What Do You Feed a Gar Fish?

The gar is a predatory fish native to the Americas and Caribbean Islands that is able to live in fresh and brackish water. Some species can grow to 4 feet in length while others can reach weights of close to 200 pounds. Many people like to keep aggressive fish in their home aquariums, and the gar is a hardy fish that makes an excellent addition to any predator tank. Getting them to eat anything other than live food can be a little difficult at first, but once you do, they will be very healthy eaters. In the wild, gar have a varied diet; the same should go for gar in captivity.

  1. Feeders

    • Small goldfish and minnows can be used as feeder fish.

      The term "feeders" can cover a wide range of small fish, but generally speaking, it refers to guppies, small goldfish, minnows and sometimes mollies. Depending on the size of your gar, you can start them off with guppies and switch to progressively larger feeders as they grow. Gar fish are hunters that will stalk and devour their prey. Not only is this closer to the way it would happen in nature, but for some fish keepers, it provides an interesting bit of entertainment. The problem with feeders is that they don't always provide all of the nutrients your fish need, so consider augmenting your gar's diet with other food items.

    Crustaceans

    • Chopped shrimp can be added to your gar's diet.

      In the wild, crustaceans such as shrimp and crayfish would be a regular part of the gar's diet. You can feed your gar pieces of chopped shrimp or crayfish, but it will take a little time and patience to get your gar to eat dead food. The simplest way is to deny your gar any food other than the shrimp and crayfish. Place some pieces of food in the tank and wait. You may get lucky, and your gar will eat the food right away. If your gar does not eat it, remove the food. Wait a day or two and try again. Eventually hunger will make your gar eat the food. After that it should eat regularly. If not, repeat this "starvation" process a few times until your gar readily accepts the shrimp and crayfish pieces.

    Worms and Insects

    • Your gar will enjoy eating live mealworms.

      Fish love worms, just ask any fisherman. Baby gar can be fed live bloodworms. Older gar can be fed live mealworms, earthworms and any other type of worm found at the local bait shop. Depending on the size of the worm (and your gar) it should be cut into smaller, bite-sized pieces. Wild gar eat insects, so your tank gar should enjoy crickets as part of its diet. One good thing about crickets is that they can be used for "gut loading." Gut loading is when you feed the intended food item, in this case the cricket, the nutrients and vitamins needed by the predator, the gar. When the gar eats the cricket it gets the nutrients and vitamins the cricket ingested. It's a way of making sure that your gar has a healthy diet.

    Fish Food

    • Store bought fish food gives your gar all the nutrition it needs.

      Fish food purchased from the pet store is an excellent choice for your gar. These foods are engineered to provide all of the nutrients and vitamins that your fish need. There may be issues getting your fish to eat this type of food, but planning and patience will eventually pay off. You can try the "starvation" process. You can try making the food more attractive by mixing it with small pieces of shrimp or fish. Many aquarists use fresh garlic or garlic additives to entice their fish into eating. Speak with someone at your local fish store about other types of food additives.