Fellow exotic pet enthusiasts! I’ve had an alligator gar for a while now, and I just captured one of its most exciting feeding sessions with live mealworms. These predator fish are incredible to observe, especially when they’re hunting.
I’m excited to share the video and would love to hear your thoughts on feeding techniques for predator fish. Do any of you offer live food to your fish? How do you handle their diet? I’d appreciate any tips from experienced fish keepers
Oh man, I’d love to see that video! Alligator gars are beasts when it comes to feeding. I don’t have one, but I’ve got a peacock bass, and it’s very similar—crazy aggressive during meals. I usually feed it live minnows and occasionally crickets. I’ve heard mealworms are great too, but haven’t tried them yet. Do you ever give your gar larger prey?
I keep predatory fish too! I’ve got an arowana, and I switch up its diet between live feeders and some frozen stuff like shrimp. I’ve read that it’s good to mix up live and frozen food to ensure they get balanced nutrition and avoid being too reliant on live prey. Have you noticed any health benefits or issues with your gar feeding primarily on live worm
Alligator gars are impressive! I have a snakehead, and its feeding style is similar. I like feeding live insects, but I always make sure they’re gut-loaded so they’re as nutritious as possible. Have you tried gut-loading your mealworms with something like fruits or grains before feeding? It can give your fish better nutrients. Also, be careful with live feedings—they can get messy, and sometimes it’s hard to ensure the prey isn’t carrying parasites.
I don’t keep freshwater predators, but my lionfish is a top predator in my saltwater tank. I use live feeder shrimp and sometimes silversides. Watching them hunt is fascinating. Do you find the gar shows different behavior when you offer different types of prey? I’ve noticed my lionfish reacts very differently depending on what I feed.
Thanks for all the responses! I do occasionally feed larger prey, like minnows, but mealworms seem to keep him active and interested. I’ve never tried gut-loading the worms, but that sounds like a great idea—especially since I want to ensure he’s getting the best nutrients