Fingers crossed for a ray in a reef

[Ryan@FRA]

I designed my tank to be very open ie I have more sand bed exposed then rock. Today, i purchased a cali stingray. Im pretty damn excited about it. I love their personalities and this dude will already let me pet him and will eat out of my hand. I have worries for my pistol shrimp, but.. i think i would rather have a ray then a shrimp. He is hanging out with a couple a clowns, a sohol tang, a hawkfish and a yellow goby. Im not planning on adding inverts like crabs or shrimp. Im most worried about my maxima and gigas clam, but so far he has left them alone. He was at the LFS for over a month, so i am feeling good about his health. WHen my surge tank drops, he just hangs up high in the current and "flies" through the wave. When he comes in for a landing on the sand bed he just glides gracefully to a stop. By far my most favorite vertebrate yet!

 

[Cherub]

Eats from your hand don't they stab? Well either way sounds like a cool pet glad you're happy

 

[Ryan@FRA]

he didn't stab me when he swam up in my hand and perched there, but then again i didn't grab his tail

 

[Dr.DiSilicate]

That's super cool! Good luck.

 

[Walter White]

cool pics when you get a chance.

 

[Boogie]

waiting for you tube vid...

 

[Ryan@FRA]

i will take some shots today.

 

[othercents]

I thought those stingrays were cold water fish.

 

[Ryan@FRA]

they have a range that tops out at 72. I keep my reeftanks at 71 ish. But your right, normally they require colder water then what most tanks are kept, they also require very fine sand and a ton of open space to swim.

 

[djkms]

You have a coldwater reef?

 

[Ryan@FRA]

Not intentionally, its just where my temp is settled at. My corals and fish have always done pretty well in the low 70's so i don't choose to heat my water much. My aquacontroller is set to keep the heat at 71, and the chiller comes on at 72. The chiller never runs. I think the tank benefits from the higher o2 level with the cooler water.

 

[Ryan@FRA]

Here are some photos of him eating. He ripped the shrimp out of my hand.

 

[Tripple T]

That's great that 70 has worked for you. However to others reading this I strongly recommend against anything less than 74. Very few of our corals and animals cone from natural conditions in the 70 degree range.

 

[Ryan@FRA]

Its amazing how things adapt over time. My 120 i had prior completely grew out in a year with the conditions that i maintain, which prompted me to build the 6' 240 that i have now. I don't recommend anyone mimic my methods or livestock choice, but i have been successful for a long time. And.. i don't keep it at 70.. i keep it at 72. But like triple said, there is no need to cool it down unnecessarily. Mine is the temp that it is because thats where it settled at on average, without a chiller or heater. So i set my gear to the closest natural (in house) temp and have had it there for years.

 

[Boogie]

Based on the pics (great ones btw)...pistol shrimp is a goner...

 

[Ryan@FRA]

Based on the pics (great ones btw)...pistol shrimp is a goner...

Well... could be. But the bullseye is pretty damn clicky when even a hermit crab gets near him. You rarely see him outside of his rock cave and the goby shooed the ray out of there zone.. so there might be a chance..

 

[MartinsReef]

Freakin' Cool! good luck with the ray.

 

[Royal Gramma keeper]

Awesome ray! Iv always wanted one, just never had the apropriate tank...

 

[Ryan@FRA]

So far so good! i feel bad when i throw in the rods reef and he goes nuts, i have to prepare him his own special treat because the other fish beat him to the punch. Today was a good day, he is a very chill ray. Hangs out in the current, begs for food at the top of the tank, and stares you down when he is hidden in the sand bed. The kids dig him/her. Im glad my setup is somewhat conducive to keeping this species, he is going to be one hell of a addition to the clan.

 

[hurrafreak]

Looks pretty freaking cool! I've been thinking about getting a cortez ray!