Ray Noobie here

[Arrow]

http://www.arofanatics.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-230218.html

I was at Dragon the other day picking up a Flagtail and noticed that they had a small ray there. I think it was a Motoro Reticulata/Teacup.

The thought of keeping rays never crossed my mind but since seeing that little guy I cant stop thinking about it.

Above is a link I found on rays for noobs and was wondering what you all thought of it. Are they right on the money or could you guys add anything to it for me?

Now I am def considering only the teacup because I only have a 220gal.

First question, Would it be fine with my Jardini, clown loaches, flagtail, and 3 young parrots?

Secondly I am only running canisters and probably wouldnt be running a uv sterilizer, is this ok? I have 2 eheim 2217's and an Fx5 and do weekly 50% waterchanges. I keep ammo and Nitrites at 0 and my ph is always steady at 7.6 and nitrates around 5-10ppm

I would remove whats left of the gravel and paint the bottom of my tank black for a cleaner look.
I cant think of anything else right now but if I do I'll post it up.

What do you guys think, am I ready for my first ray

 

[skynoch]

As mentioned above teacups usually don't make it and if they do then sometimes down the road they will die for what seems no reason at all but was probably due to some internal problems that came from ammonia poisoning at shipping. You seem like the type of person who just doesn't jump in and knows how to look after what he buys so I think you would have no problem with any healthy ray you get so go for it.
You could try a teacup but make sure the tail is fat and you see it eating before buying it or you could get a hardier ray like a motoro or pearl as long as they are males as females would get to big. Other than that for your tank if you could find them you could try the true hystrix or scobina rays. There are also some rays just labeled in general as laticeps,hystrix and some other names that may work but you would need pics of it as these rays usually don't have the proper ID when shipped

 

[Arrow]

Wow thanks for the quick replies guys and thanks for the compliment skynoch.
I do take great pride in keeping a well maintained tank and its actually easy as long as you stay on top of things.

You just boosted my confidence but I thought that the Jardini might be a problem.
I'll keep researching and learning from this great site and hopefully one day soon I'll have a ray of my own.

The price on the teacup was only $90, how much are the others you mentioned?
I think that motoros would be the most readily available in my area and I think they are around 150$ but I could be wrong.

 

[bcarlos]

x3, I'd avoid the teacup. After a few months, you're going to want a cooler ray anyway, so you may as well make the initial investment now

You'll find that rays are one of the most fulfillig fish you'll ever keep. Extremely intelligent and active, and full of personality. My recommendation is that you do your research (and lots of it) before you take the plunge. MFK is a really good resource, and most of the really knowledgable Canadian guys are on here as well.

 

[chen88]

x4 cheap now....but when yo multiple buying some of these less expensive rays with high risk of fatalities you end up paying the same for something slightly better....I'd say a good starter on a low budget would be a motoro of at least 6-7" diameter...

 

[EEYY]

Agree all of the above.

- first and second week would be critical, ie introducing to a new tank and eating condition
- minimize the ph and temp deviation
- cover up your heater to avoid heat burn
- ongoing water management is a key factor as well.

 

[RDFISHGUY]

I know that some say the FF is not a good tankmate. They suck on the rays disc if they are bigger and smaller ones end up as lunch. Some people have had luck though. Depends on the personality of the fish.