# Gars as pets..



## amelia (Aug 11, 2005)

I want to go out and catch one of our native alligator gars from a spot that I know they are lingering.. Eventually, I would like to have a large aquarium or a pond to keep these fish in. Would it be worth catching my own to not add to the on-market demand of the fish? I'm going to go down today and see what I can get, if anything.. 

Even if I don't keep the fish as a pet, I'd like to at least get some in-aquarium photographs of it then release it back into the wild. Whatever I do, the fish will still end up back in it's native home.


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## shev (Jan 18, 2005)

Dont catch, keep, then release. its illegal and dangerous, especially if your tank is already set up. oh, and you need a pretty gigantic tank to keep gars.


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## Cichlid Man (Jan 19, 2005)

Number one, why have you posted here, and no. 2 I keep gars, but not ones that grow 3 feet long! Jesus! 
Mine grow to a maximum of two feet, and eat barbs and discus.
They are slow finders of dead food though, and my snakehead often beats them to it. Though a live fish will be snapped off my fingers before I even drop them in the tank (Just a metophore)LOL.
A pleasure to keep, I've never sold them before.


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## Guest (Aug 31, 2005)

you feed your gars discus?


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## Cichlid Man (Jan 19, 2005)

Yeah, I get them imported from Bangladesh, they are the poorly breed specimens which are worthless to breed. They are very cheap.


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

The Alligator gars Amelia mentioned don't get 3 feet long, Cichlid Man.

They get TEN feet long.

Amelia, if you do catch one, don't put it into a tank which ever held exotic fish, and don't release it. Go instead to [email protected] and ask if anyone wants it. You'll find that many will want it indeed.


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## solar-ton (Aug 15, 2005)

my friends mom had an ex-boyfriend like 15 years ago he had 2 oscars and an alligator garr in a 55g and yeah you gussed it feeder goldfish


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## amelia (Aug 11, 2005)

Shev--In Missouri I don't think it's illigal if the gar came from the wild in the first place..  I'll have to look up on those laws though.

Cichlid Man--I posted here because this isn't really aquarium related, and there's no subforums concerning wild or native species. 

I'm going to wait a while on this gar thing (As I seem to be doing with every other thing..) and maybe try in a few years. I've got enough on my hands right now, but I'm still very interested in keeping the gars.


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## shev (Jan 18, 2005)

> Shev--In Missouri I don't think it's illigal if the gar came from the wild in the first place..  I'll have to look up on those laws though.


i'm betting it is illegal. or its just too dangerous, they dont want you releasing some exotic disease to the native fish population.


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## fishboy (Feb 26, 2005)

you could possibly take some in aquarium picture then follow theoldsalts instruction


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