Life expectancy of Florida gar?

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Gambusia

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Nov 26, 2003
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I have two Florida gar- 7" and 12".

How long can I expect them to live assuming good health and conditions?

I have had them for about 3 and 2 years respectively.
 
Sorry to say, but if they are still that small after 2 years, they are being stunted. Florida gars get upwards of 4 feet in length, and aren't really suitable for an aquarium. Since yours are stunted, their lifespan will likely be well less than the 20+ years they normally live in the wild.
 
Any fish can be stunted. Some fish are resilient--if they are placed into an appropriate environment, they will begin growing again. However, most larger fish, or fish that are seldom found in naturally stunting environments (saltwater and lake fish, for example) don't have this adaptation, and suffer from being confined in too small a tank, or in close proximity to another of their species. Many fish give off hormones that will stunt the growth of other fish--gives them an advantage if they can grow bigger than their competitors.
 
your looking at a long term investment with gars, 20 years min i'd say.
what kind of things are you feeding them at the moment? i'd expect the growth to have been bigger considering the time frame.
 
Hey Gambusia-
Like OrionGirl mentions, they easily outlive the 20 year mark in the wild. Size is impressive, not so much in captivity though. You are probably looking at around 40 inches of fish (Times 2 !!!), which is nevertheless quite a stock. I just want to ask how sure you are that they are florida gars, because those fish are a bit hard to come by and they are often mis-sold under that name (in which case they are usually the common shortnose gars). If you are sure that they are the floridas, then I would think that you could get them to live for at least 15 years if taken care of. On the other side, they are really too big for anything under about 250g. That is a liberal estimate, and you have two. They are great fish though, although I have never kept a pair together. Does that work well? You might wanna bring them back to the pet store if a few hundred gallons of water isnt in your immediate plans. good luck
 
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