Moving Rays

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FireMedic

Plecostomus
MFK Member
Dec 13, 2007
805
36
61
Middle of somewhere, Oulu Wisconsin
When moving rays three rules must be obeyed:

#1 Respect the ray at all times no matter how large -or- how small.
#2 Plan the move from start to finish anticipating problems and having instant soultions available.
#3 Always obey rule #1! Never let your guard down.

For rays under 8 inches (20.32 cm) use a medium sized, plastic, paper tray. The tray is usually vertically or horizontally slotted on its sides and ends yet holds a few 1-2 inches (5 cm) of water in it.

The slots allow rapid draining of water and weight but retain just enough water so the ray does not dazzle you with its Fight -or- Flight response. Make the transition from the capture tank to the receiving tank in a controlled, rapid, deliberate motion and all should go well.

For rays greater then 8 inches (20.32 cm) and up to 20+ inches (50.80 cm) use a large, plastic laundry hamper (basket). Purchase a hamper (basket) that has handles built into the ends. Find one that roughly resembles the dimensions of your ray. Also, look for a hamper with the most numerous and smallest holes in it. Again the hamper will hold a couple inches of water once hoisted from the capture tank. The key to numerous, smaller holes is to shed excess water rapidly yet greatly decrease the likelihood the larger ray can get its tail through the perforations and impale you. make the transition from the capture tank to the receiving tank in a controlled, rapid, deliberate motion and all should go well.

In order to "pursuade" rays into said capture containers I recommend purchasing a 3-4 ft section of 1" PVC. Use this to prod the rays gently into the tray or hamper. Placing the PVC under the tails base by the pelvic fins usually does the trick. Be gentle. Obey rule #1.

Respectfully submitted,
FireMedic.
 
I moved m 7" (disc diameter) Rectic with a net from the 55 gallon he was in to the 240 he's in now.
I was stressed for a week before the move. but when the time came, I just gently prodded him into the net. He went in without any fuss. He barely even fluttered when I lifted him clear of the water. I placed him into a 5 gallon bucket and allowed him to swim out of the bucket into his new home.
I could not have hoped for the transition to have gone any smoother.
 
I'd use a net that I tied the end with rubber band so that ray will not "sink" into the bottom of the net. The ray will be barely below the net frame and use a thick garden glove and hold the tail while you're moving it.

Stan
 
i found it very hard to move 24" rays with a hamper/rubbermade. at least when pulling out of a tank. a pond might be a little easyier. finding a hamper/rubbermade big enough for a 24" ray is pretty hard, and getting it into the tank is tough and needs to be small enough to fit throught the lid.

i found that the big rubber nets are the way to go.
 
So these big rubber nets you guys are talking about are literally the ones people use for sportfishing right? You just remove any and all tank tops to give you room to maneouver that big of a net?
 
Rob Martin;4323617; said:
So these big rubber nets you guys are talking about are literally the ones people use for sportfishing right? You just remove any and all tank tops to give you room to maneouver that big of a net?
Click to expand...

yup!
 
I also prefer the rubber nets to anything else I've tried but I've now run into a problem with my big castexi not being able to fit properly into the biggest rubbernet I can find around here so now I need to think of a new method when/if I ever have to move her and how to out of a 2200 gallon tank.
For pups I just use the small nylon nets and a tupperware bin. You can catch the ray in the net and transfer underwater to the bin and will have no problems but, as soon as you take the ray out of the water in the net it's stinger will get stuck.
 
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