Just got a new Ray and have a question or two

tommyoneleg

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jun 3, 2013
7
0
0
Binghamton, NY
I was at my LFS and a guy dropped him off so I took him home, always wanted one and I felt I had to save him. He just started eating after a few days, feed him raw shrimp, frozen krill, and worms (seen him eat a feeder that is for the other fish)

My questions are what type is he and what type of sand/gravel would be best to put on the bottom of half my tank.

He is in a 180gl with two 13/15 inch Florida gars, one Medium Oscar and a IR shark.

Water changes are done each week.

I am new on here so be nice, just trying to learn about my ray.

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FishDog

Bronze Tier VIP
MFK Member
Jan 2, 2008
3,553
38
831
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B.G. KY
Looks like a reticulatus or retic as some call them. If that is your 180 then the ray looks to be 10" and at that size if it was a male you would see claspers but looks like a female since it does not. It will be fine on that rock you have but personally I would swap it out. Rays like to blow into substrate and dig if they are not on bare bottom. That rock is too large for them to do that. Swap it out for fine aquarium gravel or torpedo beach sand. Cheapest place to get torpedo I have found is petco online. Sounds like it is eating so you have the hard part licked. I would recommend a light base substrate. At this point just enjoy it and do not do anything silly, let the ray settle a couple of months keep water clean and keep it fed.

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spotfin

Silver Tier VIP
MFK Member
Jan 2, 2006
4,716
900
900
Maine
Looks like a retic ray, and a big one at that if your 180 gal tank is 24" wide. I would replace the gravel with sand, perhaps pool filter sand or one of the CaribSea aquarium sands. Keep a close eye on the ammonia cycle if/when you replace the gravel as lots of bacteria will be lost with the gravel. I would also find alternate foods for your other fishes as well.
 

dxdx

Fire Eel
MFK Member
Jan 26, 2010
1,111
4
68
NJ, USA
I would definitely change out the rocks with sand. Pool filter sand is cheap and relatively clean.


One important thing you must do is cover any heater inside the tank. They ray WILL burn itself if you have an exposed heater. An easy fix is to get a pvc pipe a little longer and bigger than the heater and drill a bunch of tiny holes in it and slip it over the heater. This will allow the water to flow through and heat, but the ray cannot touch the heater.
 

tommyoneleg

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jun 3, 2013
7
0
0
Binghamton, NY
Thanks - I will cover the heater today and will be changing over the gravel soon, Thanks for the quick response and I love my ray always wanted one and now I have one.
 

RayFanatic2014

Gambusia
MFK Member
Sep 28, 2014
230
7
18
Mount Prospect, Illinois
Congrats and welcome to the great world of Rays. They are the best aquarium species to have. They have large appetites and produce a lot of waste. You will need some really good filtration and a wide variety of foods. If they have this they will grow large quickly. You might want to consider a larger tank, the wider the better. Good luck and enjoy.
 
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