Motoro size, 30 inches? really?

[Zoodiver]

One thing to consider is what are we talking about when talking ray size - disc width or total length (including the tail).

I think space and time have a LOT to due with it. They grow fast up to a certain point, then slow down.
A few of the public aquariums I've worked for/with are examples of that. I've seen a few rays get HUGE. They were old and in systems over 100,000 or even 200,000 gallons.
Same holds true for other species. I've been in the water with tiger shovel nose that were almost as large as me. I've had a 5-6 ft arapaima that was only a couple of years old... they slow down once hitting that size, so it looks like they max out - even though they keep going.

 

[muskymayhem]

I wonder what's more important for max growth, water volume or water quality (and a sub question of what really matters when judging what quality)? Part off what leads me to this is that I have been told at Q&A sessions at a zoo that the nitrates in the zoo's tanks were likely much higher than almost all home aquariums. After all it's a little hard to do any significant water change on systems that can reach tens or hundreds of thousands of gallons. I believe some of the aquariums on the coast pull water straight from the ocean but the inland ones obviously can't do that. When I asked I was told they didn't use an algae scrubber or anything else for nitrates. Maybe Zoodiver has some insight?

 

[doubledragon]

I dont think anyone, or very few people actually keep them alive long enough to reach substantial size or max potential. Whos got a ray over 10-15yrs old even? I also believe not many have an appropriate tank to grow a ray that size. 500-1500 gal isnt enough volume to grow a ray that big imo...thats not that much space/water when it comes down to it. 8'x4'...10-12'x4' is a fart in the wind for a 30" fish imo. Granted some members come close with 20-24" rays in those footprints but id say they limit max sizes in home aquaria. Been a large catfish keeper pretty much my whole mfk existence and u cant get a cat over 30"-36" in the footprints ive listed. 500-1000 gal is a joke for a large catfish (rtc,tsn, - typical "monster cats") reported to hit 3-4'+. Where are they all lol? Even my 24-30" cats were unhappy in a "standard" ray tank 9'x4' footprint and stopped growing all together until being placed in a 12' diamater pool. Even then ive only reached the 36" mark on fish reported to grow much much larger. You guys need to up ur ray game if u want to see larger fish sizes lol...flame away i know, but keeping 3-6 rays or more in an 8'x4' will not produce a large fish due to water quality,hormones, lack of food for them all....etc... not saying its impossible but very unlikely given the circumstances. Theres a local zoo in Akron ohio with some of the largest reported motoros in captivity over 36" so there def. Out there... nothing can beat a very large volume of water and many years of time to achieve anything close to what these animals can hit in the wild. Just my 2 cents...dont hate on me too much lol... also i imagine motoros in the 24" or larger range kinda get lost since many cannot house them properly, they get put up for free and moved alot ultimatetly leading to their own demise.... ever seen a kid kept in a closet for half its life? They dont grow lol...sick sad world but it happens.
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Akron Zoo, yeah buddy.
I was thinking of them as I was reading this thread. There is like 6 or 7 Motoro females in there with no males. They are HUGE!!! They also have a ton of red devils in the setup and some turtles this year. It's amazing to see how big they are. I've never seen rays with that size...

 

[T1KARMANN]

I think water volume plays a big part

I grow pups in a 30x15 connected to my main tank and they grow rapid to a point where they are far to big for the tank I don't think that would happen in a stand alone 30x15


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[MHDevelopments]

I think water volume plays a big part

I grow pups in a 30x15 connected to my main tank and they grow rapid to a point where they are far to big for the tank I don't think that would happen in a stand alone 30x15


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Totally agree mate, clearly water volume, referring to the drip system, makes the difference on your pup tank


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[MHDevelopments]

Totally agree mate


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[T1KARMANN]

Totally agree mate, clearly water volume, referring to the drip system, makes the difference on your pup tank


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The drip is on the main tank and the pup tank is connected to the main tank

So really a 30x15" tank is a 1100 gal

If the 30x15 was a stand alone it would only be about 40gal and wouldn't be able to maintain pups to grow to the size they do with the massive water volume

So this shows it's not tank size that stunts them but water volume and quality


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