Gar
- Thread starter Soaup
- Start date
Gars (maximum sizes in the wild) slightly smaller in captivity
Atractosteus spatula- alligator gar 6-10 '
Atractosteus tropicus- tropical gar 4'
Atractosteus tristoechus- cuban gar 6'
Lepisosteus osseus- longnose gar 6'
Lepisosteus platostomus- shortnose gar 2 1/2'-
Lepisosteus oculatus- spotted gar 4'
Lepisosteus platyrhincus- florida gar 4'
hybrid gars
Lepisosteus platostomus x Atractosteus spatula- Crocodile gar type I
Lepisosteus platyrhincus or oculatus x Atractosteus spatula-Crocidile gar type 2
As you can see they are large fish and even the smallest (shortnose gar) requires a tank at least 3 feet wide and 6+ feet long-Anne
Goldies are horrid feeders.Some points here well a couple anyways DO NOT USE FEEDER GOLDFISH they are oily not very nutritious and constant feed of them causes faty deposits on the liver they also contain very high levels of Thiaminase a destroying hormone.
another issue with goldfish is the presence of a 'spine' in the anterior of the dorsal fin, this can prove problematic if the fish swallows the feeder the wrong way or further issues in the digestive system. goldfish are just not a good feeder (not that feeders in general are that great). if you have to feed feeders, as mentioned above, go with guppies or rosies. i prefer rosies since they seem to be a little less susceptible to ich and the like...although its good to quarantine feeders if you can.
Feeder goldfish farms utilize copper meds in suspension form to combat diseases in the feeders associated with overcrowding. These copper meds are retained by the feeders for long periods after they leave the farms. Most lfs invariably retain all or part of the feeders shipping water when the feeders are loaded into their bins/tanks. And copper does not dissapate from a closed system. -Anne
another issue with goldfish is the presence of a 'spine' in the anterior of the dorsal fin, this can prove problematic if the fish swallows the feeder the wrong way or further issues in the digestive system. goldfish are just not a good feeder (not that feeders in general are that great). if you have to feed feeders, as mentioned above, go with guppies or rosies. i prefer rosies since they seem to be a little less susceptible to ich and the like...although its good to quarantine feeders if you can.
Feeder goldfish farms utilize copper meds in suspension form to combat diseases in the feeders associated with overcrowding. These copper meds are retained by the feeders for long periods after they leave the farms. Most lfs invariably retain all or part of the feeders shipping water when the feeders are loaded into their bins/tanks. And copper does not dissapate from a closed system. -Anne
Dangerousdan
Moved On
4567uyhb
Michael Roth
Fishaholic
The alligator gar ate chicken hearts when I had him:
My florida gar eats squid, mussels, shrimp and octopus. Ie: president's choice seafood mix
My florida gar eats squid, mussels, shrimp and octopus. Ie: president's choice seafood mix
nmonks
A stroke of the brush does not guarantee art from
Seconded.
You absolutely do not need to feed spotted gar live foods. Quite the reverse. Once settled in they eat pretty much everything, from cichlid gold pellets through to chunks of oily mackerel. Strips of white fish and squid, mussel, and frozen shrimp can all be used as well. Basically, anything meaty and chunky. In the wild, these fish certainly do eat lots of small fish, but in captivity they are pretty much the easiest "tank buster" out there.
As others have pointed out, feeding live fish (at least, cheap "feeder" goldfish, guppies, livebait, etc.) is not just cruel but a high-risk strategy. If you want to keep a garpike just so you can feed it live fish, then shame on you. There's no medical or scientific reason to feed a gar like fish any more than human need to eat live fish.
Moreover, once you have a fish feeding on a varied diet, and particularly taking pellets, then you can guarantee it will get a balanced diet with all the nutrients. Unless you plan on feeding your gar twenty different species of feeder fish, then you're not taking this precaution. It's critical to understand that keeping an animal in captivity properly is not synonymous with mimicking its natural lifestyle. We have to structure its diet more carefully in just the same way we have to design a tank to compensate for the lack of space and dilution of waste.
Cheers,
Neale
You absolutely do not need to feed spotted gar live foods. Quite the reverse. Once settled in they eat pretty much everything, from cichlid gold pellets through to chunks of oily mackerel. Strips of white fish and squid, mussel, and frozen shrimp can all be used as well. Basically, anything meaty and chunky. In the wild, these fish certainly do eat lots of small fish, but in captivity they are pretty much the easiest "tank buster" out there.
As others have pointed out, feeding live fish (at least, cheap "feeder" goldfish, guppies, livebait, etc.) is not just cruel but a high-risk strategy. If you want to keep a garpike just so you can feed it live fish, then shame on you. There's no medical or scientific reason to feed a gar like fish any more than human need to eat live fish.
Moreover, once you have a fish feeding on a varied diet, and particularly taking pellets, then you can guarantee it will get a balanced diet with all the nutrients. Unless you plan on feeding your gar twenty different species of feeder fish, then you're not taking this precaution. It's critical to understand that keeping an animal in captivity properly is not synonymous with mimicking its natural lifestyle. We have to structure its diet more carefully in just the same way we have to design a tank to compensate for the lack of space and dilution of waste.
Cheers,
Neale
penguinpimp1990
Fish Addict
why dont you use whole frozen lancefish or silversides? Theyre in most lfs's and are quaranteed to not carry any diease. Even the big names like hikari make them. You can get any thing frozen, including squid, octopus, fish, mussels and just about anything thats live you can buy frozen.
Michael Roth
Fishaholic
I don't simply because this option gives a greater variety. The price of a big bag of mixed seafood is certainly more reasonable as well.
Its a florida gar similar to the one shown in the picture, It hasnt eaten any goldies or rosies and judging by what is said it might not at all.. Tomorrow I will make a run to the market and get him some select seafood. Shrimp and Mussels? Whitefish maybe? Should i drop the food in frozen or defrost it?
Dangerousdan
Moved On
s
Similar threads
Most reactions
-
525 -
302 -
265 -
252 -
235 -
188 -
185 -
149 -
148 -
146 -
88 -
78 -
75 -
73 -
66