is there a good starter ray that is affordable in price and doesnt grow huge? what'll be the min tank size for one?
cheap,affordable small starter ray?
- Thread starter iLIVE4ThIs0309
- Start date
The best starter ray would be a motoro, but they grow very large, and is not what you are looking for.
A really good small ray, which I like a lot are true histrix rays. They stay fairly small, and can stay in a 180gl for life. Unfortunatly they come from Brazil, and they are hard to come by now a days due to the ban. You can still find them occasionally though cause some are cought in columbia.
Your best option at this point would be a reticulata. They are on the smaller size, like histrix, about 15in for a big female. The only down side is thier long tails and you need a tank about 2.5' wide cause that would be optimal for them. Unless their tails have been broken off at some point then a 180 would be fine.
Most people say small retics are hard to take care of, I didn't find them hard at all, so I would suggest one of these for you. They are fairly cheap and are easy to come by. If you just do your reasearch and find a healthy one you shouldn't have any problems.
A really good small ray, which I like a lot are true histrix rays. They stay fairly small, and can stay in a 180gl for life. Unfortunatly they come from Brazil, and they are hard to come by now a days due to the ban. You can still find them occasionally though cause some are cought in columbia.
Your best option at this point would be a reticulata. They are on the smaller size, like histrix, about 15in for a big female. The only down side is thier long tails and you need a tank about 2.5' wide cause that would be optimal for them. Unless their tails have been broken off at some point then a 180 would be fine.
Most people say small retics are hard to take care of, I didn't find them hard at all, so I would suggest one of these for you. They are fairly cheap and are easy to come by. If you just do your reasearch and find a healthy one you shouldn't have any problems.
I hate to break it to you but you are starting with the wrong idea of ray keeping. No matter what species rays are large, expensive, and on the difficult side of fish keeping. The price of the fish themselve tend to be high.....$50 at the cheapest. The cost of feeding is high, the cost of the equipment is high.
If you want to get into ray keeping you must know that it wont be cheap, they wont stay small, and it wont be easy. Plain and simple.
If you want to get into ray keeping you must know that it wont be cheap, they wont stay small, and it wont be easy. Plain and simple.
JD7.62;482400; said:
I agree
i have spent alot of money over the past few years on keeping rays food monthly 100
electricity bill monthly 280
new tank 6000 etc.........
enjoying my rays priceless
but everyone has to start somewhere i started with a hystrix in a 120 and it just went up from there to a 240 now a 500 gallon
I, like Brent, started "small" (actually Im still in the small phase). But starting small in ray keeping is actually starting big for your average aquarist. LoL starting small means starting with a 6ft tank!
Dont get me wrong rays seriously kick ass but I would advise against it unless you are willing to spend $500+ to get started and then literally thousands more in the next few years on tank/pond upgrades and food! Im only 20 and work part time and I can still manage but Im fortunate enough to not have to pay for insurance and alot of other bills so....I guess what Im saying ray keeping isnt a hobby. Its practically a life style!
Dont get me wrong rays seriously kick ass but I would advise against it unless you are willing to spend $500+ to get started and then literally thousands more in the next few years on tank/pond upgrades and food! Im only 20 and work part time and I can still manage but Im fortunate enough to not have to pay for insurance and alot of other bills so....I guess what Im saying ray keeping isnt a hobby. Its practically a life style!
