Alternative Ray Diets - Collective Brainstorm?

[Zoodiver]

... now im looking into new set ups as some people on here know of... my one pond im designing will be pretty deep with a shallow end that will be lit with metal halides and allow the rays to bask there... i have been wondering about uvb bulbs(maybe use zoomed powersun) for the basking area? any thoughts?

I've had the healthiest rays and most breeding success with shallow pools and natural day light. My favorite ranged from 12" deep to 3' deep. It used both high flow areas, and protected slower current areas, some full sun, some shaded.
Second best setups have used sunlight replication style bulbs.
I think you are onto something with going after a varied depth pool with good lights.

 

[severum1]

I believe if you keep your animals in a most natural as possible setup you will be rewarded for that.

Regards

 

[Nic]

I've had the healthiest rays and most breeding success with shallow pools and natural day light. My favorite ranged from 12" deep to 3' deep. It used both high flow areas, and protected slower current areas, some full sun, some shaded.
Second best setups have used sunlight replication style bulbs.
I think you are onto something with going after a varied depth pool with good lights.

What bulbs were you using??? i was thinking of using my sunsystem set up... rotating hanger that will hold 4 reflectors... i was thinking of trying 1 halide and 1 hps? i can add more if needed......... im also torn on this uvb idea and if tis would be better? i would love to use sunlight but this is not a option right now.. maybe in the future.. i can even substitute flourescent uvb... but then comes the power sun bulbs??? any feedback?

I believe if you keep your animals in a most natural as possible setup you will be rewarded for that.

Regards

i agree 100% with you

 

[Nic]

Matt those are about the dimensions i was thinking as well but i was also wondering about coming up to about 6" of water as well...

 

[FireMedic]

I have been utilizing a very dynamic feeding schedule with a diverse array of foods.

I never feed the same amount to each ray, nor the same food. I also will "fast" one or more of them for half a day to 1.5 days then feed generously. I try my best to partially mimic the feest and famine found in the wilds.

I rotate daily, weekly, monthly between frozen, farm raised shrimp, nightcrawlers, smelt, krill and a very specialized customized, commercial trout chow. Actually I have not been able to see the ingredients, percentages etc. All I know is that I showed my PHD Aquacultrue friend a bag of Hakari Massivore and three days later he produced eight pounds of this pellitized chow.

A little amateur science here:
I have noticed that since the introduction of frozen shrimp and this "chow" the barbs shed by the rays are much, much more dense and firm. Previous to these foods the barbs were rather flimsy and easily bent. They also tended to be kinda malformed ex: blunted, serrations absent.
Now they are a force to behold.
Respectfully,
FireMedic.

P.S: I will get the low-down on this chow and post it.

 

[ronin_man]

i try and do the same thing most of the time with my ray, i never feed at the same time during the day and never feed the same amount. but right now i am trying to get him eating different foods, such as smelt, pellets and what not, he eats blood worms, live black worms, krill, live ghost/grass shrimp and just got him eating shrimp from the grocery store, once i get him eating the smelt and pellets i will be alternating all the time.

very interested to hear more about this "chow"... post up the analysis of it if you can get the info from your friend, im kind of wondering how he came up with and created this chow in 3 days, let us know how he went about making it if you can get specific product and chemical information from him.

 

[Zoodiver]

What bulbs were you using??? i was thinking of using my sunsystem set up... rotating hanger that will hold 4 reflectors... i was thinking of trying 1 halide and 1 hps? i can add more if needed......... im also torn on this uvb idea and if tis would be better? i would love to use sunlight but this is not a option right now.. maybe in the future.. i can even substitute flourescent uvb... but then comes the power sun bulbs??? any feedback?

I've used Sun System before on my reefs and really like their set ups. I would go with them again (on a ray display) if I could.

 

[Nic]

go 50/50 halide and hps??? or should i look into the powersun bulbs and UVB spectrum light as well???

 

[FireMedic]

Mr Fischer is out of town hunting in Utah for three weeks. The ingredients in the chow won't be available till then.

He has the chow on hand at his facility. The three days it took him to give some to me was the time he spent studying the Hikari pellets. I did not mean to imply that he created the chow in three days. Sorry if I did.

 

[Zoodiver]

go 50/50 halide and hps??? or should i look into the powersun bulbs and UVB spectrum light as well???

I like both.

But UVB (and other UV variations) are nice for natural replication.