When does healthy fat become too fat?

[bahamaqt00]

I guess my question is can they get too fat? My larger of two gars is the pig of the tank. Always tries to eat as much as possible and he is starting to acquire quite a gut. Hard to explain but he has two guts almost, both being separated by his bottom fins. (I can't get a picture but if a rough diagram on paint helps, I can try lol ) Gars are known for being nice and plump and "healthy" But should I cut back on feeding?

 

[Bennlfer]

Maybe. I always starve mine out for a day or two to even them back out when i notice they are really fat. I dont want them to turn obese.

But you should know that I am not a Gar expert and this is just my opinion. My background knowledge only comes from my 3 Floridas

 

[E_americanus]

feeding should be only until you see a slight/moderate bulge in the stomach region. captive gars aren't exercised like wild fish and therefore fatty tissue builds up in large quantity which could be detrimental to the fish, and is generally unhealthy. we have noticed this in dissections of wild fish and compared them to dissections of captive fish.

right now i'm working on a bioenergetics experiment which looks at activity level and energy density/lipid content in fish, so we'll actually have some pretty interesting information to report on this in a few months (this has repercussions from aquaculture to wild fishes models to aquarium fishes regarding growth and health).

for now, i would switch to every other day feeding if you think your fish is getting too fat. they aren't in survival jeopardy like they would be in the wild, so chances are if you THINK they are getting too fat, they probably are. scaling back on the food is not going to kill a captive gar (keep in mind early stage YOY gars should be fed every day until around 8-10" and then can be switched to every other day)--
--solomon

 

[Lepisosteus platyrhincus]

heck 90 percent of the time i do every 3 days just to build on solomons post. Now my gar are all quite plump(well not the shorty, he just gets longer)

 

[Conner]

I cut back feeding my gar 6 days a week (skipping Sunday) to only feeding every other day at the MOST. Usually I go 2-3 days between feedings, and the only ones who even show a slightly skinnier belly over that time are the 2 smallest gars, who are about 9-10" each. Once I see their bellies looking a little too flat, I go and feed the tank.

Nobody is starving, they all get fed, and they take the food more aggressively now than they used to (some of them would wait so long to eat, that there would be nothing left for them).

I do make a point of target feeding the smaller gar if they don't seem to be getting enough food during the frenzies...

 

[sg1717]

I just add a couple of powerheads to the tank and bam, instant fish treadmills.... it sheds the pounds off quick.

 

[Spatula]

My Gars prefer binge and purge to keep in shape. Basically I let them stuff themselves with food, then I do a HUGE water change and they all start to regurgiate it back up.

 

[E_americanus]

My Gars prefer binge and purge to keep in shape. Basically I let them stuff themselves with food, then I do a HUGE water change and they all start to regurgiate it back up.

this is horrendous for the gars and can seriously damage them and even kill them. the big water quality shifts (even though a water change improves net water quality) wreak havoc on their systems (i have lost very expensive Cuban gars this way in the past).

an important rule of thumb is to never do a big water change (or, depending on the fish, even a small water change) the same day you feed. water change BEFORE feeding is ok, but it's still best to just keep them on separate days.--
--solomon

PS-- the puking also wreaks havoc on the pH and ammonia in the system, leading to quick loss of water quality.

 

[Spatula]

this is horrendous for the gars and can seriously damage them and even kill them. the big water quality shifts (even though a water change improves net water quality) wreak havoc on their systems (i have lost very expensive Cuban gars this way in the past).

an important rule of thumb is to never do a big water change (or, depending on the fish, even a small water change) the same day you feed. water change BEFORE feeding is ok, but it's still best to just keep them on separate days.--
--solomon

PS-- the puking also wreaks havoc on the pH and ammonia in the system, leading to quick loss of water quality.

Sol... I was only kidding about this.
I was refering to an older thread about how Gator Gars (or maybe all Gars) have died from doing a water change after feeding.
I guess it's good that you let everyone know cause I would want anyone to take my sarcasum seriously and actually do this. I figured most people would know I was joking.

Gar Power

 

[Bennlfer]

Oh wow... I had no idea i shouldnt feed and do a water change on the same day.. You learn something new everyday i suppose