Feeding?

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
Keep them on Earthworms. Mix in tilapia and market shrimp cut up and soaked in cut up worms and juice. How quickly can you get your 180 up and running? Sooner the better.... the rays water quality will be alot more stable and less maintenance.

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pH - leave it. But. Do you know exactly what sand you have in that tank? It's possible it's increasing the pH if the tap pH is 7.6 and the tank is that much higher.

Do not add chemicals to stabilize or otherwise alter the pH.


As to the nitrite, kinda looks like it's at the top or off the chart. Although it sounds like the ammonia bacteria are almost getting ammonia under control now, the nitrite bacteria will still take a few more days to catch up (this is normal when a tank is cycling). You may yet get away with the filters you have once the bacteria catch up. In the meantime only water changes will reduce the reading and the salt should protect them. With the nitrite level that high, as soon as you trust your water supply, do as big a change as you can.

No need to switch to blackworms since you've found something bigger and easier that they'll take.

FX5 would be nice (try Craigslist or more usefully searchtempest.com) but the 180 would be nicer and the sooner you can set it up and cycle its filter (using bottled ammonia) the better.
 
Not sure of the brand of sand, but Mr. Misinformation at the LFS said we could go with freshwater or saltwater sand but that he recommended saltwater, and I believe the reason he gave me was because it provided a better pH for the rays.

My pH is back to normal this morning, 7.6. Ammonia is finally reading 0, but Nitrites are still at the highest. Gonna do a water change in a little while. You recommend another 50% as I have been doing, or less? Big ray still eating great, little one is eating, but still not that great. I can get probably a half a nightcrawler per feeding. I have been feeding 3 times a day. Big one eats a whole one each time.

Is that good?

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Yeah I guessed it might be saltwater sand. That guy's a frickin genius.

Yes to 50% change for nitrite but the sand is an annoyance factor because it's contributing hardness to the water that isn't there in the replacement water. I'd say 50% changes are your maximum because of that.

They're both eating so that's fine for now.
 
That sucks. I don't want to go with no sand, as I see almost all the other ray keepers on here do, because they LOVE to bury themselves in it. But changing out would probably be close to impossible. O guess I know for the big tank not to buy the saltwater sand :/



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Ya keep up the large water changes sounds like eating is not going to bad for them at all, worms are a great ray power food and as you can see they love them. lol, The filters might take a little to get settled and let the bio grow fully, hopefully over some time they will get the bio under control and help out with the water, but water changes are always needed, as you can tell they eat well and poop much different then other fish.
 
CaymanMoon said:
That sucks. I don't want to go with no sand, as I see almost all the other ray keepers on here do, because they LOVE to bury themselves in it. But changing out would probably be close to impossible. O guess I know for the big tank not to buy the saltwater sand :/



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Click to expand...

You can use your vacuum when you do water changes. I have done this before. Sucked into a 50 gallon yard tote sand settles then used an electric pump to pump the water into the sink. You can do a little each water change.

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I can absolutely get the sand out...np, removed the gravel b4 I got the rays in 15 minutes. ( Mr. Misinformed at LFS did teach me one thing right lol.) Putting new sand in would not be fun. Gonna keep an eye on the pH and see my options. It's only went super high that once, I'm home and about to tackle another huge water change by myself. I'll post new params when I finish.

Glad I waited til this afternoon to do the wc cuz I came home to a TON of lovely poop lol. Never thought I'd be so happy to see poop. Coming from the mother of 3 small kids, that says a lot lol!

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60% change

pH: 7.2-7.6
Ammonia: 0-0.25
Nitrites: 5.0+

Sigh. Replaced the salt after wc, so hopefully they will be ok. Keep doing at least 50% wc daily? Still active and eating well.

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Yup, water change water change water change. 's the only way. Just hope that the 2 filters will catch up at some point. Are you certain there isn't room to add the other Emperor alongside the AC? I'm too lazy to look up all the dimensions.
 
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