Alligator Gar help

[Apartment111]

I don't have an alligator gar, but I really need to ask some questions

First off, I am planning on getting a SW tank, and I hear alligator gars can live in saltwater. Is this true? If so,whats the acclimation process? And if there is any other SW gar or salt adaptable gar please tell me!

What is a healthy diet,and how many times do I need to feed it?

What are some good tankmates, preferably SW if it can go there. If not,FW is ok.

 

[catfishlover106]

hmm i believe if i can remember right last year i heard from someone here that you can keep an Alligator Gar in Saltwater...and the acclimation process they did was drip acclimation...but they said you can acclimate them the regular way with the bag floating on the water. lol but ]v[onster Saltwater Tanks is gunna leave a hole in your wallet to just even get the equipment and then the water...=[ Best keep it in freshwater...easier with your wallet and more big fishes can go with it. Diet...i'd go with anything meaty like raw prawns, beefheart, and try training it onto pellets. Feeding it around 1-2 times a day seems fine...when they are over a foot long. You must remember the size these can get. But that is if your gar is a True Gator Gar. I personally would just keep a gar in freshwater. Easier to maintain.

 

[Apartment111]

Thanks for the help. And also thanks for the hole in the wallet thing. that reallymakes me rethink what tank(or pond,for that matter) it is gunna be in. Again thanks!!

 

[xander]

only adult alligator gars have been acclimated, and i doubt it's in the gars best interests. tankmates? nothing that you mind losing....

 

[Apartment111]

Yeah right now im figuring tankmates aren't such a good idea. Maybe snails and crabs, but really I think it would eat everything.

 

[E_americanus]

i don't want to make too many assumptions, but if you don't have any prior experience with gars, and no prior experience with alligator gars, i would highly suggest against jumping in with a SW gator gar project. work on learning more about the fishes of this group, keep a gator gar "normally" and see how much work it is and what you learn, and THEN if you still want to try for the SW project go for it.

all that being said, it's generally far too complex of a project for a private hobbyist to take on, this is something that should be left to public/large private aquarium systems (the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas used to have a gator gar in their big SW tank and it was quite impressive).

if you keep a gator with crabs and other inverts it will not hesitate to eat all of them--
--solomon

 

[city_of_evil6661]

i don't want to make too many assumptions, but if you don't have any prior experience with gars, and no prior experience with alligator gars, i would highly suggest against jumping in with a SW gator gar project. work on learning more about the fishes of this group, keep a gator gar "normally" and see how much work it is and what you learn, and THEN if you still want to try for the SW project go for it.

all that being said, it's generally far too complex of a project for a private hobbyist to take on, this is something that should be left to public/large private aquarium systems (the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas used to have a gator gar in their big SW tank and it was quite impressive).

if you keep a gator with crabs and other inverts it will not hesitate to eat all of them--
--solomon

and not to mention that if kept with proper husbandry A. spatula can reach 5' in captivity.(if you didnt already know) which means you will need a large pond and that is alot of salt. as solomon said it will be much easier with freshwater. gators will also try eat anything they are housed with. and if they cant eat it they will kill it.