New Ray Keeper, thoughts?

[shern]

Greetings, I've recently caught an interest in rays and am currently seeking one. I've been fishkeeping for 8ish years, and this will be my first encounter with any ray species. I've done extensive research and combed through many old Ray threads on Mfk, but I would still like to know if I'm missing anything. Any tips and or tricks would be much appreciated! Always want to stay informed about new species regardless of previous experience.

 

[danotaylor]

Awesome mate. I have been a hobbyist for 44 years and got my first rays this year. Very cool.
What size & width of tank are you gonna house your ray in? This will determine the species choices
They produce a lot of ammonia from their gills and solid waste production. I exchange 450 of 600 gallons in a single weekly exchange but some peeps here have set up drip exchange systems that take care of the water changes and just vac out the solid waste.
Their barb is dangerous, and when handled carelessly, can inflict a very painful, slow healing wound from the toxin present on its surface. Handle with care LOL

 

[shern]

Awesome mate. I have been a hobbyist for 44 years and got my first rays this year. Very cool.
What size & width of tank are you gonna house your ray in? This will determine the species choices
They produce a lot of ammonia from their gills and solid waste production. I exchange 450 of 600 gallons in a single weekly exchange but some peeps here have set up drip exchange systems that take care of the water changes and just vac out the solid waste.
Their barb is dangerous, and when handled carelessly, can inflict a very painful, slow healing wound from the toxin present on its surface. Handle with care LOL

i do weekly Wc of around 50-70% and i always check my parameters. my water should be extremely pristine. the tanks only 250g and is roughly 8.7x2x2 so i’m only looking for smaller rays. def no bds

 

[danotaylor]

Cool beans.
Regular motoro get bigger than BD, so any hybrids with motoro genes will get too big for a 24” wide tank.
Mini marbled motoro have a really pretty pattern & coloration, and max out about 12-14” disc width. Still prob 20-24” long w tail length though.
Im not to familiar with other species max sizes. Tea cups I think are smaller too but I don’t like how they look so I’ve never researched them

 

[shern]

Cool beans.
Regular motoro get bigger than BD, so any hybrids with motoro genes will get too big for a 24” wide tank.
Mini marbled motoro have a really pretty pattern & coloration, and max out about 12-14” disc width. Still prob 20-24” long w tail length though.
Im not to familiar with other species max sizes. Tea cups I think are smaller too but I don’t like how they look so I’ve never researched them

I was looking into scobina, hystix, pearls and maybe some hybrids but a couple of those aforementioned species are super hard to come by due to the Brazilian ban

 

[shern]

i was offered a BDxmotoro hybrid though for a really good price, the parents weren't the biggest but I'm unsure to how large they may get as hybrids are really scuffed in the ray community

 

[shern]

size i assume i based on parents and the lineage in which they were bred so hybrids can vary, I still dunno if I should take it

 

[danotaylor]

Buy what you know you will enjoy, not what others in the ray community think. If you just wanna enjoy a single Ray and aren’t planning on breeding, then it doesn’t really matter.

 

[shern]

Buy what you know you will enjoy, not what others in the ray community think. If you just wanna enjoy a single Ray and aren’t planning on breeding, then it doesn’t really matter.

i get that but i don’t wanna overcrowd my tank, rays get big and i plan on maybe getting two maximum, i just don’t know much on hybrid sizing. was also just offered a bdxhenlei ray but i have honestly no clue to what a henlei specimen is

 

[danotaylor]

Here’s a pic off google I found. The 2nd pic is my female BD hybrid, I believe crossed to a hen.