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tiny gar


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#1 Guest_Moontanman_*

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Posted 12 March 2008 - 07:20 PM

Last fall I cought a gar about 3" or less long. I had never seen a gar that small, I thought they spwaned in the spring. It was very beautiful. Unfortunately I was unable keep it becue the gambusia I tried to feed it ate the gar!

#2 Guest_hmt321_*

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Posted 12 March 2008 - 08:15 PM

was the gar sick or something? that seems hard to picture

I put close to 40 gambusia ranging from huge (for a Mosquitoe Fish) to very small and I had no trouble with the feeder Gambusia Vs. a 1" Warmouth and 1.5" Shadow Bass, the shadow bass is a huge sissy though, some of the gambusia lived in the tank for over 2 months.

#3 Guest_Moontanman_*

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Posted 12 March 2008 - 09:05 PM

was the gar sick or something? that seems hard to picture

I put close to 40 gambusia ranging from huge (for a Mosquitoe Fish) to very small and I had no trouble with the feeder Gambusia Vs. a 1" Warmouth and 1.5" Shadow Bass, the shadow bass is a huge sissy though, some of the gambusia lived in the tank for over 2 months.


As far as I could tell it was completely healthy, gambusia are like tiny piranha. It really disappointed me because it was the first tiny gar I had ever caught. Does anyone know when gar spawn?

#4 Guest_Brooklamprey_*

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Posted 12 March 2008 - 09:09 PM

Last fall I cought a gar about 3" or less long. I had never seen a gar that small, I thought they spwaned in the spring. It was very beautiful. Unfortunately I was unable keep it becue the gambusia I tried to feed it ate the gar!


That's not surprising that they got tore up by Gambusia. Gambusia tear up everything... Really a better food would have been Blood worms or if available Cyprinid fry. Once Gar get a bit bigger they are more proficient at hunting but when under 5 inches the little suckers are really delicate.

As far as I could tell it was completely healthy, gambusia are like tiny piranha. It really disappointed me because it was the first tiny gar I had ever caught. Does anyone know when gar spawn?


Gar normally spawn in spring between April and June depending on your location and species. It is not however unknown for them to spawn up until late July in the south. I have seen evidence of Shortnosed spawning in August and do know of Florida gar spawning until September in some aquaculture cases.

#5 Guest_Newt_*

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Posted 12 March 2008 - 09:16 PM

Good to know. I caught a longnose about the same size years back, and fed him Daphnia and mosquito larvae. He wasted away after a couple of weeks, though (I'm sure it didn't help that I caught him with my bare hand and stored him in a plastic 20-oz. bottle until I got him home). I like to think I've gotten a little better with fish since then.

Edited by Newt, 12 March 2008 - 09:17 PM.


#6 Guest_Brooklamprey_*

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Posted 12 March 2008 - 09:25 PM

Good to know. I caught a longnose about the same size years back, and fed him Daphnia and mosquito larvae. He wasted away after a couple of weeks, though (I'm sure it didn't help that I caught him with my bare hand and stored him in a plastic 20-oz. bottle until I got him home). I like to think I've gotten a little better with fish since then.


Very small gar need a constant supply of food, as soon as they reach 3 inches (Body length) I try very hard to switch them to prepared foods. I've never had a problem doing so.

When very small I like to stuff them to the gills every few hours with Baby brine, adult brine, blood worms, daphnia and if available Guppy or cyprinid fry. When raising them they should be swarming in food all the time for best results.
DSC00005.JPG

#7 Guest_Newt_*

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Posted 12 March 2008 - 09:27 PM

Very small gar need a constant supply of food, as soon as they reach 3 inches (Body length) I try very hard to switch them to prepared foods. I've never had a problem doing so.

When very small I like to stuff them to the gills every few hours with Baby brine, adult brine, blood worms, daphnia and if available Guppy or cyprinid fry. When raising them they should be swarming in food all the time for best results.


Cool, thanks. I don't want to repeat my mistake.

#8 Guest_sumthinsfishy_*

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Posted 13 March 2008 - 07:18 PM

When they are that small, a good food to feed them would be scuds. They have to chase them a little, but they are very abundant, and all you have to do is get a large piece of algae from where they live, and put it in the tank.

#9 Guest_TrueBayouTanks_*

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Posted 19 April 2009 - 06:39 PM

Very small gar need a constant supply of food, as soon as they reach 3 inches (Body length) I try very hard to switch them to prepared foods. I've never had a problem doing so.

When very small I like to stuff them to the gills every few hours with Baby brine, adult brine, blood worms, daphnia and if available Guppy or cyprinid fry. When raising them they should be swarming in food all the time for best results.
DSC00005.JPG


I accidentally caught a tiny gar like the one in this pic a few years back. It was a longnose, but the size was similar to yours. I had never seen such a small gar before and have not seen any more since. It would eat, but the filtration in my 30 hex was too much for him. He struggled hard just to stay near the surface - where he wanted to be. I put him back in the bayou.

Edited by TrueBayouTanks, 19 April 2009 - 06:42 PM.


#10 Guest_pagojoe_*

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Posted 23 July 2009 - 02:00 AM

Moontanman,

I have no idea about North Carolina, but most years we have a secondary spawn in October in east Texas. (It actually extended into the first week of November in 2008.) The only gar I've seen spawning in the fall are longnose and alligator gar, although the other resident species may spawn twice a year as well? The secondary spawn isn't nearly as large during dry years as when the river levels stay high all summer.

Cheers,



Don



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