Keeping rays with other monster fish

[Oompa Loompa]

Just curious,

What keys to success have people found for keeping rays with larger monster fish? One example I am referring to is the Duketown Stingrays display tank, which is a large display with cichla, boesemani rays, plecos (panaques and L25), and a B. vailliantii catfish. They also have a section above the water which houses a caiman lizard.
H2O Aquatics had that 4000 gallon tank that Ohio Fish Rescue has now. He had black rays with dorado, datnoids, bass, arapaima, barramundi, arowanas, gars, lungs, and I'm sure I'm forgetting a few.

So my main question is how do people manage this? Nearly everything I have seen has said no to plecos and rays as the end-all verdict. I can't imagine large catfish and rays would be a good combination either - how would breeding be accomplished with that size fish in the tank?
Same as what goes for the larger catfish seems to go for cichla - wouldn't they simply outcompete the rays for food, and eat any pups they managed to find?
These tanks are wonderful displays, I just want to understand how they work a bit better.

I appreciate any feedback on this, it's been confusing to me.

Thank you
Drew

 

[rich81090]

the plec thing is hit and miss, I have never had an issues with plecs and rays, whereas others have.

generally if you have such large predatory fish together you would not try and breed rays in the same environment, so you would maybe keep all female rays.
However I have seen pups born in tanks with a 4ft catfish, either the catfish was well fed or just didn't see the tiny pups. I am not sure but they was still there the next morning when the owner separated them into a pups tank.

Rich

 

[Oompa Loompa]

vincentwugwg

 

[vincentwugwg]

Most of my breeding tanks (rays) dont have giant catfish in them.

 

[Oompa Loompa]

Most of my breeding tanks (rays) dont have giant catfish in them.

What have you been able to keep breeding rays with?