Needle Gar fish

[Nick89]

So i was calling around and a place nearby have a needle gar fish. Anyone have some information on them? How big do they get, whats a good type of food to give and a 55 gallon tank is what he'll be going in.

[tropfish]

Are you planning on having him with the oscar, because you can't add any more fish, your stocked spacewise.

[Kaga's Kritters]

yea that oscar is all you can fit in a 55g. plus the oscar would end up killing the gar.

[Nick89]

im thinking on returning him (oscar that is). and just having 1 needle gar fish with a few other fish , small fish.

[Kaga's Kritters]

what kind of small fish, cause needle nose gars eat small fish.

[cocoa_pleco]

the gars eat small fish for lunch, literally.

just so you know needle noses arent the most entertaining fish, they just drift along the top of the water

[Fishguy2727]

They are also brackish. If you want a gar I would suggest hujeta. They are about the same size, much easier to get on to prepared foods, and truly freshwater.

[Nick89]

well i mean im getting the gar or another oscar. My oscar now, his tail is twitching real fast, then stops, then twitches, then stops. I have no idea what the problem is. I turned the temp up to 82-83.

[TowBoater]

78 is good for an oscar, add stresscoat and aquarium salt.

[Nick89]

i turned it up to into the 80's. but besides that, im thinking on a needle gar... i didnt know they were brackish whats that mean?

[Kaga's Kritters]

that means they need some salt in the water ,but not as much as with a saltwater tank. also that limits what fish you can put in with it. i really think you should worry more about caring for the fish you have though. his life is in your hands.

[TowBoater]

that means they need some salt in the water ,but not as much as with a saltwater tank. also that limits what fish you can put in with it. i really think you should worry more about caring for the fish you have though. his life is in your hands.

O so true, I told you that you would get tired of that one fish in there.

[Nautilus291]

my lfs sells this gar that they say grows from 4 to 8 foot in length. I dont understand why you would sell that to people. I guess thats the reason why we have gar problems here in the usa. People buy this small 3 inch gar and then it grows to a monster and then they dump it in a lake.

[Nick89]

these only get to bout a foot big. And why should i have to take care of a sick fish that possibly was sick at the store?

[cocoa_pleco]

these only get to bout a foot big. And why should i have to take care of a sick fish that possibly was sick at the store?

the store would probably just let it sit in a small tank and die without treating it so try your best to heal it, its better than nothing.

the move could have stressed him too causing him to get sick. my yellow tang ($50) contracted marine black ick twice before it went away. it was caused by hte move and i treated it and hes fine

[Kaga's Kritters]

because you took possession of it. it is in your care and is your responsibility now. if you won't care for animals you have then maybe you aren't ready to own pets. Your pet's life is your responsibility!

[Nick89]

I think some people got the wrong idea about me not wanting to take care of my fish. What i meant was, if he was sick already when i got him, i could return him and try to pick a healthier fish. I just dont want my tank to catch something from a possibly sick fish.

[cocoa_pleco]

if its just twitching, watch it and if it progresses take action. hes the only fish in the tank so nothing can get transferred.

[Nick89]

Ok, will do. It's not like i dont want him, its just i dont want my tank to catch anything.

[Kaga's Kritters]

since there is nothing else in the tank you don't have to worry about him making other fish sick. and like it was said before, the store will probably just let him sit and suffer till he dies, so why not give him a chance at a life, ya know.

[Nick89]

i understand where your coming from.

[cocoa_pleco]

my confused level is this l high.

the single oscar is ALL you can keep in the tank. since hes small, you can add a gar ONLY if you 150% can rehome one of them to a larger tank when theyre larger.

the reason i have a pacu, convict, and oscar in a 50g long is theyre all small, and i right now could go and buy a 150g without any financial difficulty.

[Nick89]

Whoa whoa, i didnt say im getting 2 oscars or an oscar and a gar. What i said was, i might return the sick oscar and get a needle gar, or i could return the oscar and get another healthier one and have only 1 fish in my tank.

[cocoa_pleco]

unless the current oscar has anchor worms allover and is 3/4 dead just treat the disease. diseases arent overly hard to treat. if hes just got some mild fin rot or something add melafix and pimafix with clean water

[Demjor19]

my lfs sells this gar that they say grows from 4 to 8 foot in length. I dont understand why you would sell that to people. I guess thats the reason why we have gar problems here in the usa. People buy this small 3 inch gar and then it grows to a monster and then they dump it in a lake.

FYI...5 out of the 7 "true gar" species are native to north america. by "true gar" i mean Lepisosteids...not the needlefish, spotted pike characin, or hujeta. also in captivity the only gar that is capable of reaching over 4' in length is the alligator gar (Atractosteus Spatula). All of the other gar species normally max out at roughly 18" to 36" depending on species.

as for the needlefish and oscar being in the same tank together..i too think it is a very bad idea. oscar are far to aggressive and needlefish are very very skittish and jumpy. if the oscar didnt kill it, the needlefish would probably kill itself.

i also agree w/ everyone telling you to just get this fish better and keep it. oscar are great fish w/ much personality and the fish does not seem deathly sick or anything. just keep his water clean and watch him w/ a close eye. if you see any other symptoms develope then ask for peoples advice and get him healthy. thats just my opinion.

[Lady Hobbs]

Deleted my post. My patience had worn thin.

[Nick89]

Well you guys i think hes finally coming out of his shell. When i walked by the tank today at 12, he swam to the top and started to do this zig zag thing swimming opening and closing his mouth, so i fed him, he ate the pellet and i think some flakes. I guess the only thing that concerns me is, he likes to lay on the gravel, not so much on his side, as much, but he does tend to do it from time to time. He also likes to hang out in the back near the filter is. I dont see any damage to his fins so i dont think i see any fin rot, i dont see any white things that could be a fungus or signs of ich, and his eyes are clear and hes eating. Im thinking hes getting use to his environment. So this weekend im going to get some fish to go in with him, little fish. I know theres the possibility he will eat them when he gets bigger, but maybe it will get him out of his shell even more. thanks for the help, and i apologize lady hobbs for the misunderstanding.

Oh, and ive noticed that he has to swim in order to stay in place sometimes, i have 2 penguin 350's going. Should i turn one off for now and have one running being hes small?

[Ocellatus]

yes keep that oscar my friend. i told you they are stronger than this. you don't need to be alarmed for every strange move he does. he is new to your tank. be patient.
if you see a disease sign try to cure him not bringing him back. after a while you will find yourself very close to your fish.
let me tell you something, my yellow oscar ( she was black when she was baby! ) thats spawning now, was sick when i got her 8 months ago. she had a bad fungu and one of her swimming fins was totally destroyed! i cured her and now you see how charming she is.

gars are so boring to be your main fish.
if i were you i would get more than one baby oscar for my 55g! ( oh please don't kill me people :D )

[tropfish]

We all WISH we could do that blu ray, but it's not fair to the fish, so don't suggest it please.

[Ocellatus]

well i didn't say keep more than one oscar in your 55g for 10 years. it takes months for them to grow that big that 55g become small for them. at least his baby could have a mate for a few months.
but never mind, i take back my word.

[cocoa_pleco]

what blu-ray said makes sense, if you can rehome one when it gets bigger you can have 2 small ones. thats kinda what im doing with my oscar, pacu, and convict, let them all live together small and rehome them when theyre larger

[Nick89]

Well, im not going to be able to upgrade my tank for awhile anyways. When i get my own place im getting a 125 gallon. But thats not for a long long time. Tonight im going to go get some fish his size (but dont get bigger than 3-4'') so he can swim around with. Now hes got to the point where if i walk by and stop, as he sees my hand going towards the lid he comes out from behind the filter or heater and i guess does the " im hungry" dance lol. I can put my finger at one end of the tank and he will follow it all the way down lol. I've really grown attatch to him over the past 3 days. And he recognizes my moms red housecoat lol. He is the coolest fish ive owned.

Edit: Cocoa, i thought pacus like to be in groups 4-5 like piranahs do?