Gar?

[FroggFrogg]

I have read in some other posts that a few people have kept Gar. I am keen to learn about this fish but have yet to find any adequate information... Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks!

 

[TigerMan]

they need a huge tank for one , and they grow huge! i recimend not keeping them

 

[nmonks]

I looked after a specimen of Lepisosteus oculatus while at university for about 4 years. This species at least is easy. It was in a 200-gallon tank. They are big, inflexible fish that need lots of space. You buy them at anything from 10 to 25 cm long, but they are going to exceed 40 cm in captivity and potentially get a lot bigger. All gars, regardless of species, are at least as large as this species.

http/www.fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary.cfm?ID=1075

Anyway, no problems in terms of care. I kept my specimen in about half-strength sea water with scats and monos for a couple of years, and then for another couple of years in neutral freshwater along with various Central American cichlids. In other words, entirely indifferent to water chemistry. Completely peaceful with fish it can't swallow whole. My specimen took bits of fish, strips of squid, frozen prawns, etc.

Really nice, friendly fish. Become very tame, though given their size and clumsiness, I wouldn't hand-feed a gar. Gars actually prefer to be kept in pairs or groups, I have since learned.

Note that a lot of other fishes are called gars. The original gar is a marine needlefish, Belone belone. Various species of halfbeak and characin are also saddled with the name.

Cheers,

Neale

 

[Wonderboy]

they need a huge tank for one , and they grow huge! i recimend not keeping them

TigerMan, I'm sure all that information you provided FroggFrogg was very helpful. Have you owned one? What kind? Oh, and it's spelt recommend, not recimend. And also, I do recimend keeping some.

If you have the equipment to do it, and the care, give the fish a shot. They're great fish and fun to watch and care for.

Tell us, what kind of freshwater "gar" are you interested in?

 

[beblondie]

Gars
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
A. spatula X L. oculatus
A. spatula X L. osseus
There is a strong possiability of A.spatula X A. tropicus from mexican aquacultured fish

 

[FroggFrogg]

I a not entirely sure what type I saw one at my local garden centre fish place, it was just labelled Gar £20, the staff were not helpful either. I thought they looked cool, thnks for your help guys

 

[nmonks]

In the UK, the fish usually traded seems to be Lepisosteus oculatus, which gets to a maximum of 60 cm or so in captivity. It is very widely kept in public aquaria, and is the species I have experience with. Yes, you need a large tank, something in the 200 gallon range. But these are otherwise not difficult fish. In the US, Lepisosteus platyrhincus is said to be more widely seen. Whatever you may read, gars do not need live food. Mine was especially fond of squid and bits of oily fish (such as trout). They snatch their food with a rapid sideways lunge, hence the care you need to take when feeding them.

The maximum sizes quoted on places like Fishbase are just that, maximum sizes. While there have been 4-6 foot long gars captured, they are very rare, and even in the wild most species are in the 2-3 foot range. Spend any time in Florida and you will see lots of them. Last year I was watching some swimming around a brackish water mangrove alongside things like saltwater cats, pufferfish, porgies, and snooks.

Some useful links:

http/savethegar.org/
http/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gar
http/www.piranha-fury.com/pfury/lofivers....php/t7163.html
http/homepage.mac.com/nmonks/aquaria/bra...4.html#garpikes

Try and track down a book called "Jurassic Fishes". It's filled with useful information.

Cheers,

Neale

I a not entirely sure what type I saw one at my local garden centre fish place, it was just labelled Gar £20, the staff were not helpful either. I thought they looked cool, thnks for your help guys

 

[kubora666]

hello gars are a very interesting and lovely fish to keep.
in my lfs i bought a small 3" slant nosed gar/hujet gar.
he is in a tank with cichlids and is now 6" and eats cichlid pellets and blood worms,
for soem reason he loves the pellets and eats about 6 a day, he grows very quikly but can be pushed around by some of the larger fish. hes very easy to look after and isnt atall agressive.

i also have a foot long FLORIDA GAR. not spotted gar i had to look him up and he is infact a florida gar.
he eats cockle and small fish, he constantly stalks the tank only keep him with large robust fish like oscars.
he is an all out predator and less friendly than my other gar ( diferent tank ) the florida gar will ocasionaly stalk my hand if im cleaning, also he has lots of very sharp needle like teeth.

 

[JohnFM]

Most of the fish available in this country now are Florida Gar (Lepisosteus platyrhincus) that are bred in the Far East - they're a bit more used to tropical temperatures than the Spotted Gars (L. oculatus).

They also don't grow quite so big - although they are still a pretty large, inflexible fish, and definately not for everyone.

Labelling of gars (like most oddballs) is pretty crappy - things are often labelled as Alligator gar when they are clearly Spotted or Florida. Do a bit of research on the web or from books so you know exactly what you are getting and it'll make caring for them much easier.




Oh, and nmonks - where were you at Uni where you were looking after Gars?

 

[nmonks]

University of Aberdeen. I got to play with two 200 gallon tanks in the zoology department lobby, not to mention explore the research aquarum in the basement. Got to play with all kinds of cool stuff, from octopuses to gurnards, even a small shark once.

Interesting about the Florida v. spotted gar. Happy to concede the point; they were all spotted and longnose gar when I was keeping them, and I haven't paid much attention since (that was back in the early 90s).

Cheers,

Neale

Oh, and nmonks - where were you at Uni where you were looking after Gars?