Here is my fish and tank setup. Need advice for a newbie.

[CyberPunk]

Thanks for the awesome advice everyone!!!! I am learning a lot here! So here is my game plan now, please let me know what you all think.

I am going to see what the pricing is on a 300 gallon tank at the fish store tomorrow. I will then fill it with RO water and sand and let it sit for a month before moving everyone in the 75 over to it. I will then move the fish form the 55 into the 75.

I read online at one place the recommended was 180 gallon tank for the stingray, but I am guessing they are under estimating to sell more fish????

If I had a 300 would I be OK with a second stingray to possibly get some pupps?

Any recommendations on how to brake the new tank in?

Any recommendations at all?

Also, how do you clean your tanks with sand substrate? I have an aquarium vacuum I use now but it says it dosent recommend using it on sand.

 

[snella]

do you have any experience keeping a motoro ?
such a fish needs a big aqua . do you know that he will be 95 cm big ? disk only !
and if you feed him well ?? , and as he is in such a small aqua ,they realy ****s so much ,
that you have to change your wather every day....

i,m not always negative , but this is not ferry animal frendly i think.....
first learn about what kind of fish you buy, or want to .
then see if you have the money to keep it...
stingray,s are exspencive too keep, the big aqua they need, and don,t forget al the food they eat...., big pumps are needed .... so expencive fish ,
(buying one motoro is not expencive)

greetings peter

 

[Dobsie]

Thanks for the awesome advice everyone!!!! I am learning a lot here! So here is my game plan now, please let me know what you all think.

I am going to see what the pricing is on a 300 gallon tank at the fish store tomorrow. I will then fill it with RO water and sand and let it sit for a month before moving everyone in the 75 over to it. I will then move the fish form the 55 into the 75.

I read online at one place the recommended was 180 gallon tank for the stingray, but I am guessing they are under estimating to sell more fish????

If I had a 300 would I be OK with a second stingray to possibly get some pupps?

Any recommendations on how to brake the new tank in?

Any recommendations at all?

Also, how do you clean your tanks with sand substrate? I have an aquarium vacuum I use now but it says it dosent recommend using it on sand.

http://www.fishtanksdirect.com/300gallonrectangularaquarium-96x24x30.aspx tank dimensions are 96x24x30

http://www.fishtanksdirect.com/300gallonrectangularaquarium-120x24x24.aspx tank dimensions are 120x24x24

Thats a starting point and the price includes shipping already into it. Just look around and find the best fist for you. Anything 150 gallons and above Acrylic is the better option since its lighter with a 300 gallon tank it takes four really strong guys to put in place or six average guys. Forget about lifting a glass tank that size. Craigslist always has a few hidden gems just be shore to look it over very carefully before you buy. Hope that helps.

 

[MonsterMinis]

Motoros are "average" rays. I'm not a keeper of them myself atm.. because honestly.. I don't have the space for a 8' long 3' deep tank (min reccomendation of most the ray keepers I've talked to) So no.. adding another ray if you get a 300gal would not be wise. Most places reccomend 180's for teacup rays ( which are very delicate rays, and I've seen some adults.. I wouldn't stuff into a 180 personally). Most Motoro owners who listen to the 180 rule end up w/out a ray very fast.

using a gravel vac w/ sand.. is an art.. lol.. just have to be careful, and move slow and get a feel for it. standard Aquarium gravel is very detrimental to your Rays disc, and your fire eels and TT's bodies. I'de pull it all out asap, and leave the tank barebottom before i'de leave the gravel in. I wouldn't pull it all out at once either. w/ weekly WC's take out 25-50% of it per water change, just suck it right out w/ the vac.

To cycle a new tank, w/ fish to move. I will pull my old filter off the tank, and slap it onto the new tank. no cleaning ect. acclimate your fish to the new water, and put them in. run the old filters along w/ the new one for the first month, slowly pulling the old bio-media from the old one and putting it into the new one. It's abit more "work" then some other ways, but I've never lost a fish with this method. The effect is you are "moving" your bacteria colony from one filter to another. disturbances to the colony kill bacteria to some degree. So a gradual "move" w/ your filters on the same tank ensure the best water quality you can maintain w/out cycleing your tank. You can also do a "fishless cycle" by dosing the tank w/ ammonia. It really depends on how fast your fish are growing and how poor your water quality is being maintained w/ WC's ect.

and as much as I hate to say it, I'de look at your stock, and take back what you're not absolutely in love with to help keep your fish you do want to keep healthier. You are waaaay overstocked. cutting back is the best way to ensure what you do have will survive. You can always add more later potentially (taking into account tank sizes ect). And make educated decisions on tank-mates for your pets. but as they say.. You jumped into the deep end of the pool.

from what I see your ray and eels will be your hardest keepers (feeding wise, water quality wise) Discus are deffinately up there. and the BGK. Many of your others are fairly easy keepers given the right size tanks, and standard care.

BTW Welcome to MFK. There is plenty of good information on this site, Just need to sit down and read threw it all

And you can never over filter your tank.. but you can blow them around to much

 

[flipstylex]

midas will kill all your fish IMO.

 

[CyberPunk]

http://www.fishtanksdirect.com/300gallonrectangularaquarium-96x24x30.aspx tank dimensions are 96x24x30

http://www.fishtanksdirect.com/300gallonrectangularaquarium-120x24x24.aspx tank dimensions are 120x24x24

Thats a starting point and the price includes shipping already into it. Just look around and find the best fist for you. Anything 150 gallons and above Acrylic is the better option since its lighter with a 300 gallon tank it takes four really strong guys to put in place or six average guys. Forget about lifting a glass tank that size. Craigslist always has a few hidden gems just be shore to look it over very carefully before you buy. Hope that helps.

Thanks for the links! Unfortianetly it looks as though their site is down. Can you tell me what the prices where on those tanks?

Thanks!

 

[CyberPunk]

midas will kill all your fish IMO.

Yeah, I have him going in his own 75 gallon tank for the time being. Well him and the 3 other smaller cichlids. He only seems to mess with the other fish if they swim into his tree stump where he hides most of the time. But your right, he is a big bully.

 

[CyberPunk]

Oh hey everyone. One question real fast.

Well the 300 gallon tanks are super expensive! $1800 is what my local guy quoted me.

But he will sell me a 220 gallon glass tank for $660 with a stand and a matching canopy.

I don't have the exact dementions but it is a little over 8 feet wide, so its not a deep tank but a long tank.


Will this tank be good enough for them for the next year or two till I have the funds to get a larger setup?

I know it can't be worse then them being stuck in a 75 gallon!

Also, I have 3 canister filters that filter 378 gallons and hour and say they are good for 100 gallon tanks. If I have all 3 of them on the 220 will that be enough filtration?

I know its a freshwater tank but would building a sump be a better idea then the canister filters? Maybe sump and the canisters too?

Thanks!

 

[CyberPunk]

Motoros are "average" rays. I'm not a keeper of them myself atm.. because honestly.. I don't have the space for a 8' long 3' deep tank (min reccomendation of most the ray keepers I've talked to) So no.. adding another ray if you get a 300gal would not be wise. Most places reccomend 180's for teacup rays ( which are very delicate rays, and I've seen some adults.. I wouldn't stuff into a 180 personally). Most Motoro owners who listen to the 180 rule end up w/out a ray very fast.

using a gravel vac w/ sand.. is an art.. lol.. just have to be careful, and move slow and get a feel for it. standard Aquarium gravel is very detrimental to your Rays disc, and your fire eels and TT's bodies. I'de pull it all out asap, and leave the tank barebottom before i'de leave the gravel in. I wouldn't pull it all out at once either. w/ weekly WC's take out 25-50% of it per water change, just suck it right out w/ the vac.

To cycle a new tank, w/ fish to move. I will pull my old filter off the tank, and slap it onto the new tank. no cleaning ect. acclimate your fish to the new water, and put them in. run the old filters along w/ the new one for the first month, slowly pulling the old bio-media from the old one and putting it into the new one. It's abit more "work" then some other ways, but I've never lost a fish with this method. The effect is you are "moving" your bacteria colony from one filter to another. disturbances to the colony kill bacteria to some degree. So a gradual "move" w/ your filters on the same tank ensure the best water quality you can maintain w/out cycleing your tank. You can also do a "fishless cycle" by dosing the tank w/ ammonia. It really depends on how fast your fish are growing and how poor your water quality is being maintained w/ WC's ect.

and as much as I hate to say it, I'de look at your stock, and take back what you're not absolutely in love with to help keep your fish you do want to keep healthier. You are waaaay overstocked. cutting back is the best way to ensure what you do have will survive. You can always add more later potentially (taking into account tank sizes ect). And make educated decisions on tank-mates for your pets. but as they say.. You jumped into the deep end of the pool.

from what I see your ray and eels will be your hardest keepers (feeding wise, water quality wise) Discus are deffinately up there. and the BGK. Many of your others are fairly easy keepers given the right size tanks, and standard care.

BTW Welcome to MFK. There is plenty of good information on this site, Just need to sit down and read threw it all

And you can never over filter your tank.. but you can blow them around to much

I will for sure only keep one ray after reading your comment, thanks.

Yeah, they are expensive to keep for sure, they eat a lot! I am feeding her live blackworms and earth worms now and she eats them like crazy. If I feed her ghost shrimp she will gobble down 4 or 5 at a time without issues.

How much sand would you recommend using in this new 220 tank?
Do you think she will be ok in the 220 for the next year or two?

 

[aidenb]

if the 220 is 8' long there is no way it's wide enough for a ray. Motoros need atleast 3' front to back just to turn around. For a tank with proper dimensions for a motoro your looking at over 400 gallons.