help id a garfish

[technium]

HI

I havent got camera at mo so cant post pic but I have been sold a "Marbled Garfish" according to my LFS but I cant find it on the net, does anyone have pics of garfish that I might be able to ID it with?

The fish is approx 8" long, its white / Silver with greyish marks over it, I dont think its an alligator Gar because the markings on it are different so any other suggestions would be appreciated as I want to know more about it, I was told it grows to about 12" but am abit dubious.

thanks again

T

 

[CFC]

Probably not a garfish at all but one of the pike Characins of the Boulengerella genus, most likely Boulengerella maculata which are often sold as "marbled gars".

The fish at the top is the Boulengerella maculata these can grow to around 18 inches but usually get no bigger than 12" in captivity, the fish at the bottom is a Florida garfish Lepisosteus platyrhincus which grows to nearly 5 feet.

 

[Clare]

Yes we have got 8 of the Gars, what we bought as Spotted Gars. We have 4 which are about 14 inches and 4 babies which are about 5 inches long.

They are great fish and mainly eat whitebait. They are reasonablt greedy and watch out for their sharp teeth. Ours are in a tank 8ft x 3ft x 2ft with a 23" Perruno Catfish and a 2ft Mbu Puffer and they all get along great. They don`t seem to be nasty fish but they will take anything small enough to fit in their mouth.

I think the fish you describe are the same as ours, the bigger ones have more spots and even their fins are spotted. Long pointed noses and are a silverish grey with more of a whiter stomach.
Good luck with yours.
Clare