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Misc Lizards 10


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Northern Iowa Association of Pond and Water Gardeners

Not Really a Gar:  Needlenose gars are not true ganoid scaled gars like we find in our U.S. rivers.  However, they look like gars and everyone calls them gars, so we'll continue traipsing down that same trail.

LA
Needlenose gars hang together (except when eating).

LA
Aptly named needlenose because of their long pointed beaks.

Chummy Predators:  Needlenose gars prefer to hang with their own kind.  They don't share their prey but almost hunt in packs -- more like a loosely formed group.  When they spot prey, they put on surprising bursts of speed.  They snag them with their needle-sharp teeth, work them around, then swallow them head first.

LA
Needlenose gar fanning out looking for prey.  Java fern grows well in their water.

LA
Not sure what he has but it's curable.

Water Comments:  This crud grew all over him in about two days.  No idea what it is.  I did a 95% water change and added 1/4 cup of salt to his 10-gallon tank.  The crud went aaway the next day.  Don't know if it was the cure or coincidence.

Prefers Low Light:  Needlenose gars prefer subdued lighting.  Java fern grows quite well under the same lighting conditions they prefer.  They don't really hide in the shrubbery, but they seem to appreciate a planted tank.

LA Skinny needle-nose gar from Asia.  Usually stays at top.

Top Dwellers:  You'll usually find needlenose gars lurking at the surface.  Make sure you keep yours covered.  When startled, they can leap out.  At the very least, they will bonk their beaks on the ends of their tank.  Put some plastic plants on your tank ends to buffer their beak bonking.

LA
They will go to the bottom for lunch.  Four-inch needlenose capturing prey.

Live Food Only:  You may convince them to snack on deceased fish, but they certainly prefer live ones.  In captivity, needlenose gars get mostly a fish diet.  In the wild they consume mostly crustaceans.  If you have access to feeder ghost shrimp, your needlenose gar will appreciate them.

LA Same needlenose after swallowing lunch.

Excellent Dentition:  Needlenose gar possess the necessary teeth with which to capture prey.  They are numerous and quite sharp.  Needlenosers ignore large fish but keep on the lookout for swallowable size snacks.

LA
Neat looking dentition.  Small callous on bottom beak.

LA
Different Asian gar.  Same capable dentition.

Swallowers not Chewers:  Needlenosers don't chew their food or tear it to shreds.  Neither do they gulp them instantly like an oscar.  After some necessary twitches and body jerks, they jack their prey around and swallow it down in one bite.  Usually one fish will do.  Sometimes they'll manage two.

LA
They can swallow prey larger than their heads.  First, they snag it.

LA
Then they squinch it around till it fits head-first.

LA
Their lower jaw drops down to admit the prey.

LA
And it's pretty much lights out for the rosy red.

LA
Then totally down the hatch.

More Pics:  That pretty well covers what I know about needlenose gars.  I've never bred them.  They seem to need a larger tank capacity to continue their species.  No spawns but lots more pix to look at.  LA

LA Neat looking "gar."  No bonked beaks here.

LA Nine-inch needle-nose gar with bonked beak.

LA
Different nine-incher in front of a four-inch flower pot.

LA
At a foot long they're much heftier.  Note broken bottom beak.

LA
Expired needle-nose gar.

LA

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LA
Ignores adult mollies.  Enjoys the young ones.

LA
Hit the end of the tank too often.

LA
Looks hungry.

LA Big guys usually ignore the little guys.  But do not trust too much disparity in size.

LA
Needlenose gar mix well with mollies.  They like the same water and temp.

LA
They also like the occasional snacks the mollies produce every two months.

LA

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Rosy reds fill the bill.

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Nine-inch needle nose gar.

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Guy in middle better eater than the other two.

Jaguar Spawning II
Jewel Fish
Keo's Flowerhorns
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Kribensis
Oscars 1
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Misc Cichlids IX

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Misc Odd V

Sharks  
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Pond Info 
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