Dasyatis sabina -- Atlantic Rays -- Anyone keep them?
- Thread starter PinkLady
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Awesome, thanks for the advice guys. I'll go pick up some seafood from the market today. I'm assuming they like their diet varied? Do I need to add any kind of supplements to make sure gets everything she needs in terms of vitamins? I couldn't really find any info on this topic relating to Atlantics.
What about providing stimulation, would it help keep her busy to bury a few pieces just under the sand for her to find and dig out like she naturally would? I realize that by keeping her in a big glass tank, it's not exactly natural, I just know that they're intelligent creatures and don't want her to get too bored or complacent. I can tell she's interested and curious about things because whenever I have a net or the siphon in there, she comes up and touches it with her nose and her mouth and feels all around it, checking it out to see what it is. I thought she might like to search for food and use her senses.
I bought two new filters and put both on, so the total water replacement rate is 1000gph, 500 each filter. I put a nitrate/nitrite absorbing material in one of them to help make sure there are no spikes. I put one on each side so that the tank is evenly covered and the water flow is good. I'm guessing that this will be enough aeration and I can take out the bubble stick I have in there (she just runs into the tube all the time anyway). I check the water stats every day and everything is good -- the water hardness came down due to the salt, so that's awesome. Too bad I can't add that stuff to my shower water.
Sorry if I ask too many questions and double-check stuff too much. It's just hard to find info on these guys on the net and I want to make sure I'm doing everything right for her. She's not "just a fish" to me, she's kind of like having a snake or something that really has specific care requirements and I want to make sure she's safe, comfortable, and healthy. Some people my age smoke, drink, go to clubs, etc. -- my hobby is my animals, and that's what I enjoy spending time caring for and working with. In addition to the new stingray I also have 7 rescue cats that are spoiled rotten, 2 purebred German Shepherds that we take to K-9 and Schutzhund training, a leopard gecko that was near death before I got him, a carpet python that no one wanted because he's nippy, and a rescued ball python that was practically starved and left to die from malnutrition and mouth/scale rot. I put a lot of energy into our non-human family members, I enjoy every second I get to spend doing something for them. So "Macy" isn't any different, whatever I can do to make sure she has a good life and proper aquatic environment is my goal. Plus she's just way freakin' cool and I'm proud of her.
What about providing stimulation, would it help keep her busy to bury a few pieces just under the sand for her to find and dig out like she naturally would? I realize that by keeping her in a big glass tank, it's not exactly natural, I just know that they're intelligent creatures and don't want her to get too bored or complacent. I can tell she's interested and curious about things because whenever I have a net or the siphon in there, she comes up and touches it with her nose and her mouth and feels all around it, checking it out to see what it is. I thought she might like to search for food and use her senses.
I bought two new filters and put both on, so the total water replacement rate is 1000gph, 500 each filter. I put a nitrate/nitrite absorbing material in one of them to help make sure there are no spikes. I put one on each side so that the tank is evenly covered and the water flow is good. I'm guessing that this will be enough aeration and I can take out the bubble stick I have in there (she just runs into the tube all the time anyway). I check the water stats every day and everything is good -- the water hardness came down due to the salt, so that's awesome. Too bad I can't add that stuff to my shower water.
Sorry if I ask too many questions and double-check stuff too much. It's just hard to find info on these guys on the net and I want to make sure I'm doing everything right for her. She's not "just a fish" to me, she's kind of like having a snake or something that really has specific care requirements and I want to make sure she's safe, comfortable, and healthy. Some people my age smoke, drink, go to clubs, etc. -- my hobby is my animals, and that's what I enjoy spending time caring for and working with. In addition to the new stingray I also have 7 rescue cats that are spoiled rotten, 2 purebred German Shepherds that we take to K-9 and Schutzhund training, a leopard gecko that was near death before I got him, a carpet python that no one wanted because he's nippy, and a rescued ball python that was practically starved and left to die from malnutrition and mouth/scale rot. I put a lot of energy into our non-human family members, I enjoy every second I get to spend doing something for them. So "Macy" isn't any different, whatever I can do to make sure she has a good life and proper aquatic environment is my goal. Plus she's just way freakin' cool and I'm proud of her.
I wouldn't burry food, if she doens't get it, you'll end up with a big ammonia spike.
A varied diet is best. For supplements, it will depend on what foods you are getting to her. She'll need calcium (like clam or krill will offer), idodine and B1 (thiamine).
Mazuri makes a great shark/ray vitamin supplement you could look into if you tink you aren't feeding enough of a mixed diet.
A varied diet is best. For supplements, it will depend on what foods you are getting to her. She'll need calcium (like clam or krill will offer), idodine and B1 (thiamine).
Mazuri makes a great shark/ray vitamin supplement you could look into if you tink you aren't feeding enough of a mixed diet.
Just posting an update! Macy is still doing really great, she loves eating raw fresh shrimp but turned her nose up at scallops, so I'm going to look for some other things she might like. Haven't tried redworms yet but the bait shop has them so I'll get a container. If she doesn't eat them, I know my geckos will. I'm assuming these rays probably ate off of dead fish bodies on the bottom too, so are there any types of fish that she might like? How do I know if I'm feeding her enough vs. too much? Where can I find that Mazuri shark/ray diet and do you think she'd readily take it if I mixed it with shrimp and made it smell like it?
The added filtration did wonders for the sand issue, the water is crystal clear now. It's neat to see how she roots around in it and kind of aquascapes her own design in the sand, she makes hills and valleys everywhere. When I do water changes I even it all out again and she goes right back to work. I think she's starting to recognize me as the food-provider because when I come over, she comes up to the top, but doesn't do it for anyone else. It's pretty cool.
So here's a couple pics, it's REALLY hard to get pics of her because of how quick she is and the angle/reflection of the glass...plus she's always all sandy. LOL!
Munch munch munch...
The added filtration did wonders for the sand issue, the water is crystal clear now. It's neat to see how she roots around in it and kind of aquascapes her own design in the sand, she makes hills and valleys everywhere. When I do water changes I even it all out again and she goes right back to work. I think she's starting to recognize me as the food-provider because when I come over, she comes up to the top, but doesn't do it for anyone else. It's pretty cool.
So here's a couple pics, it's REALLY hard to get pics of her because of how quick she is and the angle/reflection of the glass...plus she's always all sandy. LOL!
Munch munch munch...
She is looking good. Just go to the market and pick up some type of fillets, such as
white perch, whiting or something of that ilk. Cut it up into small pieces and give it a try.
If she doesn't take to it then you can always eat it.
white perch, whiting or something of that ilk. Cut it up into small pieces and give it a try.
If she doesn't take to it then you can always eat it.
I added a Marineland C-530 canister filter and created a steady current by placing the intake on one end of the tank and the output on the opposite end. I also replaced the bio-ball level with 2" of ammonia chips (turned MacGuyver for a minute and used non-bleached coffee filters to cover the bottom so it wouldn't fall through the slats to the level below it). Flow is perfect and it did wonders for the nitrite levels and the last remaining cloudyness from the sand! The top level of the canister still has the ceramic bio-media and my other two filters on the back of the tank have inserts over the outflow to grow pos. bacteria, so that's still all covered. So, now total filtration is at 1530gph on a 125g tank. This should keep her happy and cut my water changes down to 75% once per week or 50% 2 times per week. She seems to be happier with the increased water flow, I catch her cruising and sticking her "face" in the stream from the output. I skipped a day of feeding and tried scallops again to see if she would take them if she was hungry enough, and she shredded them & made a mess, but didn't eat them. Talk about playing with your food! LOL! She did like the redworms though so now she's on those + shrimp. Would she be able to appropriately live on that or does she need more variation still? I kept some worms to start raising my own so I have control over what the worms eat, thus what nutrients they would pass to her.
I never thought a fish would be more work or more expensive than my German Shepherd, but she's seriously worth every dollar and every minute spent. I made my dad jealous (Mr. I've-Been-Keeping-Fish-For-20-Years).
I never thought a fish would be more work or more expensive than my German Shepherd, but she's seriously worth every dollar and every minute spent. I made my dad jealous (Mr. I've-Been-Keeping-Fish-For-20-Years).
