Four tropical gars, one florida gar, ~12"-15"
- Thread starter thebiggerthebetter
- Start date
Solomon made an appearance!!! I miss all of his knowledge and post!! Viktor is it? A friend told me along time ago, in southern Colorado, spotted gars are everywhere! Never personally confirmed it, but maybe Sol can chime in, or members there too? I'd like to know as I think true spotted are the best looking.
James
James
Thanks for the info, mate. I hope someone will clarify that.
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A humble update June 14, 2017. I had to rehome the smallest, mangled tropical gar into a 240 gal about 4 months ago, so it could eat and compete for feed better. It's been doing incomparably better in 240 gal versus 4500 gal. Can see it here and there:
Update.
The three trops in 4500 gal have been well. Growing very slowly though. Perhaps tacked on another inch or two in half a year, so roughly 20" now give or take a few. Ever since I added floating pellets to what I feed the tank they have done substantially better. These pellets they scoop up rather aptly off the surface as opposed to sinking pellet and thawed fish. Got pretty round in circumference.
The FL gar in 4500 gal is a real sharp fella as it has always been. It's as if the trops don't really rely on eye sight to grab say a fish or if they see it they don't actively go for it but the FL gar zooms quick right to the fish and grabs it before many other tank mates do. And it hangs around where the thawed fish lands in the water, while the trops just come there occasionally. This guy too is about 20".
When I was rehoming koi from their temporary semi-natural outdoor pond, I finally caught an elusive 2' FL gar from there too. This gar by the name of Elvis (king of its former fish tank) was rescued 5 years ago and escaped my prior attempts to clear the temporary koi pond of prior predatory inhabitants - gars, catfish, etc. He is really thick. Perhaps it's a she and it's full of eggs. We are on the brink of the spawning time for FL gars. It is now in 4500 gal too.
Out of the same temp koi pond, I caught about 20 little FL gars, 8"-10". Five didn't survive the harsh potassium permanganate treatment but about 15 of them are now in a 240 gal eating pellets and cut fish.
Lastly, the tropical gar that the vendor erroneously called the "mexican variety" threw in the towel in its 240 gal. It had stopped growing a while ago but was feeding ok, except a few weeks before its end. IDK why it perished so early but as I stated above it's always been sickly, the smallest, and then it was badly injured by an apurensis catfish.
Final stats: 16", 2.5 years in my care, probably around 4-5 years old altogether.
Is the tongue shape normal?
You can see the replacement pouch that grew in place of the original is a bit baggy, of deformed shape.
The three trops in 4500 gal have been well. Growing very slowly though. Perhaps tacked on another inch or two in half a year, so roughly 20" now give or take a few. Ever since I added floating pellets to what I feed the tank they have done substantially better. These pellets they scoop up rather aptly off the surface as opposed to sinking pellet and thawed fish. Got pretty round in circumference.
The FL gar in 4500 gal is a real sharp fella as it has always been. It's as if the trops don't really rely on eye sight to grab say a fish or if they see it they don't actively go for it but the FL gar zooms quick right to the fish and grabs it before many other tank mates do. And it hangs around where the thawed fish lands in the water, while the trops just come there occasionally. This guy too is about 20".
When I was rehoming koi from their temporary semi-natural outdoor pond, I finally caught an elusive 2' FL gar from there too. This gar by the name of Elvis (king of its former fish tank) was rescued 5 years ago and escaped my prior attempts to clear the temporary koi pond of prior predatory inhabitants - gars, catfish, etc. He is really thick. Perhaps it's a she and it's full of eggs. We are on the brink of the spawning time for FL gars. It is now in 4500 gal too.
Out of the same temp koi pond, I caught about 20 little FL gars, 8"-10". Five didn't survive the harsh potassium permanganate treatment but about 15 of them are now in a 240 gal eating pellets and cut fish.
Lastly, the tropical gar that the vendor erroneously called the "mexican variety" threw in the towel in its 240 gal. It had stopped growing a while ago but was feeding ok, except a few weeks before its end. IDK why it perished so early but as I stated above it's always been sickly, the smallest, and then it was badly injured by an apurensis catfish.
Final stats: 16", 2.5 years in my care, probably around 4-5 years old altogether.
Is the tongue shape normal?
You can see the replacement pouch that grew in place of the original is a bit baggy, of deformed shape.
The tongue looks shorter and fatter than usual
Great post Viktor! Sorry bout the loss. I'm considering a trop for my next big fish, and I enjoyed the thread.
A dozen of 8"-10" Florida gars caught from a pumped down temporary koi pond plus one big guy about 2' names Elvis, a rescue of about 5 years ago, and tropical gar footage again in 4500 gal:
Update video on the colonizer FL gars from the prior koi pond. Six left. Around 12"-15" now:
