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Urgent Gar Question!


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#1 Guest_rockbassbud5_*

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Posted 17 August 2009 - 08:54 PM

So today, I introduced a very young longnose (I believe it is) gar into my 10g planted tank. I have an airstone and one of those little tetra interal filters. I acclimated him earlier today and just let him be. The tank is fully cycled and my convict cichlid had benn living in it for a few months up to a few days ago. Now when I got home tonight the gar can't keep himself straight in the water column, and when he "relaxes" his tail goes straight up and he is perpendiucualr to the bottom of the tank. At first I thought lack of oxygen, but gar are known to be able to handle low oxygen in thier water and can even "breathe", plus he isn't breathing hard like a suffocating fish does. Even though his breathing looks fairly normal, he is still quite ovbiously distressed.

So does anybody know what I should do? Should I do a water change? Is this just a sck gar? Should I add some salt?

Thanks for any and all help, this is urgent!!


-James

Edited by rockbassbud5, 17 August 2009 - 08:56 PM.


#2 Guest_E_americanus_*

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Posted 17 August 2009 - 08:59 PM

is the convict still in with the gar? if so, i would definitely separate out the convict as these are not good tankmates, especially for young gars. i would also turn off the filter and see if that helps the gar maintain position. keep the airstone going just to keep oxygenation going at a low level. the gar will be fine O2-wise, and this break from the filter should further indicate what the gar's problem is. if it still can't right itself, please photograph the fish and let us get a better look at what is going on for better diagnosis.--
--solomon

#3 Guest_rjmtx_*

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Posted 17 August 2009 - 09:01 PM

Double check your water parameters. That's the first thing I would do. There's a chance ammonia or nitrites are high. Before you make any decisions, you must do this. Otherwise, move your gar into what you know is clean dechlorinared water with an air stone until you figure out what is going on.

Edit: Also, if that convict's still in there, that's your problem. Are there any other fish in there?

Edited by rjmtx, 17 August 2009 - 09:02 PM.


#4 Guest_rockbassbud5_*

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Posted 17 August 2009 - 09:05 PM

Thanks for the quick replies! Haha trust me I'm experienced enough to know a convict and a gar don't work as tank mates so the gar is the sole occupant right now. I'm going to test the water right now, and if I need to I can do a 5 gallon water change with RO/DI water immediately. If parameters are fine, I'll snap some pics.

#5 Guest_rockbassbud5_*

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Posted 17 August 2009 - 09:20 PM

Well I put an adustable valve on the air pump and turned it down to halfway, and turned the filter off, and he seems to have calmed down a bit, still seems to be having a little trouble positioning himself upright, I'm doing tests right now.


EDIT:

Test results:

Ammonia: 0ppm

Nitrite: 0ppm

Nitrate: 10ppm (shouldn't be a problem)

pH: 7.6 (a little high, is this okay?)

temp: 76F

All tests seem alright, I guess im just gonna keep my fingers crossed and hope hes alright when I wake up in the morning!

Edited by rockbassbud5, 17 August 2009 - 09:43 PM.


#6 Guest_hmt321_*

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Posted 18 August 2009 - 01:20 PM

does the tank have a soil under gravel substrate?

does it have co2 inj?

its probably a water hardness issue

#7 Guest_rjmtx_*

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Posted 18 August 2009 - 01:22 PM

That pH is fine; I've caught gars in all types of water. A sudden change in H2O chemistry can cause problems, but I doubt it's a hardness issue. Could it have been temp shock?

#8 Guest_DFA_*

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Posted 18 August 2009 - 02:00 PM

i just bought a 6" longnose gar which is also in a 10 gallon tank(moving it to a 75 gallon when the gar is big enough)...what is the best food to start off with?...my alligator gar(thats what the people at the pet shop said it was which i doubt..it sorta looks like a shortnose/spotted gar),which i've had for 20 years and is about 12-13" long ate the floating food sticks for cichlids for 15 of those years..and after i introduced "tuffy" minnows to him,he wont touch the food sticks(!?!)..i guess i need to take a pic of him so you guys can identify which one he is

i'm new to the board...sorry for the rambling....i really need to know what to start feeding the longnose,though

DFA

#9 Guest_AndrewAcropora_*

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Posted 18 August 2009 - 03:18 PM

Random question. Is there enough space in the tank between the water surface and the tank lid (assuming you have a lid on it) for the gar to surface?

#10 Guest_rockbassbud5_*

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Posted 18 August 2009 - 03:27 PM

does the tank have a soil under gravel substrate?

does it have co2 inj?

its probably a water hardness issue


Nope, no soil under the substrate. no CO2 either, would a water hardness issue cause a problem like this??

That pH is fine; I've caught gars in all types of water. A sudden change in H2O chemistry can cause problems, but I doubt it's a hardness issue. Could it have been temp shock?


It might have been temp shock, but I doubt it, he looks a lot better today, but still seems to have a hard time keeping himself straight.

Random question. Is there enough space in the tank between the water surface and the tank lid (assuming you have a lid on it) for the gar to surface?


Yup, at least 3 inches.

#11 Guest_DFA_*

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Posted 18 August 2009 - 04:47 PM

Random question. Is there enough space in the tank between the water surface and the tank lid (assuming you have a lid on it) for the gar to surface?



as long as you have a half inch or so clearance between water level and lid they will do fine(depends on size of gar..i would say half inch is minimum for small gar)

DFA

#12 Guest_Brooklamprey_*

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Posted 18 August 2009 - 06:02 PM

I'm not really to sure there is a problem here with the gar on the description of behavior. Young gar frequently spend much time in a down angled position. There are issues that one should be aware of with gars that this is a problem with but if it is just angling on settling down that is not really a cause for concern. Is it possible to get a couple photos of the fish? Just going off what is written is not really indicative of an issue or a solution if there is one. Taking a look at the fish would help more.



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