Florida Gar Feeding

Redtail Monster

Redtail Monster

Michigan
Nov 25, 2012
42
0
0
39
Manchester, MI
Real Name
Dan
Hello again. Got a couple questions/problems I was hoping some of you could help me with...

I have a 10-12" Florida Gar that I have had for about 6 months now. I have always just fed him feeders as thats what I was told he ate when I bought him. Now that I have joined AC, I am gaining plenty of good advice. One bit of advice I have taken to, is that feeders are dangerous and have next to no nutrional value.

I have been attempting to get him to eat fillets or market shrimp, but he wants nothing to do with them, if anything, he seems scared of them. And just placing it in the tank isn't an option because my RTC eats everything that hits the bottom.

How can I train him to eat/like the fillets/shrimp? He loves feeders, but it seems that just wont do... Need help! Thanks!!!
 
Try to put some live food and a little bit of frozen food in there at the same time, increase the frozen food until the gar is "trained" to eat frozen food.

That is what I was told about a lionfish, it should work for FW too...


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Gar are not particularly hard to train to eat prepared foods. Give him a week with no food and he'll probably grab the first thing that hits the water, so watch your fingers! If that doesn't work then here's a trick that worked with my Pickerel, and Pickerel are not easy to wean off of live food. I took a frozen Silverside, thawed it out and presented it by throwing it like a dart at the surface of the water in front of the fish. I've tricked Pickerel into trying to eat pieces of plastic covered in hooks, so I figured I could trick one into eating its natural food. A word about feeders. Not all feeders are the same, but there are none that possess no nutritive value. Not one. Goldfish do possess an enzyme which destroys thiamine, so they're not a good choice for heavy usage. Rosey Reds or Fatheads are a different case entirely and in a pinch would make an acceptable exclusive diet, particularly if you fed them heavily with a good quality flake food before using them. Other species are available at bait shops as well.
 
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