Gar TANKMATES - Share your experiences

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has anyone tried gras pickeral, or pike cichlids with their gars? what about the smaller "bass" like rock bass, or guadaloupe bass? i think I saw somewhere that the rock bass are more docile, so maybe the spook factor wouldn't be so bad with these guys. It's just hard to think that fish that live together in the wild can't live together in a tank
 
cjacob316 said:
has anyone tried gras pickeral, or pike cichlids with their gars? what about the smaller "bass" like rock bass, or guadaloupe bass? i think I saw somewhere that the rock bass are more docile, so maybe the spook factor wouldn't be so bad with these guys. It's just hard to think that fish that live together in the wild can't live together in a tank
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it may seem hard to believe but it shouldn't be. fish in the wild have much more space, habitat complexity, volume of water turnover and food (that list is just for starters) than anything we can put together in the home aquarium. if you think about it it's not hard to believe at all.--
--solomon

PS-- gar and grass pickerel of the same size can work, but the problem is that all gar species will outgrow grass pickerel in captivity pretty fast, at which point the pickerel can become an easy meal.--
 
pharmaecopia said:
Niger Catfish - Oxydoras niger

Collective Members' compatibility rating : 7/10

Members' experience : pharmaecopia

Species & Size of Gar
- 3 Alligator Gars from 20” to 34”

Size of tank
10’ x 4.5’ x 2’ indoor pond

Size of tankmate
Range from 20” to 32”

Duration of cohabitation
A couple months so far

Comments (pros and cons, other comments)

Pros: The niger catfish are calm do not freak out the gars. They are very efficient at cleaning up after the little scraps the gator gars leave. Their armour like scales and scutes protects them if the gars should get aggressive.

Cons: Have been a few torn fins. Nigers occasionally push the gars out of the way to get to their food.

Other Comments: Seem to get along very well, are almost always resting near each other. Follow each other around and rest on top of each other. I feed frequent smaller feedings for the gator gars. This seemed to make the gars act calmer and less nippy.

Members' overall compatibility rating : 7/10
In find them to be very compatible and one of the few things I would mix with similarly sized gator gars. Due to the relatively short period of time I have had them together I am only giving them a 7. This rating would likely increase the longer the combination is successful.
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Hopefully I'm doing this correct?

Tropical Gar 24" in a 450 gallon tank with a Niger cat also 24" No issues what so ever with these fish. My personal rating is a 10. Never had trouble and they have ben together for 3 years now.
 
Red Belly Pacus

Collective Members' compatibility rating : 0/10

Members' Experience : Madding

Species & Size of Gar:

- 1x Florida gar (7”)


Size of tank:

60gallon

Size of tank-mate:

2x Red Belly Pacu (6-7inches)

Duration of cohabitation:

 Approximately a 4 months

 Comments:

Pros: No pro's worth reporting.

Red Belly Pacus are demons. Never again will I own them. They harassed my gar from the time i got them at one inch long, until they ripped off his head at 7 inch long. I kept them well fed on various fresh vegetables and algae wafers. I came home one day and found the decapitated body of Garth Vader on the bottom of my tank. :( I've learned from my mistakes. Ive removed the RBPs. My friend who works at that fish store says one of the employees feeds them feeders and pinky mice to give them bloodlust for fun...

Members' overall compatibility rating : 0/10​
 
It broke my heart. =( He was my favorite fish ever...nearly dropped those pacus down the garbage disposal...but brought them to petsmart..
 
my foot long silver aro just got the boot out of my tank for being agressive with my 14 inch florida gar and my 12 inch spotted gar... so I replaced him with another spotted gar!
 
Knife Fish (larger species') - Clown knives

Collective Members' compatibility rating : 2/10

Members' experience : UNREAL

Species & Size of Gar:
Florida Gar 19"

Size of tank:
56G, 3.3 feet Diametere, Half Cylinder Shaped

Size of tankmate:
12" Clown Knife

Duration of cohabitation:
4 days.

Comments (pros and cons, other comments)

Pros: 19" Florida Gar + 12" Clown Knife + a 19" Arowana & 5" Blue Crayfish, those surely look really nice together. They seem to go very well together no signs of visible aggression... the CK is a bit annoying & swims too close to the Gar...

Cons: 3rd Day, Gar has inflected a nasty bite on the CK :WHOA:, I started with treatment directly to avoid rotting of the wound...

Other Comments: I'm gonna give them more time, meanwhile I provided the CK with a hiding place.

Members' overall compatibility rating : 3.5/10
 
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