Planning a FL Gulf Coast SW Native Tank

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farawayinn

Candiru
MFK Member
Mar 11, 2008
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cedar key, fl
www.farawayinn.com
Very long range planning here. Want do do a large scale native sw display tank and can't decide on suitable stocking. Current "plan" is for about 1000 gal block construction with one or two windows. This will probably change based on the stocking decisions.

Does anyone have experience keeping redfish in captivity? How about seatrout (sand or speckled)?

Originally wanted to do bonnethead sharks, but ruled it out after browsing this forum because of tank size needed.

Also thinking about atlantic stingrays as a possibility. How big of a footprint would be needed to house 4 or 5 of these?

I have about 15 years experience with sw, although none in the past 10 years. Thank you in advance for your help.
 
A 1,000 gallon pond maybe large enough to keep 1-2 atlantic stingrays(Dasyatis sabina), but not enough for 4-5.

Another local stingray that would be a best option is the Yellow Stingray(Urobatis jamaicensis). Also the Atlantic Guitarfish (Rhinobatis lentiginosus) is a possibility.

But there aren't any native Sharks that you can keep in a 1,000 gallon pond, for life.
 
thank you for the info krj. the bonnethead shark (very abundant here) was what got me started on this idea, but after researching it's not an option. i thought the atlantic rays, also abundant here, would be interesting to watch. how large a footprint would i need for 4 or 5 of them.

also, if anyone has kept redfish or seatrout kept in captivity and has any info about them, i would really appreciate it. i know this is the wrong forum, so maybe i'll start a separate thread for it.

oliver
 
Yeah, bonnetheads & atlantic sharpnose sharks are very common off the southeastern US coasts. And while they do stay relatively small (3.5-5ft) for carcharinid & sphynrid sharks - they still require quite a bit of room (at least 500 sq.ft) for adults.

For 4-5 atlantic stingrays - I would suggest a pond/tank with a footprint of at least 85-90 sq.ft. & a volume of at least 1,250-1,600 gallons.
 
KRJ is hitting it all right on the head.


Red drum are easy to keep, but also need a very large tank. After awhile, they also become very boring to look at compared to some of the other fish we have native to South FL waters. A school of lookdowns, porkfish or grunts would be much more active and fun to watch in a large tank.
 
thank you for the info. i figured redfish might be a bit boring, that's why i'm still leaning toward the atlantic rays. i think.

we are actually located on the gulf coast about 1 hr sw of gainesville, same latitude as daytona, so our local sw fish largely consist of trout, reds, sheephead, grouper, snapper, etc. i think local wildlife would be more interesting for our guests to see than a tank full of tropicals. maybe a manatee LOL

i will see if there is a suitable spot to do a tank with an 80 to 100 sq ft footprint on our property. will make sure to start a construction thread when the time comes! thank you again for the advice and insight.
 
some fish you mentioned are gamefish, might be illegal
 
If you want to see what a great tank like that looks like, go to Outdoor World in Ft. Meyers or Ft. Lauderdale. Great tanks with native species.

GG
 
reverse - thank you for the heads up. i would never take any fish that's not legal. my first step will be to ask my local fwcc guys what is ok to take live and move to a large tank before i make plans for construction. i believe you can "keep" a fish that's of legal size, etc. but i'll make sure first. i'm sure atlantic rays are not considered gamefish, so i'd be good there.

wgary - thanks for the info. do they have sw tanks there? i know that some outdoor stores have huge fw tanks with largemouth bass.
 
I'm pretty sure that atlantic stingrays are legal to - at least in some states.

But there are also certain states that have laws against keeping native species. So you definitely should check with the state & local Wildlife & Marine Fisheries Dept. before getting any native species.
 
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