maybe?

[sbuse]

tank-10'x5'x3' future buil in like a yr...
stingray or rays not sure on a type
silver aro
florida gar
3 tsns
sa lungfish
lake sturgeon
paddlefish
dorado-maybe
payara-maybe
atf-maybe

tank-72"x24"x24"
until moved to above tank in a year or so
silver aro @15"
florida gar @10"
3 tsns @ 4" (now will be in this tank at 9")
staying in tank with ray
common pleco @13"
10" jd
stingray? perminent for this tank

fish i now have

fish listed in the 72" tank are my current stock list everything else i want and i want to add a stingray or few of them to the tank/ tanks
good...bad...ugly...with reasons please thanx in advanced...i posted somthing like this before but i had balas and tinfoils now foils-dead, balas-diff tank

 

[TheRealMacDaddy]

tank-10'x5'x3' future buil in like a yr...
stingray or rays not sure on a type
silver aro
florida gar
3 tsns
sa lungfish
lake sturgeon
paddlefish
dorado-maybe
payara-maybe
atf-maybe

tank-72"x24"x24"
until moved to above tank in a year or so
silver aro @15"
florida gar @10"
3 tsns @ 4" (now will be in this tank at 9")
staying in tank with ray
common pleco @13"
10" jd
stingray? perminent for this tank

fish i now have

fish listed in the 72" tank are my current stock list everything else i want and i want to add a stingray or few of them to the tank/ tanks
good...bad...ugly...with reasons please thanx in advanced...i posted somthing like this before but i had balas and tinfoils now foils-dead, balas-diff tank

Well I would be wary of putting an ATF in with anything other than other ATF. But the rest of your fish seem to be compatible (oh maybe get rid of the Pleco, they like to suck on Rays). Remember you have alot of predatory fish listed there and they'll eat whatever they can get into their mouths.

If you are looking to spend big bucks you go Black Rays (Henlei, Leo, P-14), if you want a couple of cool rays for pets, go with some Motoros. They are relatively inexpensive and a hardy fish that come in a wide variety of colors and patterns. If you want to hit the mid-price range, look for Tigers, Otorongo and some of the nicer Flower Rays.

Basically it all depends on what you want and what you are willing to pay for. The care of Rays no matter what the species is all basically the same...pristine water conditions and nutritional foods.

Best of luck and in the meantime before you purchase any rays, all I can recommend is research, research, research.

 

[Big Daves Rays]

the paddlefish may be a bad idea too.

 

[sbuse]

what makes you say the paddlefish is a bad idea...i know the work involved to feed them...the atf was a thought but i also know they grow slow...i have seen hte "teacup" rays some retics and another couple that idk they go for $75 for a 4-6" ray would a retic work in the 6' for life...for the big tank you say a ray with like 36" disc or better?...how many would you say per tank...i would at some point like to breed them but i would have a ray only tank for breeding as to not lose any pups to the cats and sutch...i have been doing alot of research i dont want to go into somethin half-cocked...i will have 3 or 4- 4000gph sumps in an overflow type system for the big tank...i have a emperor 400, a homeade filter @ 375gph, and a fx5 in total around 1400gph on the 6' tank....thanx again

 

[TheRealMacDaddy]

what makes you say the paddlefish is a bad idea...i know the work involved to feed them...the atf was a thought but i also know they grow slow...i have seen hte "teacup" rays some retics and another couple that idk they go for $75 for a 4-6" ray would a retic work in the 6' for life...for the big tank you say a ray with like 36" disc or better?...how many would you say per tank...i would at some point like to breed them but i would have a ray only tank for breeding as to not lose any pups to the cats and sutch...i have been doing alot of research i dont want to go into somethin half-cocked...i will have 3 or 4- 4000gph sumps in an overflow type system for the big tank...i have a emperor 400, a homeade filter @ 375gph, and a fx5 in total around 1400gph on the 6' tank....thanx again

I think dave's concern isn't so much about your competance in caring for the Paddlefish it's that even in the tank you have planned (10x5x3...which I have to say is going to be a super nice tank), the PFish really won't have adequate space. With an estimated max length of 5' he will hardly be able to turn around and even then will more likely than not mess up his rostrum doing it.

As far as the ATF, I wasn't so much concerned with the rate of growth but rather that they will attack and kill most anything else.

With regards to a "T-cup" Retic...Retics are notorius for being a fragile ray. That's why I recommended a Moto as a first fish (much hardier). Will the 6' tank keep a Retic for life....yeah but not comfy. Two feet wide is rather narrow for a full grown ray to turn around in (14 inch disc and foot long tail = 26 inches). With regards to a 36" disc ray, the Tiger is the better choice because its' tail is shorter compared to dics size.

Your current filtration system sure sounds like it's adequate enough and I'm happy to hear you have been doing your research. Again, best of luck.

 

[sbuse]

i started to think it was a size issue more the my ability after i posted...it should take a long time for it to reach a "max size" of 5' and from what i have heard a top end of 3-4' as more likely but 5' is possible....i have been thinking of adding a foot or two to the final tank with...alot depends on the room i have or if i have to build a add on to my new house...a tsn has 5' as a possibility also...i saw a thing about silica sand not being good for rays any reson why? with the 36" ray i was thinking that so the cats dont eat it but not nessisary if the cat wouldnt eat a diff ray...what is the largest avalible? i am plannig a MASSIVE pond in the furture also...dim for that is 50'x75'x6'...for arapaimas and stuff maybe a massive ray or more then 1...

 

[TheRealMacDaddy]

i started to think it was a size issue more the my ability after i posted...it should take a long time for it to reach a "max size" of 5' and from what i have heard a top end of 3-4' as more likely but 5' is possible....i have been thinking of adding a foot or two to the final tank with...alot depends on the room i have or if i have to build a add on to my new house...a tsn has 5' as a possibility also...i saw a thing about silica sand not being good for rays any reson why? with the 36" ray i was thinking that so the cats dont eat it but not nessisary if the cat wouldnt eat a diff ray...what is the largest avalible? i am plannig a MASSIVE pond in the furture also...dim for that is 50'x75'x6'...for arapaimas and stuff maybe a massive ray or more then 1...

Wow it sure must be nice being rich

With regards to the TSNs I personally wouldn't keep them with any ray (me thinks me just painted a big Bulleye on my back saying that) they eat rays in the wild and I'm pretty sure they'll eat them in captivity too. But a TSN will fare better in a 50 sq. ft. footprint than will the constantly swimming Paddlefish.

One question for you regarding this pond...how you gonna keep it from freezing? Or you planning on doing some Ice Fishing for Arowanas

Even here in Central Florida it gets too cold in the winter for many tropicals and growers loose alot of fish when the water temp drops down below 64 degrees. But just to answer your question...the largest South American Ray is the China (completely a piscovore and super difficult to maintain), but the Creme' de la Creme' would be the Mekong River Ray...think about a 10 foot wide monster with a 15 foot tail living in your back yard.

If you are serious about a pond, why not do one with coldwater fishes. Goonch, Sturgeon, Kokanee, that Paddlefish would do well there (the Great Lakes PF I believe is now extinct). Walleye and Crappie, smallmouth or Striped Bass hybrids, fish like that. Aripaima and the such aren't really suited for outdoor ponds except in the tropics.

But like I said....it sure must be nice to be rich

 

[sbuse]

Wow it sure must be nice being rich

With regards to the TSNs I personally wouldn't keep them with any ray (me thinks me just painted a big Bulleye on my back saying that) they eat rays in the wild and I'm pretty sure they'll eat them in captivity too. But a TSN will fare better in a 50 sq. ft. footprint than will the constantly swimming Paddlefish.

One question for you regarding this pond...how you gonna keep it from freezing? Or you planning on doing some Ice Fishing for Arowanas

Even here in Central Florida it gets too cold in the winter for many tropicals and growers loose alot of fish when the water temp drops down below 64 degrees. But just to answer your question...the largest South American Ray is the China (completely a piscovore and super difficult to maintain), but the Creme' de la Creme' would be the Mekong River Ray...think about a 10 foot wide monster with a 15 foot tail living in your back yard.

If you are serious about a pond, why not do one with coldwater fishes. Goonch, Sturgeon, Kokanee, that Paddlefish would do well there (the Great Lakes PF I believe is now extinct). Walleye and Crappie, smallmouth or Striped Bass hybrids, fish like that. Aripaima and the such aren't really suited for outdoor ponds except in the tropics.

But like I said....it sure must be nice to be rich

tsns and ray i didn't know the mix so thats why i asked...as for the pond...it will be inside an insulated pull barn with a boiler system to heat it...i though about the coldwater set up, but idk...i like the fish and the sturgeon is my favoite fish to catch...i might do the cold water set up here in mn...then i could build the arapaima set up in El salvador the only problem is how often i could see it and who would take care of it...i would go down there like once a month....and i am not rich i just have connections...my wife is from el salvador and the inlaws own a cofee farm on most of a mountain...i will be moving soon so i wll try to get a house with a few acres for the pond...i will do all the construction myself...if i have to do a add on to the house that wont be to hard except the permits....i have done just about everything in the construction field to include masonary so i know what i am getting into...and now since i am temp. unemployed i have time to plan everything out right so when it comes time to break growned i know exactly what i'm doing...but seriously that is the plan...i might take longer to complete it but it will get done...

 

[sbuse]

know anything as to why silica sand is supost to be bad for rays?

 

[jdubb1316]

know anything as to why silica sand is supost to be bad for rays?

yes silica based sand is bad for rays do to the fact that most silica based sand is fairly sharp so it could cause abrasions on the bottom of the ray especially on the feet of the ray,I would suggest Estes marine sand that is what I have and it dosent cause your ph levels to fluctuate,basically just soak the sand for a few hours,works well and comes in many different colors.