# needle nose gar



## scent troll

wanted to pick up a needle nose gar. anyone know max size, diet, tank requirements? im doing some research now but you guys never cease to give me good info when i need it. any info on these guys would rock, thanks!


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## t_rent8

A surface dwelling fish. OK with fish it can not swallow; feed live foods such as guppies once every day or two. Will not eat dry foods. Keep tank covered. They can be kept with fish of similar size. From Southeast Asia also grows to 12'' and temp should be 75-80 hard to get them to eat dry food but they will eat krill


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## Polypterus

By Needle nose gar are you thinking _Xenentodon cancila_?


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## scent troll

the lfs didnt specify a scientific name. aisan needle nose is all i have to go by. most likely not getting one. already decided to do more research before i think about it. i always had a thing for gars and it seems like the needle nose is a pretty tank friendly one, as oppose to an aligator gar or, etc...


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## Mettle

I find gar to be quite boring. But that's just me.

We have a four of these at my work. Labeled as 'needle nose gar'. I have no clue what they are in terms of scientific names. I just know their noses aren't so needley anymore... Skittish fish that freak out and slam into the sides of the tank quite often. They've kind of smushed the ends of their noses into flat bumps. So now they're just ugly fish that we'll never sell.


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## littleking247

Do you have a gar or a needle fish. because I have a gar and he pretty much stays to himself. I put in about a dozen minnows ever 3 or 4 days and he eats them when he wants. he is about 10 inches or so. I have him in with 2 jack dempsys 2 convitcs 2 craw fish and a pacu and the all are at least 3 inches. So I think you will be fine with putting him in with the other stuff. just make sure you feed him.


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## sweetgtx

LITTLEKING said:


> Do you have a gar or a needle fish. because I have a gar and he pretty much stays to himself. I put in about a dozen minnows ever 3 or 4 days and he eats them when he wants. he is about 10 inches or so. I have him in with 2 jack dempsys 2 convitcs 2 craw fish and a pacu and the all are at least 3 inches. So I think you will be fine with putting him in with the other stuff. just make sure you feed him.


I have a friend that has 2 ,7 inch needle nose gars(asian). They eat , then reproduce, constantly he sometimes has a hundred or so babies , but they either get eaten or they die Anyone have any suggestions, on keeping the very small babies alive?


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## tanks4thememories

D` Needle Nose Gar Essay (Xenentodon Cancila) - Taken from my personal blog

Needle Nose Gar,Silver Needlefish, Stick Fish (Xenentodon cancila) is actually not a Gar at all, it is actually one of the few freshwater members of the Belonidae (Needlefishes)family. The Needle Nose Gar belongs to the Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) Class of fish.

This fish can typically be described as : Having An elongated, needle-shaped body with long, jaws lined with sharp teeth. The lower jaw is slightly longer than the
upper. The back is light brown and the belly is silver-brown. A dark brown band runs from the tip of the jaws to the caudal fin. The rear edge of the caudal fin is convex. The fins are transparent & colorless.

Needle Gar are able to eat prey that is almost twice as thick as their own bodies. Full Grown they can reach a size of from 9"-16" although the lager range is most often only achieved in the wild.

These unique fish are very common in the slow moving streams (both fresh & slightly brackish waters) of; Asia-India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Burma. The climate of this species native enviornment is tropical; 71 - 82°F; 38°N - 5°N. The optimal water conditions for a Needle Gar in an aquarium are: pH 6.2-7.5 with (7.0) being Ideal, 6-20 dH with (9) being ideal, 71-84°F with 80 being ideal. If desired One can achieve A 1% salinity for thier tank by the Addition of 7.5 tsp. salt for every 10 gallons. Needle Nose Gar are preditory ambush hunters. Being a Carniverous fish, in the wild they commonly feast on crustaceans, crickets, & any fish that fit in its mouth. In the Home aquarium they can be fed: live shrimp, fish, crickets, tadpoles,frozen/defrosted shrimp or fish. They strongly prefer live feeder minnows most of all. Many Owners of this fish (myself included) report Needle Gar as only accepting live fish and often having trouble catching feeder goldfish.

In the home aquarium Needle Nose Gar are surface dwellers often treading water almost motionless (resembling a stick floating just beneath the surface of the water) waiting for its prey to venture into striking distance. Then with a very short "Jab" they snare the victim in thier needle sharp teeth (See Pic Below). Surface area in their aquarium is more important than tank capacity as this is where the needle fish will spend most of its time. This is a shoaling species and will be most happy if kept in 3's or more. You will find them stalking in a loose formation awaiting their next meal. They are compatible with any fish that doesnt fit in their mouth and any fish that wont bother them. Especially while young these fish have a fragile thin beak that can be broken or damaged easily. These fish can be considered "Jumpy" and special care must be taken to avoid startling them. Many keepers of this species report major injury, jumping out of the tank, or death as a result of the fish getting startled. It is also recommended that any aquarium housing this fish be well planted to provide "Ambush" opportunities & have a secure fitting lid so as to remain covered at all times. It should also be noted that owners of this fish also report it can sometimes mistake your fingers for food sometimes nipping first and investigating later. To avoid this I do not stick my fingers into the water right in front of them, instead I introduce my hand to the water a little distance away from the fish giving him time to recognize it as a non food item.

Pictures:










My Needle Nose We call him "Garfeild"










Needle Nose Gar Teeth

© 2007, © 2008 LA Productions
aqualandpetsplus.com

References:

Talwar, P.K. and A.G. Jhingran, 1991. Inland fishes of India and adjacent countries. Volume 2. A.A. Balkema,

Rotterdam. - ISBN-10: 9061911648, ISBN-13: 978-9061911647

http://fish.mongabay.com/species/Xenentodon_cancila.html

http://animal-world.com/encyclo/fresh/misc...edleNoseGar.php

http://aqualandpetsplus.com/Oddball,%20Needlenose%20Gar.htm

http://aqualandpetsplus.com/Oddball,%20Gar.htm

http://www.aquaria.info/modules.php?file=s...p;name=database

http://www.fishbase.org/summary/SpeciesSummary.php?id=10124


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## scent troll

^^^ great information!!

thank you


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