Should I get a Ray?

[ragin_cajun]

I have a 540 Gallon tank full of Vieja. 125 Gallon sump with Max-Flo 2400's and 12 Liters of Pond Matrix. Drip 40 GPD fresh water through a 3 stage chlorine filter from Filter Guys. pH is 7.8. Temp is 79 degrees.

My tank big enough? Do I have enough filtration to keep up with a couple of stingrays?

How often do I feed em? Can they skip a couple days? I work outta town alot.

Do they scratch up acrylic tanks?

Do they shed their barbs? If so, what do you do with them after they fall off? Dangerous to the rays if you don't find 'em?

Do they fight?

How expensive are they?

 

[ragin_cajun]

And where exactly is the barb? If the stingray is on his belly, right side up, eyes up, on his tail, I've seen videos showing 2 things look like barbs sticking up almost to the end of the tail. Is that the barb? There's two of them? And what's the "sheath"?

 

[vamptrev]

Sounds like your tank and filtration should be pretty good... May not get along with vieja though

Yes they will slowly scratch the acrylic but they are well worth it

 

[MHDevelopments]

Judging by your tank and filtration spec I'm sure you know what you're doing fish keeping wise.
Take the plunge and get a ray.
So much info on this forum that will help you decide.

 

[ragin_cajun]

I'm seriously considering it. I just don't think I can manage it with my travel for work. It's no problem to let Vieja go a couple days without eating, in case the wife and kids forget. But it's sounding like feeding rays is a little more demanding than that?

 

[SandNukka15]

Get rid of the vieja and get more rays l8l

 

[vamptrev]

Rays need to eat at least once per day for the most part. If you were to skip about 3 days in a row, they would get rely aggressive, start biting eachother a little and deff be trying to eat tankmates a little

 

[festaedan]

I havnt had great luck keeping larger cichlids (other than peacock bass and severums) with rays. It might work though.
I would start with a motoro, they are relatively inexpensive and very hardy. The perfect beginner ray.
I would feed them daily or twice daily if you can. The longest my rays have gone without eating was 48 hours, and that was really pushing it. If you can get a "fish sitter" to come and feed them, they should be fine.
Your tank and filtration are defenitely good enough and they shouldnt scratch up the acrylic so the tank itself is good.
They do shed their barbs and normally they'll just get burried in the sand were it would be hard for the rays to hurt themselves. Even if its barebottom, the rays probably wont get hurt on the shedded barb. You should still take it out if you see one.
They do fight sometimes. My male will harass my female around feeding time and he's taken out chunks of her disk.