Lepisosteus oculatus (Spotted Alligator Gar Fish for Sale)

The spotted gar (Lepisosteus oculatus) is a monster freshwater fish native to North America that has an abundance of dark spots on its head, fins, and dart-like body. Spotted gar have an elongated mouth with many needle-like teeth to catch other fish and crustaceans. It is one of the smaller of the seven species of gar found in North America, growing 2-3 ft (0.61-0.91 m) in length and weighing 4-6 lb (1.8-2.7 kg) typically. Gars have diamond-shaped, thick, enamel (ganoid) scales respectively. The name Lepisosteus is Greek for "bony scale".

Gars are the ultimate ambush predators feedimg on smaller fishes and aquatic crustaceans in the wild. It can sometimes be somewhat tricky to get newly-introduced captive gars to accept dead foods though most will learn to do so following a short period of starvation.

After a short period most smaller individuals will accept meaty frozen foods such as prawns, lance fish, etc., while larger specimens can be offered whole fishes such as trout or sprats. Feed every day when juvenile but as the fish grows reduce the frequency. Adults require only one or two meals per week at most.

It's highly receommended to buy such feeders in advance and quarantine them for at least two weeks to ensure their clean prior to feeding.

How big do spotted gar get in captivity?

Spotted gar are long and have an elongated mouth with many teeth used to eat other fish and crustaceans. They grow to 0.61-0.91 metres (2-3 ft) in length and weigh 1.8-2.7 kilograms (4-6 lb) on average, making it the smallest of the gars.

Can you keep Gar in an aquarium?

Because of their toughness, gars are easy to keep in the home aquarium as long as you're able to supply a steady diet of live fishes, or wean them over to other high-protein fare. Young gar, because of their fast metabolism, will waste away if not fed at least a couple of feeder-size guppies a day.

What do you feed spotted gar?

Spotted gars are ambush predators, eating mainly crayfish (47% of diet in one study). They forage at night under the cover of floating logs or vegetation. Spotted gar also eat other species of fish including sunfish, gizzard shad, crappies, bass, catfish, and shiners.

Will a gar fish bite you?

Although they may look ferocious, alligator gars pose no threat to humans and there are no known attacks on people. They can pose a passive danger, though: The fish's eggs are poisonous to humans if ingested. The toxicity of gar eggs serves as a defense mechanism against predators such as crustaceans.

Predatory and may attack even larger fish so tankmates should be chosen with care!