Atractosteus tristoechus
Cuban Gar
Classification
Order: Lepisosteiformes Family: Lepisosteidae
Distribution
Endemic to Cuba where it’s found throughout western parts of the island plus Isla de la Juventud (Isle of Youth, formerly known as the Isle of Pines). It’s endangered across most of this range and captive breeding efforts are well-established.
Habitat
Found in various habitats from large lakes and rivers to sluggish tributaries, backwaters and pools, and can surive in both fresh and brackish waters, but shows a preference for larger river or swamp systems with extensive associated floodplains. Does not tend to inhabit swiftly-flowing environments.
Maximum Standard Length
1500 – 1800 mm.
Aquarium SizeTop ↑
Suitable only for very large public installations.
Maintenance
Relatively unfussy provided water flow is not too strong and lighting not bright.
Diet
Gars are ambush predators feedimg on smaller fishes and aquatic crustaceans in nature. It can sometimes be tricky to get newly-introduced captive individuals to accept dead foods though most will learn to do so following a short period of starvation.
After a short time most small 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; an adult requires only one or two meals per week at most.
In extreme cases there may be no other option but to use live “feeder” fishes for the initial period but it must be stressed that this is only advisable until an individual has built up adequate body mass to attempt a starvation period.
It’s highly receommended to buy such feeders in advance and quarantine them for at least two weeks to ensure they’re free of disease while feeding them a high quality diet so that the flesh is sufficiently nutritious.
This species should never be fed the meat of mammals such as beef heart or chicken since some of the lipids and other organic compounds contained in these meats cannot be properly metabolised by fishes, causing excess fat deposition and even organ degeneration over the long term.
Except for in the extreme circumstance described there’s also no real benefit in the use of feeder fishes due to the risk of disease or parasite introduction.
Behaviour and CompatibilityTop ↑
Best kept alone, or with similarly-sized, non-aggressive fishes it cannot fit into its mouth.
NotesTop ↑
This species, known locally in Cuba as ‘manjuari’, clearly shouldn’t be considered a home aquarium subject at all given its eventual size and the fact it can live for several decades, plus its endangered conservation status.
We include it here only because some public aquaria are able to maintain it long-term and juveniles are occasionally offered in the aquarium trade.
Gars are among the most primitive fish species still alive today. They have a modified, vascularised swim bladder that is connected to the pharynx and allows them to breathe atmospheric air to a certain extent.
