found some GAR'S

[tropicfishman]

I was looking around at the locla fish place today and found GAR's, these barbacuda looking fish for 10 bucksa pop, I know these things get big and mean, but exactly how big, how mean?

 

[fishfairy]

Well to answer the size question, here is a picture of a fully grown wild caught gar:

So I'd say pretty big..

 

[joannde]

HOLY COW !!! That certainly breaks my 10 inch rule !

 

[JDogg]

not all gars get that big

what is the species?

some are as small as 6" full grown

 

[Lonewolfblue]

But I don't think that will fit in my 10G QT tank... lol.

 

[tropicfishman]

it just said GAR on the sticker, I can tell you this, it wassmall, around 3 inches long, bright silverish color like a bala shark, and I defintly want one now that I've seen those pics

 

[JRagg]

You know, where I came from a Gar was a nuisance fish. The kind that we hit over the edge of the boat when we caught it. They kill game fish. I'm absolutely amazed that people are keeping them as pets now.

**EDIT**

It was alligator gar that we used to catch in the lake that were so bad. The first pic on this page is an alligator gar.

http://www.aqualandpetsplus.com/Oddball, Gar.htm

 

[Toirtis]

it just said GAR on the sticker, I can tell you this, it wassmall, around 3 inches long, bright silverish color like a bala shark,

Sounds like a 'hujeta gar' ( Ctenolucius hujeta ), a Characoid, not a Lepisosteiforme.

 

[flamingonhot]

Jdogg, all TRUE gars get over 20 inches.

The only "gars" that get slightly smaller are african pike characins, needlenose fish, hijueta gars/rocket gars, etc. but they aren't even closely related to gars. Infact, they're often dubbed the name "fake gars".

Some like the shortnose gar are sometimes a silver color when young, but like toirtis said it's most likely a hijueta gar. Usually reaches lengths of about 8-11 inches, supposedly in the wild can get about 20 inches and up.

Fishfairy, like said that's an alligator gar, the LARGEST of the gars. World record is about 10 feet long and a few hundred pounds. The smallest gar is the shortnose gar, which usually reaches about 20-25 inches or around that.

 

[tropicfishman]

hmmmm sucks they eat anything they can, I would defintly be intreted in raising one if I could figure out how big this thing would hget, the pet store couldn't tell me either, they said maybe around a foot

 

[hulkamaniac]

It really depends on the species of gar. All get really big and pretty much require live food. All the ones I've seen in fish stores are long-nosed gars. The alligator gars are the ones that get huge. I've seen mounted ones that were at least 6 ft long.

 

[JRagg]

http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/snapshots/fish/longnosegar.html

Third paragraph. Long nose gar grow up to 5 feet. They are lake fish. I'm really amazed to see them in aquariums.

 

[greenmaji]

IF its a Ctenolucius hujeta it still has some rather large tank requirements.

http://fish.mongabay.com/species/Ctenolucius_hujeta_hujeta.html

 

[tropicfishman]

they look so cool too lol

 

[hulkamaniac]

they look so cool too lol

They are definitely cool looking fish. If you ever hook into one while fishing they're almost pure muscle and jump all over the place. Very fun to catch.

 

[tropicfishman]

I'd be to afraid to even get in the wate with one

 

[lowriderb]

ive seen a dead alligator gar that was at the least 8ft long, that was floating dead from something else (bigger because the gar was almost in two) taking a chunk out of it.

that was on the mississippi river..

this morning i saw a huge school hanging around the docks i was at (because of the mayflies) and the smallest ones you could see were at the least 2ft long..

im sure there are bigger ones out there, we just havent seen them yet..

 

[joannde]

So I thought I had never seen one of these and then realized that I HAD seen one - it was "trapped" inside my canoe (which had been sitting on the lake and filling with rain water). Its a good thing the neighbors weren't around the day I found him in the canoe - I was chasing him with a paddle saying "JUMP !!! JUMP !!!! please JUMP !!!" to try and get him out. Definitely not a fish I'd want in my aquarium LOL

 

[lovemybarbs]

We used to vacation in Arkansas. They float to the top in warm water and sit at the surface. I was a kid and could't stand them. They get really long.