alligator gar a picky eater?

[jlizard311]

I bought an alligator gar this weekend, he's only 5" maybe... I've got some rosy reds in the tank for him, but i haven't noticed him eat anything. any ideas? should i try something else? if so what?

[Northernguy]

Is the tank new too?

Welcome to the fabulous AC!:22:

[jlizard311]

I've had fish in it for probably 3-4 months...

[William]

How big is the tank. The gar will grow qickly and grow huge.

[Crispy]

keep the lighting to a minimum. just ambient light will work better. they are very shy eaters until they are used to feeding in your tank.

[jlizard311]

the tank is only a 55gal right now, but I'm looking at getting into a 90-120g NLT april.
its a decently planted tank (10 plants or so) so ill have to have some light for the plants. I'm in the process of re-wiring the light and redoing the hood with a smaller light and then some soft blue LEDs (just 3 of them for a moonlight effect). i read on a fish forum that you can take some aluminum foil crumple it up and poke some holes in it and it'll give the tank the ripply light effect that you see in nature, i started that with the old (bigger) light a few days ago, all day today the lights have been off. i just did a fish count when i got home a few minutes ago, i think I'm coming up a few short on my rosy count. i know one of the fiddler crabs ate one the other day but by my count i should have 14... I'm only seeing maybe 10.
how should i set the tank up? like heavily planted? surface cover? any ideas?

[William]

Sounds like the gar is eating. the rosy will be gone quickly.

[Demjor19]

Can you post some pictures? They seem to call ALL "Gar" Alligator Gar in pet stores anymore. I am doubting it's actually a Gator Gar and depending upon what species it truly is, the care and requirements will vary greatly.

[jlizard311]

24856the pet store said "true alligator gar"

[Demjor19]

24856the pet store said "true alligator gar"

I have gotten into heated arguements w/ lfs workers over mislabled "Alligator Gar" before. I'm not saying it can't be a true Alligator Gar, but I would certainly NEVER just go on an lfs's word. Like I said...Get some pics and I will give you a possitive ID.

Edit: I just saw the photo. That is indeed a true Alligator Gar (Atractosteus spatula).

Good luck and he will not be a picky eater for long. Expect it to reach 4-5 feet in captivity and it will eventually try and probably succeed at killing/eating any/all tankmates. They become TRUE monsters. A fish I have not even attempted to take on yet. I have enough Gar keeping experience and just know better I guess.

[jlizard311]

that makes me feel better that it really is an alligator gar; however, by you saying "yeah I'm not even gonna touch one" makes me a little nervous. I mean don't get me wrong he's the fish that i got into the hobby to get, so I'm happy about that. what should i set the tank up like? should i have top cover? or what? i have it decently planted now.

[Demjor19]

that makes me feel better that it really is an alligator gar; however, by you saying "yeah I'm not even gonna touch one" makes me a little nervous. I mean don't get me wrong he's the fish that i got into the hobby to get, so I'm happy about that. what should i set the tank up like? should i have top cover? or what? i have it decently planted now.

I also got into the hobby to get an Alligator Gar. I finally found "one" and bought it. I was thrilled...Came to find out, it was actually a Florida Gar. Initially I was bummed out, but in the process of learning what Gar I actually did have, I also learned more about the TRUE Alligator Gar. Thank god mine was a Florida Gar!

Alligator Gars are AMAZING creatures, but in my opinion are not even close to being a good first gar. You now own a fish that is capable of reaching 24+ inches in less than a year. It may sound cute now, but it will grow in leaps and bounds.

Don't get me wrong, if I could provide the proper enclosure for one...I would take that challenge in a heart beat. I consider myself to have more first hand Gar experience than 99% of fish keepers out there and still have not jumped into one. just a thought.

I wish you the best of luck and feel free to contact me with any questions. Right now your biggest concern should be future housing. Plain and simple.

[Northernguy]

The 90 or 129 gallon that you are considering is not going to be big enough for very long.It will end up being a problem to house unless you have room or a pond big enough to hold such a huge fish.

[Fishkeeper]

Yes, these fellows get at least 6 feet, often 10. You are gonna need a swimming pool for this fella.

[Demjor19]

Yes, these fellows get at least 6 feet, often 10. You are gonna need a swimming pool for this fella.

This is not true in captivity. They tend to max out around 4-5 feet.

[Fishkeeper]

Well, still huge!

[Demjor19]

Well, still huge!

No doubt! I'll agree with you there.

[jlizard311]

i bought him last sunday... he's already grown 1/2 inch... maybe 3/4 of an inch in a week! I'm pretty happy that he doesn't have legs and opposable thumbs... in a month id wake up to him choking me.

[Demjor19]

Like I said...Get A larger tank planned MUCH sooner than later. They even make Pacu and Silver Arowanas look like sow growers.

[Brhino]

What size tank do you figure you'd need to keep an adult specimen, Demjor? I don't know much about gars, but it seems to me that a fish on its way to 4' long is going to require a tank bigger than 95% of aquarists can afford or make space for.

[Fishkeeper]

Frankly, unless you can get a tank the size of a swimming pool, the public aquarium is probably the best place for him. BIIIIG fish. And they have the potential to eat a cat or small dog.

[Demjor19]

What size tank do you figure you'd need to keep an adult specimen, Demjor? I don't know much about gars, but it seems to me that a fish on its way to 4' long is going to require a tank bigger than 95% of aquarists can afford or make space for.

Personally, I do not even know anyone who has been able to keep one as a true adult. I have a friend who cared for one at a public aquarium, this specimen was around 4-5 feet long. Realistically, I would suggest keeping it in a 3'x8' after its first year. This should then hold it for an additional few years (assuming it's growth slows down around 30" as I would suspect). As an adult...Bigger would obviously be better, but I would think something along the lines of 4'x10' or bigger would suffice.

This is all based on my opinion and hear-say from other experienced gar keepers who have kept them and worked with them. My thinking is...If a specimen kept in a 10k+ gallon public aquarium only reaches 4-5 feet...A specimen in home aquaria should stay slightly smaller. Diet and water quality would obviously impact its growth and adult size.

[DaveHaag]

Like a few fish I have had, maybe just raise him and enjoy him for the time you got till he is too big for your setup, then find him a home and start over with a new one...

[trscstghst]

http://sbnewspaper.com/?p=6811


doubt yours will ever get this big but just an idea of what you got. ive seen old black and whit photos of them well over 15 ft.

[Demjor19]

http://sbnewspaper.com/?p=6811


doubt yours will ever get this big but just an idea of what you got. ive seen old black and whit photos of them well over 15 ft.

That should be a crime...Bowfishing a native species w/ no intent other than killing it. Thanks for sharing.

Also...In captivity, they will likely never reach 6 feet.

[trscstghst]

in my neck of the woods gar are very over populsted, and killing them is encouraged. not sure about where tis fish was taken