[monsterkeeper87]

Ok I will start researching, thanks for all of the advice


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[MonsterMinis]

If you return it you are condeming it to death 99.9% chance in under 1yr.. generally I don't advocate keeping a fish you don't think you can house.. But... If you're willing to give it the go.. I say the worst thing is you would have to euthanise it if it outgrew you and you wheren't able to find a home for it.. which is much more humane then it slowly dieing in a tank way to small for it.

 

[monsterkeeper87]

If you return it you are condeming it to death 99.9% chance in under 1yr.. generally I don't advocate keeping a fish you don't think you can house.. But... If you're willing to give it the go.. I say the worst thing is you would have to euthanise it if it outgrew you and you wheren't able to find a home for it.. which is much more humane then it slowly dieing in a tank way to small for it.

Yea I know, that's why I was so divided about taking it back or not, it's going to have a much better chance with me than it has with most private fish keepers in the uk, like you said hopefully I can find someone with a huge pond or a public aquarium, if I can't I will just have to deal with it when it happens...


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[TheGinge5]

Returning it is the best option. Or sell it to a person who has a large pond.

I would keep it as of now and just start looking for someone with a larger tank now as well lol. That way you know its in good hands untill you find a proper home.