Stingray in indoor pond

[pdiddy010]

my lfs is getting in a 1’ marble Motoro from a customer, and I’m planning on getting her, and putting her in my 400g indoor pond. It’s been about 5 years since I’ve kept rays anything I should be aware of? Has anyone kept rays in indoor ponds? Btw the pond has a 2’ longnose gar and a 1’ Florida gar.

 

[vader2nd]

I keep my male motoro who is about 1’ disc and my female Castexi which is also 1’ disc with a silver arowana in 700 gal pond. I am also grow out two other female rays in a 100 gal tank. Just make sure it is eating and keep an eye on the gars to make sure there is no aggression.

 

[fishguy306]

I kept a small group of rays in a pond, I hated it. Part of my issue was the depth, but it seemed to be issue after issue. My favorite day with that pond was the day I took it down.

 

[pdiddy010]

I kept a small group of rays in a pond, I hated it. Part of my issue was the depth, but it seemed to be issue after issue. My favorite day with that pond was the day I took it down.

What did you not like about the pond? I’ve my pond up for about 6 months now and everything has been going well.

 

[fishguy306]

I had two issues, one of which came from the first. Water depth was a big problem for me. It made it hard to see anything in the pond, especially if the pumps were on. I had used a premade pond that was nearly 3' deep, that was a mistake.

The depth led to the issue of it being difficult to circulate water properly. I was using so many powerheads and pumps, but just due to how much surface area it had it was hard to get consistent water flow, I'd end up with dead spots. On an 8' circular pond it is tough to reach all the areas to clean so if water isn't pushing the waste out it leads to issues.

 

[Coryloach]

The depth led to the issue of it being difficult to circulate water properly. I was using so many powerheads and pumps, but just due to how much surface area it had it was hard to get consistent water flow, I'd end up with dead spots. On an 8' circular pond it is tough to reach all the areas to clean so if water isn't pushing the waste out it leads to issues.

The number of powerheads and pumps is irrelevant if they're not positioned properly to create a circular flow. How were the outlets set up?

I have a small pond 240G which is almost 3f tall(2 3/4) and I can see all fish clearly....I have small fish, the biggest a 9-10 inch clown loach. I am surprised you could not see much bigger fish. I keep tiny harlequin rasboras as well and I can see them very well too, especially when they come over to the feeding side to beg for food. But I agree, an 8' would be hard to clean if you've got no access to all sides. Although on a circular pond you just need access to the middle as that's where waste goes if the flow is set up correctly.

Whether its a pond or a tank fish don't care but mine seem a lot happier in a black pond than they were in transparent glass. I think the round shape plays a very positive role too in my personal experience.

 

[pdiddy010]

I had two issues, one of which came from the first. Water depth was a big problem for me. It made it hard to see anything in the pond, especially if the pumps were on. I had used a premade pond that was nearly 3' deep, that was a mistake.

The depth led to the issue of it being difficult to circulate water properly. I was using so many powerheads and pumps, but just due to how much surface area it had it was hard to get consistent water flow, I'd end up with dead spots. On an 8' circular pond it is tough to reach all the areas to clean so if water isn't pushing the waste out it leads to issues.

my pond is only About a foot and a half deep at most. And yea it is kinda hard to get proper circulation. thanks for the reply.

 

[fishguy306]

The number of powerheads and pumps is irrelevant if they're not positioned properly to create a circular flow. How were the outlets set up?

I had several different styles, intakes for the filters were on one side of the pond, returns were on the other. Then had powerheads pushing water around in a circular pattern.

I have a small pond 240G which is almost 3f tall(2 3/4) and I can see all fish clearly....I have small fish, the biggest a 9-10 inch clown loach. I am surprised you could not see much bigger fish. I keep tiny harlequin rasboras as well and I can see them very well too, especially when they come over to the feeding side to beg for food. But I agree, an 8' would be hard to clean if you've got no access to all sides. Although on a circular pond you just need access to the middle as that's where waste goes if the flow is set up correctly.

Waste would end up in the middle, however even in the middle it was a nightmare trying to get it out. 8' diameter and nearly three feet deep put the middle bottom five or six feet away from me. Tough to get even with a long net. Plus any decorations would mess up flow, waste would collect behind any rocks or wood. 240 gal pond is a very different animal than a 1200 gal pond, using a 6000 GPH return pump I still wasn't getting proper flow.

As for seeing the fish, if there is any surface agitation you couldn't see them. Eventually I put a webcam underwater just so I could watch them.

Glad your pond is working out, I'm happy to hear that, but I am now a firm believer that ponds are not great for rays. With rays you need to stay on top of maintenance, make sure nothing is going wrong and actually see how they are acting. With a pond you get one view and it is the top. I might feel a bit different if the pond had a viewing window.

my pond is only About a foot and a half deep at most. And yea it is kinda hard to get proper circulation. thanks for the reply.

If I ever were to try again that is about all the deeper I would go. Extra water volume is nice but it just complicates things.

 

[Coryloach]

using a 6000 GPH return pump I still wasn't getting proper flow.

You need vertical flow as well as surface one in a circular tank to get the flow right. have two outlets blowing the surface and one vertical spraybar blowing from top to bottom along the side of the pond.

Yes, a 1200G is a different animal It would be hard to reach unless you have a long siphon tube of some sort....and even then...
Mine is pretty bare bottom wise to give more room for the loaches.. There's a couple of driftwood pieces and a few caves, pvc tube, etc.. I left the middle sort of empty to be able to siphon.

With rays you need to stay on top of maintenance, make sure nothing is going wrong and actually see how they are acting.

Although I don't keep rays, I am on top of things My fish are not less cared for just because they're not expensive I too watch how the fish behave to identify issues... As for surface flow, the point of it is to be moving, doesn't need to be looking like its boiling. A round tank has a lot bigger surface area than a rectangular tank of the same size, which is what is important for oxygen delivery, as long as the surface is moving and the pattern of the flow is distributed correctly.

 

[fishguy306]

Although I don't keep rays, I am on top of things My fish are not less cared for just because they're not expensive I too watch how the fish behave to identify issues... As for surface flow, the point of it is to be moving, doesn't need to be looking like its boiling. A round tank has a lot bigger surface area than a rectangular tank of the same size, which is what is important for oxygen delivery, as long as the surface is moving and the pattern of the flow is distributed correctly.

Sorry, I did not mean to imply you were not taking care of your fish, my apologies. I just mean rays tend to require care above and beyond about 90% of other fish, if not more.

With rays things can turn quickly, just viewing from the top it can be difficult to see this happen.

Like I said, if you are happy with your pond, that is great! I just hated mine and want to warn other potential ray owners of this. There are a lot of considerations for ponds that do not exist in tanks.