need help with needle nose gar

mjknigh · New member Joined: 14 Jul 2006 Posts: 18

I recently set up a 20gal fish tank. I'm getting fish in august and wanted to get a needle nose gar. My LFS said that they grow to be 15", I was researching and it said they grow to 12". Which is correct. Also what other fish would work well with a needle nose gar with only a little bit of space left. A red tail shark maybe? I've read those sharks can hold their own against bigger and more aggressive fish.

t_chelle16 · Moderator Joined: 22 Mar 2004 Posts: 3436

That's most likely a needlefish and not a true gar. They get around 15" - 16" and a 20 gallon would be WAY too small to properly house one.

I'd look at either a much larger tank (something that's at least 48" x 18") or look at some different, more appropriate fish for a 20 gallon.

-Chelle

mjknigh · New member Joined: 14 Jul 2006 Posts: 18

Thnx for the help on that. I was thinking no on that then Smile

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What kind of fish would be good in a tank like that. I would want a fish that eats feeder fish but won't eat all of my other fish.

Does a red tail shark eat feeder fish?

t_chelle16 · Moderator Joined: 22 Mar 2004 Posts: 3436

Why do you want a fish that eats feeders?

Unless you breed your own feeders, you'll just be introducing all kinds of diseases by using store bought ones. And there are very few fish (at least ones commonly kept in the aquarium hobby) that need to eat other fish. For the other fish that will eat them, it's generally not a very good diet.

-Chelle

mjknigh · New member Joined: 14 Jul 2006 Posts: 18

Oh. well i'll take that advice and look into something else then. Thnx a bunch for the help! Good thing I didn't go buy anything yet. Thnx again!

gravity · Posted: Sat Jul 15, 2006 5:58 am Post subject:

A predatory fish that you could keep in a 20g tank would be a Leaf fish or a Bush fish. Petsmart sells a Leopard Bush fish as a Spotted Leaf fish, not sure why they screw the name up. I still wouldn't give it feeder fish, but it does eat fish as part of it's diet as it is piscivorous. If you want to feed it live foods, I would recommend breeding your own as opposed to store-bought feeders, which would require a second tank. Either that, or buy some guppies or something that is actually cared for by the LFS rather than the fish in their feeder system.