Tropical Gar : The Singapore Order

[xander]

i just did a minor $15 "renovation" to my tank. wasnt prepared to decorate it. but since i was at the LFS, and saw something to my liking, i bought it. (the gravel)

heres the pics.



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awesome!!! tank looks great. all that gravel only cost you $15?!

 

[xander]

some updates.

the largest and smallest of the group @ 8" and 5.75" respectively.

as you can see, it's going to be a while before they're large enough to be mixed in the big tank.

 

[pharmaecopia]

Love those tropicals. Alex do you have any aggression issues with your trops?

 

[xander]

not yet, just a little tail shredding/snipping but as sol mentioned, does seem to be more likely out of predatory reaction than aggression. imo seems to be a big difference between cuban/gator aggression vs rest of the species.

 

[E_americanus]

great pics as always xander! great to see their progress - if that big guy keeps growing and the little guy lagging behind, you may eventually want to separate them even though cannibalism is less frequent at these stages (compared to earlier).

although TPGs have among the most variable patterns in gars, these are from the same supplier as our US fish...yet, i think we see what is definitely a testament to the "natural light effect" on some of those gars...the patterns and particularly colors are great and more vibrant than many individuals we have seen here in the states...Richard and i have spoken about how we're jealous that you can keep your gars outside and in natural sunlight - definitely helps with their color development.

great job, and keep those updates coming! that last pic with the longnose below is hilarious--
--solomon

 

[Unfathomable]

Its time for me to post some pictures too (taken with iPhone)!

The first week after I got the fella I tried feeding pellets as i wasn't keen on feeders. Reckon it consume some as there were some evidence of defecation but appetite wasnt good. Moved on to feeders, small goldfish and platys, and the little fella is so much happier!

It is now a tad over 5 inches and growing healthy. Don't really subscribe to the rapid pumping up method so I'm feeding 1 to 2 feeders every 2 days.

Are tropical gars rarer than cubans and true spotted gars? I did a search and it seems so. Most websites that provide information on Gars seem to suggest its close to impossible to find. Is that true?

Would it be possible to bring in more? Im sure the folks here wouldn't mind having a few more pieces=) In my opinion the $500 a piece is a fair deal considering the rarity of the species and its beauty. Definitely wouldnt mind paying more for a larger, healthier specimen. Stones Aquarium did us a HUGE favour by getting it in at the previous price. as what Solomon said, we got it cheaper than the market rate in the US. At 180 its practically a steal! Really regret not ordering more.

 

[stackdeck]

I regret it alot! I was short of some cash to get it and now ....sigh

 

[channarox]

Nice, I love the contrast on it.

I think that here, they are rarer than Cubans(mainly because well, we've never even had them until now), but in the US Cubans are harder to find.

True spotteds in the US are easier to find than Trops, but here we don't have any Spotteds yet.

 

[Wiggles92]

Nice, I love the contrast on it.

I think that here, they are rarer than Cubans(mainly because well, we've never even had them until now), but in the US Cubans are harder to find.

True spotteds in the US are easier to find than Trops, but here we don't have any Spotteds yet.

So I'm guessing that the rarity of gars in Singapore goes something like this:

Florida gar > alligator gar > longnose gar > Cuban gar > tropical gar > spotted gar & shortnose gar

 

[channarox]

So I'm guessing that the rarity of gars in Singapore goes something like this:

Florida gar > alligator gar > longnose gar > Cuban gar > tropical gar > spotted gar & shortnose gar

Something like that.