# getting a florida gar



## NTcaribe (Apr 8, 2004)

getting a florida gar, just wondering what they will eat, besides feeders


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## Polypterus (May 4, 2003)

I regularly fed my gars. Jumbomin pellets, Hakari large pellets, Frozen silversides, Krill, shelled shrimp, Cut fillet of white fleshed fish, Mussels,
Frozen gobys, Frozen Snakeheads, Frozen loaches, frozen spiny eels. (Alot of variety can be found in your local asian market







)

Pretty much anything but feeders.


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## metallicaRules (Nov 24, 2005)

a good way to get them off of live foods is dont feed them for a day then put your choice of food in the tank(make sure it is a desent food). leave the tank alone for about 45min then come and check on it, i the food hant been consumed then remove all of it and leave it alone for the rest of the day. repeat this process untill it exepts the food (floating foods r the best IMO)if it doesnt ever exept the food give it some feeders and try a new food and start the process over again. this method was used for my gars and it got them off live food. hope this helps!


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## NTcaribe (Apr 8, 2004)

nice, thanks alot

another question which i havnt been ever to find out....whats the growth rate...im assuming fairly slow?


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## metallicaRules (Nov 24, 2005)

i am not really sure but they do get big, i have had gars and barracudas for years and usually mine dont get past 15'' but here is a big alligater gar that many people have..i hope ur gar doesnt get this big http://www.wildlifedepartment.com/recordfi...lligatorgar.jpg but i not really an expert on growth rate.


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## NTcaribe (Apr 8, 2004)

metallicaRules said:


> i am not really sure but they do get big, i have had gars and barracudas for years and usually mine dont get past 15'' but here is a big alligater gar that many people have..i hope ur gar doesnt get this big http://www.wildlifedepartment.com/recordfi...lligatorgar.jpg but i not really an expert on growth rate.


thats about how big it is now









oops sorry, any compatible tank mates? like cats or any other primitives?


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## Polypterus (May 4, 2003)

Gars grow very quickly the first year, often reaching 14 to 15 inches the first year after that growth slows considerably. Average aquarium size for a Flordia gar is anywhere from 20 to 30 inches.

They are pretty much compatable with anything not all that aggressive or will not fit in their mouth. Beware of placing plecos in the tank with them as pleco will often find gars to be a nice piece of driftwood and start feeding on the slime layer. This opens the fish up to all sorts of Bacterial and fungal illnesses.


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## metallicaRules (Nov 24, 2005)

didnt no that, i thought they reached their max size a long time ago. o ya NTcaribe dont ask ur lfs how big they get because all they will say is ''as big as ur tank'' this is not true at all. i got a barracuda a long time ago and put it in my 48g thinking it wouldnt get any bigger i left it in their for a while, big mistake i had to buy a 90g for it.. so make sure u r ready to upgrade. also gars usual disease that they get is fin rot, watch out for this and u should be fine.


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## NTcaribe (Apr 8, 2004)

i will be upgrading probably to a 120 with a decent foot print

what are some compatible sepcies.......







maybe i should do a little more research on my part but i like in person information its just better that way

thatnks to you all


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## TheAntiEggroll (Jan 23, 2006)

NTcaribe said:


> i will be upgrading probably to a 120 with a decent foot print
> 
> what are some compatible sepcies.......
> 
> ...


I have a 120 gallon now (except its a tall). Im thinking any gar I get would get to big for it.


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## NTcaribe (Apr 8, 2004)

TheAntiEggroll said:


> i will be upgrading probably to a 120 with a decent foot print
> 
> what are some compatible sepcies.......
> 
> ...


I have a 120 gallon now (except its a tall). Im thinking any gar I get would get to big for it.








[/quote]
well even if you had an 80 gallon you could adequetly hold a decent sized fish...it all depends on LxW but at the same time you must also have a decent Height but when it comes to gars and other large primitive the LxW can be a little more bigger


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## metallicaRules (Nov 24, 2005)

the main rule for tankmates is they cant fit in ur gars mouth and cant be aggresive too. if it is aggresive then it will consently pick on ur gar and ur gar wont do a thing to it because it wont fit in its mouth. some fishes that i strongly reccoment u DONT put in with gars are listed below...

male goramies
plecos
CONVICTS
oscar
JD
full grown red tail shark

these r the fish that i have kept with gar and barracuda and were costantly picking on them so they could work for some people but most likly wont. but the main fish i have had most trouble with gars r cichlids but sometimes they will work. hope this helps!


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