Gars

[dave_oddballs]

hi, just wondering about true gars, which, if any would be suitably housed in a 7 foot x 2.5 foot tank?
i read that short nose gars, spotted gars and florida spotted gars are amongst the smallest of the species, some sites say they reach 3 foot or more and others say less. so just a bit of information please if anyone knows anything about them.
thanks,
Dave

 

[gasmask]

Hi gave, I have the 3 you mentioned in a 7ft tank with my huge oscar and a large collection of Polypterus.
The Gars you mentioned that are in my tank are adult and they are no bigger than 60cm. Nice and thick though and healthy. (except one has a bent snout from doing a torpedo run into the glass last year!

Here you can see some:

 

[Neesmo]

wow thats a really nice setup i can see there. Do you have some more pictures from far away? i love bichirs and gars!

Kyle

 

[dave_oddballs]

so you think something like the florida spotted or spotted (which are easier to get hold of!) would be suitable in my tank? i only want one!
also i assume as they are ok with poly's they would be ok with an arowana and rays? and a tigerfish!?
love your collection of poly's! are most of them endlicheri's?
i've just got 2 delhezi's and going to make it 4 when all is sorted, wouldn't mind about 4 endli's too, lfs can get them for around £20 for a 6"-8" fish which is the cheapest i've seen!
anyway lets get info on the gars first lol!!

cheers,
Dave

 

[gasmask]

Dave,
Polys and gars go together well.
I have kept gars with an Arowana many moons ago without any problems at all.
As for the Rays and Tigerfish, I have no experience with them, but I can't see it being a problem.

 

[dave_oddballs]

ok thanks, well most of the fish come in small so i will just watch them as they grow and heir behavior.
am definitely going to extend my polypterus collection, definitely going to get 2 more delhezi's as they are my favorite, and will probably get 4 endli's, and take it from there!
do you think the mentioned gars would be ok in my tank then? regarding volume and dimensions?
cheers,
Dave

 

[gasmask]

ok thanks, well most of the fish come in small so i will just watch them as they grow and heir behavior.
am definitely going to extend my polypterus collection, definitely going to get 2 more delhezi's as they are my favorite, and will probably get 4 endli's, and take it from there!
do you think the mentioned gars would be ok in my tank then? regarding volume and dimensions?
cheers,
Dave

They will be spot on in there mate.
Mine are thriving, and in with polys, sailfin pleco, Oscar, among others.
I would so love to put a Ray in with mine, but the current stocking have all been in there so long, any new introductions would probably have to come up against my Oscar. (he is a whopper at44cm, and TOTAL boss of the tank!)

What are the actual dimensions of your tank?
Mine is 220cm x 90cm x 90cm. (we normally go by cm here in Japan, sorry if that complicates things.)

Also what type of filtration? Mine is a large overflow filter.

 

[dave_oddballs]

in centimetres the tank is ; Length-214cm, Width-76cm, Height-66cm.
inches; 84"x30"x26".
o it at the moment i have 2 eheim pro 3 2080 externals on it, each are for 1200 litre tanks so theoretically capable of filtering a tank twice the size of mine, also have 2 internal air powered sponge filters, these aare just used as water polishing filters really. am thinking of getting another external on it, probably another eheim or maybe an fluval fx5 but having trouble finding somewhere to put it.
the 3 rays should be going in during the 1st or 2nd week into december and most of the smaller fish in it now will be coming out so i am not concerned about the filtration yet, i will make a decision before i add the arowana and tiger fish etc.
i would of had a sump but the tank wasn't drilled and it came with all the filtration and the stand wouldn't really give me the room to add a sump as its in 4 sections, and i wouldn't want to start cutting up a stand thats weight more than a ton!
want my final stocking to consist of the 3 reticulated rays ( to be changed for a pair of black rays in a year or so), an asian arowana, i want a zebra shovelnose catfish, a tigerfish (hopefully pulcher if i can find one), the poly's, and also really want a florida/spotted gar.

what do you think? the filters are big, but so will be the stocking, i know its better to have more filtration but would you say it would be necessary with that stocking or would the 2 big eheims cope do you think?
cheers,
Dave

 

[gasmask]

in centimetres the tank is ; Length-214cm, Width-76cm, Height-66cm.
inches; 84"x30"x26".
o it at the moment i have 2 eheim pro 3 2080 externals on it, each are for 1200 litre tanks so theoretically capable of filtering a tank twice the size of mine, also have 2 internal air powered sponge filters, these aare just used as water polishing filters really. am thinking of getting another external on it, probably another eheim or maybe an fluval fx5 but having trouble finding somewhere to put it.
the 3 rays should be going in during the 1st or 2nd week into december and most of the smaller fish in it now will be coming out so i am not concerned about the filtration yet, i will make a decision before i add the arowana and tiger fish etc.
i would of had a sump but the tank wasn't drilled and it came with all the filtration and the stand wouldn't really give me the room to add a sump as its in 4 sections, and i wouldn't want to start cutting up a stand thats weight more than a ton!
want my final stocking to consist of the 3 reticulated rays ( to be changed for a pair of black rays in a year or so), an asian arowana, i want a zebra shovelnose catfish, a tigerfish (hopefully pulcher if i can find one), the poly's, and also really want a florida/spotted gar.

what do you think? the filters are big, but so will be the stocking, i know its better to have more filtration but would you say it would be necessary with that stocking or would the 2 big eheims cope do you think?
cheers,
Dave

Sounds like you got it all sorted buddy!

Your Ehiems Should cope well. I only prefer overflow as in my case maintinence is a lot easier.

I shall keep an eye on your tank pics, sounds like it's going to be awesome!