Breeding:
Breeding these fish in captivity is extremely difficult.
Tank Conditions:
Gars have a lunglike (physostomous) gass bladder which permits air-breathing to supplement their gills, allowing them to live in low-oxygen conditions.
This site was created to get straight to the point. Below are some tips on keeping Gar/Pike. Send any additional information or questions to Ask An Expert
Compatibility: Gar/Pike is best kept in a group of three or more Gar/Pike. They can be kept with most fish that are too big for a Gar/Pike to swallow. Good TankMates for Gar/Pike: Archer Fish, Monos, Puffers, White Tip Shark Cats, and the Fan Dancer Goby.
Most Gar are a slender piscivorous fish that stalks and eats small fish about the size of a guppy.
Gar can be feed your usual Feeder prey, Goldfish and such, Goldfish though should never be the only thing fed.
Gar need a lot of room to move, I would not recommend keeping them in anything under a 50 gallon tank.
Gar are more or less an ambush predators, they do stalk their prey.
Gar Prefer that their food comes to them, they can be lightning fast in the presence of food if hungry though, they are NOT aggressive fish at all.
To be kept successfully, halfbeaks require an aquarium with plenty of space at the surface. Depth is not critical, so a tank that is wide is better than one that is deep.
They are sensitive to low oxygen levels but are otherwise relatively hardy, with one important exception: they are intolerant to sudden changes in salinity, pH, hardness, or temperature. Consequently, they must be introduced to a new aquarium gently, and subsequent water changes are best small but frequent so the water chemistry does not change suddenly.
Of all gar that are available only the Spotted, Florida, and Shortnose should be considered for aquarium care, Longnosed gar grow entirely to large for the average hobbyist
Some species of needlefish inhabit brackish and freshwater environments, and one of the freshwater species, Xenentodon cancila from South East Asia, is occasionally kept as an aquarium fish. It is a relatively small species, no more than 30 to 40 cm in length when fully grown, but is considered to be a rather delicate fish best suited to advanced aquarists.
Gars are very sensitive to most medications and should never be given any in a full dose.
Avoid keeping Gars with any type of Pleco as they will suck on the sides of the fish and cause all sorts of infections.
Follow the above recommendations and you should have a joyful Gar/Pike experience. Send any questions, comments or pictures to Ask An Expert If you are interested in helping out visit our contributions page.
