What To Feed A Gar

[simonas]

Gars can be awkward to get feeding but once they are settled they take anything and with that I mean pellets too . I used to feed my spotted gars silversides, prawns etc and live worms to start with but after a while took massivore too

 

[Wilhelm]

I have an albino gar too, but he seems to eat turtle pallets, but he spits some parts out. Don't know if its healthy, so I'm going to try bloodworms.

 

[john2708]

all my Florida gar eat pellets, whitebait, prawns etc with no problems. Im based in the UK and I spawn my guys once a year iv found raising the babies is interesting as they are strict live food eaters up until a certain point/size after this they are more open to other food options

 

[DAnCSF]

Just wondering for all you gar folk, how big a tank do you have? I remember seeing gars at the Steinhart Aquarium they were the size of a sofa.

 

[DAnCSF]

all my Florida gar eat pellets, whitebait, prawns etc with no problems. Im based in the UK and I spawn my guys once a year iv found raising the babies is interesting as they are strict live food eaters up until a certain point/size after this they are more open to other food options

hey John2708, is there a market for Gars in the UK as pets? because they get so big I can only think of them as fish market specials. At a local market here in SF one can get live 3 - 4 ft sturgeons, presumably for a family BBQ. Although I have seen small 2-3 inches sturgeons in a LFS...as cool as they look I've stayed away knowing once they hit the growth spurt I've no place for them.

 

[john2708]

hey John2708, is there a market for Gars in the UK as pets? because they get so big I can only think of them as fish market specials. At a local market here in SF one can get live 3 - 4 ft sturgeons, presumably for a family BBQ. Although I have seen small 2-3 inches sturgeons in a LFS...as cool as they look I've stayed away knowing once they hit the growth spurt I've no place for them.

legally we can only keep Florida and Cuban gar here in the UK but yes there is differently a market for them 1ft Florida gar fetches £250 which is $340 us dollars I'm currently looking for someone from the us who can ship me Florida gar over so I can diversify my bloodlines.

 

[DAnCSF]

legally we can only keep Florida and Cuban gar here in the UK but yes there is differently a market for them 1ft Florida gar fetches £250 which is $340 us dollars I'm currently looking for someone from the us who can ship me Florida gar over so I can diversify my bloodlines.

I'm amazed that there are so many big tank hobbyists that can support that species as a pet. Or are these mainly in garden ponds...if so remind me to never go a swimming in your ponds...LOL

 

[john2708]

I'm amazed that there are so many big tank hobbyists that can support that species as a pet. Or are these mainly in garden ponds...if so remind me to never go a swimming in your ponds...LOL

I don't believe Florida gar could survive our climates unless you know otherwise? so far this winter my outdoor ponds have got down too 5c. there are more and more people getting bigger tanks/ tropical ponds in the UK though. if you know of the range and temps for the Florida gar i would love to hear about it iv been keeping them 12years and am always happy to learn new things about them

 

[DAnCSF]

I don't believe Florida gar could survive our climates unless you know otherwise? so far this winter my outdoor ponds have got down too 5c. there are more and more people getting bigger tanks/ tropical ponds in the UK though. if you know of the range and temps for the Florida gar i would love to hear about it iv been keeping them 12years and am always happy to learn new things about them

Sorry can't help you there, I just never considered gars as a "tropical fish pet" but then again I'm always learning. Seems to me here in the states we seem to lean to the big Amazonian fish when people think BIG fish. I'll just be happy with my 11" common pleco...highly doubtful the significant other will allow for an indoor pool to house a gar BTW could you post a photo of your Gar tank would luv to see it.

 

[fishbball]

it looks to me like you haven't done your research. Gars in the wild are apex predators, if you did your research you would know that they are unlikely to take pellets and flakes.

Gars can be converted to pellets most of the time. At least with the ones I've had. It's not hard to do but it requires patience.

 

[fishbball]

Hi! in my case, at first I tried feeding them super worms. They like it. However, their poop becomes scaly and also you need to feed them just enough coz too much dead worms in the aquarium won't be good for the water. Later I tried feeding them dry catfood (brand name PRINCESS CAT)

https://flic.kr/p/9exVuC

they love it. For smaller gars, you will need to cut / break the pellets into smaller pieces so that it would fit their mouth. The only problem with this feed, is that the water gets brownish due to the food colorings of the catfood. i still need to try other catfoods that have less colorings.

Do you know whats in the cat food? If it contains mammalian or avian products it may cause some problems as these meats do not have the same amino acid profiles as aquatic meats. In addition, mammalian and avian lipids have higher melting points and fish usually have trouble metabolising it, leading to fat accumulation around the organs.

 

[Silvermist80]

what can i feed a 4 inch gar,it wont eat anything i give it

My Bluegill probably have a similar diet. Their favorites are meal worms and they always pork out on them. They also love earthworms, bloodworms, brineshrimp, and probably minnows, although I haven't tried those. They'll even sneak some corn or bread balls off some carp bait, but I'm not sure a Gar would go for those. Experiment and see what it likes! Just be sure to remove uneaten food!