Hi I just bought a 150 gallon fish tank. The measurements are 6 ' wide X 18" deep X 28 3/4" high. For filtration I have a cascade 1200 canister filter and two aquaclear 110 H.O.B's. Is this set up an ok grow out tank for 2 small (5-6") motoros, I'm looking at motoros but I would prefer marbled motoros. There will be no other tank mates. Once the rays get to large they will be moved to a pond. so is this an ok grow out tank? Thanks
Is my setup ok for a couple of rays
- Thread starter stingray94
- Start date
Yes,you will probably be able to keep those rays in that size tank for about a year to a year and ahalf.
people will tell you its on the small side to keep them in for life.. but I know people on here keep 4-6 inch pups in tanks as small as 75g and wouldnt say its too small at all for a growout, which like already stated would buy you a year or so of time.
I think tank size to start with has alot to do with experience and knowledge..
If you know what your doing, putting multiple rays temporarily in a tank of 75-90 gallon isn't a huge issue.
Most people are just starting out, are thinking more long-term, and are likely not understanding the absolute need for proper maintenance that rays require.
It's so much easier to give people advice to set them up for success.. Most people will tell you a 'teacup' or juvie ray can live in a 75g fine, just to not be detouring.. Sadly, this advice often leads to the premature death of a ray.. and most die-hard raykeepers would rather set people up for success, allowing them to become more passionate about the hobby, and become enthralled to the point of breeding and re-contributing to the community..
Stingrays have a huge amount of fluid exchange due to the way their osmoregulation system works. The larger volume of water you work with, the less the ammonia spikes will become an issue. This is why most people fail with anything less than 90g.
150g is a great size, and the water volume is ideal for the rays your looking for.. Just keep in mind even a juvie ray is 12" total length and 18" is not alot of turning space for an animal that needs alot of wide open space. The added height of the 150 compared to a 125 if great for water quality, but having a 2 foot wide tank makes a huge difference in the long run.
I strongly believe in 'acute' stress, a small amount of stress over a long period of time.. This causes the immune system to become compromised, and secondary issues that would potentially not be fatal (ammonia spike) could push this sensitive animal over the brink. Having the ray's swimming space only be a few inches longer than the total length of the animal would cause 'acute' stress, IMO..
It's a great start..
especially if you only plan on having JUST rays in the tank. I would imagine you will be fine for a few years.. but seriously, the bigger the tank the easier everything is in the ray world.
If you know what your doing, putting multiple rays temporarily in a tank of 75-90 gallon isn't a huge issue.
Most people are just starting out, are thinking more long-term, and are likely not understanding the absolute need for proper maintenance that rays require.
It's so much easier to give people advice to set them up for success.. Most people will tell you a 'teacup' or juvie ray can live in a 75g fine, just to not be detouring.. Sadly, this advice often leads to the premature death of a ray.. and most die-hard raykeepers would rather set people up for success, allowing them to become more passionate about the hobby, and become enthralled to the point of breeding and re-contributing to the community..
Stingrays have a huge amount of fluid exchange due to the way their osmoregulation system works. The larger volume of water you work with, the less the ammonia spikes will become an issue. This is why most people fail with anything less than 90g.
150g is a great size, and the water volume is ideal for the rays your looking for.. Just keep in mind even a juvie ray is 12" total length and 18" is not alot of turning space for an animal that needs alot of wide open space. The added height of the 150 compared to a 125 if great for water quality, but having a 2 foot wide tank makes a huge difference in the long run.
I strongly believe in 'acute' stress, a small amount of stress over a long period of time.. This causes the immune system to become compromised, and secondary issues that would potentially not be fatal (ammonia spike) could push this sensitive animal over the brink. Having the ray's swimming space only be a few inches longer than the total length of the animal would cause 'acute' stress, IMO..
It's a great start..
especially if you only plan on having JUST rays in the tank. I would imagine you will be fine for a few years.. but seriously, the bigger the tank the easier everything is in the ray world.Thanks everybody for the helpful responses. The pond is not yet built, I was going to see how much I liked the rays and if I wanted to keep more difficult rays than I will build a larger pond than if I wanted to just keep the pair of motoros. I know that this tank will only be an okay growout tank and I'm only going to keep them in this tank for 1-2 years and then I will put them in a pond. I think with all of the filtration and large weekly waterchanges that I will be ok for a while. Thanks
you will be fine with weekly large water changes for about a year they are addicting 2 can turn to 6 real quick pond wise look into 6' diameter or a 8x4 foot print