All fish / Lepisosteidae

Longnose Gar

Lepisosteus osseus

Also known as longnose gar, long nose gar, longnosed gar, needlenose gar, gar pike, garfish, billfish, ปลาการ์จมูกยาว, ロングノーズ・ガー, 长吻雀鳝, 长鼻雀鳝

The longnose gar has a long, slender body covered in hard, diamond-shaped scales, with a very long, narrow beak packed with needle-like teeth. It is olive to brown above, pale below, and has dark spots on its fins and rear body. Keepers like it because it is a living fossil that is hardy, gulps air at the surface and has a striking prehistoric look.

Care at a glance

Care level

Hard

Temperament

Semi

Adult size

100 cm

Temperature

10 to 28 °C

pH

6.5 to 8

Smallest tank

3000 litres

Keep as

Alone or in a small group of similar-sized gars

Diet

Carnivore: fish, prawns, earthworms and quality sinking or floating carnivore pellets

Swims

Top of the tank

Lifespan

15 to 20 years

Water

Freshwater

Wild range

Eastern North America: Great Lakes and Mississippi basins, Atlantic and Gulf slope drainages from Quebec to Texas and northern Mexico

Breeding

In the wild it spawns over gravel shallows in spring, and the toxic, sticky eggs are scattered with no parental care. Breeding in home aquariums is almost unknown because the fish is so large and needs seasonal cues.

Good to know

Adults often grow past 1 m and can reach about 2 m, so only very large tanks or ponds are suitable, and anything small enough to swallow will be eaten. Many places restrict gars, for example Australia, parts of Asia and some US states, and the roe is poisonous if eaten.