Small\Young rays and their tanks?

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Tor-Eriik

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Jan 3, 2010
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What is the best tank size for a new and small ray pup? In many cases people get told that they should go big at once, is this correct?

Through my limited experience with 11 wild imported rays, and 2 captive bred pups. My conclusion is that a 60 gallon tank is the best choice for a 4 inch ray batteling the eating process. The bigger the tank gets, the more hassle it is for the small rays to actually find the food you put in there. You dont want to stress the ray by putting your fingers inn there all the time, to push the food towards the ray.. A small tank should offcourse be well filtered, but lets not forget the fact that it is a small ray, it does not dump like a 20 inchers :)

A smaller tank is also way easyer to medicate(amount).

Il just put this in too as a note: By this i dont mean that you shouldnt have the larger tank ready when the time is there, cus the time will come, pretty fast..

Other opinions on the subject?
 
I agree the smaller tank is best for helping them find food when rays are very young. I think the best way to do it is to have a 65-75G tank for pups that cycles water with your much larger tank atleast a couple times an hour. In my case my 75G pup tank has the water volume and filtration of a 1500G pond.
 
That is absolutley the best option john! I will have a 150g under my 1200g for the same purpose.. Easy to move after birth aswell, since water is the same.
 
I use a 75 gallon tank for pups on a seperate system. I run 2 AC110s and a Fluval 405 on it. Had bad luck keeping pups on the parents' system's water. When the pups are ready for a juvie tank I'll move a filter with them.

I tried a 3x4' footprint and they had trouble finding food.
 
The smallest tank to start with any ray is 6x2x2

It's not all about the size it's the amount of water

Small amount of water = problems which is one of the reasons when people start in the hobby even with small fish they lose a few because of the small amount of water

I have just put this to the test with tinfoil barbs in a small tank but the small tank was running off my main tank with the sump it has over 1200 gal of water and they grew very very fast
The above show me it's the amount of water that's important not tank size but you can't have one without the other


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T1KARMANN said:
The smallest tank to start with any ray is 6x2x2

It's not all about the size it's the amount of water

Small amount of water = problems which is one of the reasons when people start in the hobby even with small fish they lose a few because of the small amount of water

I have just put this to the test with tinfoil barbs in a small tank but the small tank was running off my main tank with the sump it has over 1200 gal of water and they grew very very fast
The above show me it's the amount of water that's important not tank size but you can't have one without the other


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Click to expand...

Theres a gentlemen on here housing a 5" retic in a 20gal. I said it was horibble and i got flammed. Some pll r really stoburn!

#1 S. Vettel
 
T1KARMANN said:
The smallest tank to start with any ray is 6x2x2

It's not all about the size it's the amount of water

Small amount of water = problems which is one of the reasons when people start in the hobby even with small fish they lose a few because of the small amount of water

I have just put this to the test with tinfoil barbs in a small tank but the small tank was running off my main tank with the sump it has over 1200 gal of water and they grew very very fast
The above show me it's the amount of water that's important not tank size but you can't have one without the other


Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app
Click to expand...

if there's adequate filtration and a well kept water change schedule, there shouldn't be issues.

it also helps if the tank is part of a larger system, as the water volume is larger than the small tank it is in, and it gets used to the water it would be going into anyways (if you don't need to medicate, that is)
 
So, since we all know that you are a though one tika ;) il try to point out pretty easy what you actually mean... You mean that a bigger volume is better(i agree), but in that case you probably mean that a divider in a bigger tank would be a proper way to go?

I think if you did your homework, have your measure equipment by your side, less volume wouldnt be an issue..

About your tinfoils, its not about the amount, its about the quality. I have kept discus for a while now, and know pretty much about just that. You can maintain that quality with less volume, its just a hell of alot more work..
 
Tor-Eriik said:
So, since we all know that you are a though one tika ;) il try to point out pretty easy what you actually mean... You mean that a bigger volume is better(i agree), but in that case you probably mean that a divider in a bigger tank would be a proper way to go?

I think if you did your homework, have your measure equipment by your side, less volume wouldnt be an issue..

About your tinfoils, its not about the amount, its about the quality. I have kept discus for a while now, and know pretty much about just that. You can maintain that quality with less volume, its just a hell of alot more work..
Click to expand...

If you put a divider in a massive tank the fish still has the full volume which is better than not having it

If you take a cup full of poison and drop it in a small tank volume it could kill the ray out right
If you take that same size cup of poison and drop it in a river it wont affect the fish at all I think the word is dilution

It doesn't take much working out that if you have a bloom of ammonia nitrite or nitrate it will have a bigger impact on a 2ft tank than a 6ft tank

Come on this is basic fishkeeping a larger volume of water is more stable than a smaller one


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