Cortez Ray

[ledzep fan]

Hey everyone, well I know that I have been asking quite a few questions recently but, I was wondering a little about this ray. Like the basics, diet, tank size, tankmates and etc,. Also, could it be kept in a 120 for a while? I've been thinking and i might want to switch my 120 to a aggressive setup. So all suggestions and comments are welcome.
The Zep

 

[psusocr1]

it all depends on the size of the 120.. it should be at east 6-8 feet long by at least 2 feet wide for enough room.. you also need very minimal rockwork for rays.. also no triggers,puffers,agels some wrasses

 

[tainte97]

Cortez IMO are the best kept rays for small spaces. I think with the right rock work in a 120 you could keep him very happy for almost his whole lifespan.

 

[psusocr1]

agreed only if the tank is wider than 18 inches though

 

[ledzep fan]

Well the tank is 4' long and 2' wide. is that good enough for a small one like 4 inches long? Thanks.

 

[psusocr1]

some will say yes, IMO not worth the trouble when it gets bigger then it will have barely any room, also a tank that size would be hard because you would only be able to put VERY minimal liverock in there and your bioload would probably be pretty high if you were adding other larger fish

 

[ledzep fan]

whats wrong with rays and live rock?

 

[psusocr1]

they wont have anywhere to swim the bottom and bury themseleves in the sand.. which they do 99.9% of the time

 

[ledzep fan]

well i do have a 4'' sand bed through out the whole tank. It might be even a little higher. So, i don't see a problem. Please explain

 

[psusocr1]

the rockwork will take up ALOT of space for the ray to swim on the bottom and bury themseleves in various spots.. thats a perfect sandbed but the footprint of the rock in the tank will take away from the rays swimmign and burying.. thats why a 6-8 foot in length tank and a 2 foot or more wide tank is perfect
in other words its like putting a building in the middle of the parking lot.. sure cars would be able to park around them but not alot of cars and there wouldnt be much varity on where to park.
it sounds as if you have your mind set on getting a ray, if so go for it im just trying to make you realize what rays Should have to be happy, and they do grow VERY quickly.
im not trying to be mean just giving you my opinion. alot of people have tangs in a 75 gallon or smaller evan when people tell them not to do it.. ULTIMATLY its your decision.
if you do however go with the ray you need to have a pretty large skimmer and filtration.. double to triple your filtration sizes and it will help ALOT with aggressive fish..basically buy the biggest stuff you can afford

 

[ledzep fan]

psusocr1, thanks for all the help. I think i will try the ray but i will get a small one so that it will last longer and it will have more room. My plan on rocks is to put some on both corners of the tank so that the middle is open for swimming space. What do you think about my idea?? I know that you have some cali rays but do you know anything about these guys? I read that they are the smallest ray that can be purchased. Thanks again.
The Zep

 

[psusocr1]

i still think its too small but i will try and help you.. they need temps from 72-82.. make sure hes eating before you buy him or he wont eat in your aquarium rprobably.. babies rays are very easy to die due to not feeding. They only get max 16.4 inches which is pretty big for a 120. they are decently hardy but as i said hard to feed at a young age... any other questions just ask

 

[ledzep fan]

Well, the lfs that i shop at has one now on sale for $60 and is a baby that all ready eats frozen squid. Is this a decent deal???

 

[psusocr1]

its not bad . however when he does get too big just send him to me! i got plenty of room for him!!

 

[ledzep fan]

Originally Posted by psusocr1
its not bad . however when he does get too big just send him to me! i got plenty of room for him!!
You gotta him when he gets big. For a price.....
He wont get that big though in a short period of time

 

[psusocr1]

He wont get that big though in a short period of time
if you feed a stingray 3-4 times per week as they should be and your varying his diet and feeding correctly belive me he will get very big very quick

 

[ledzep fan]

I plan on feeding him fresh squid, shrimp, krill, and scallop. Is this a good diet for him? Also, how big would he get in lets say a years time if i gave if a good diet and got him at 4 inches long.

 

[psusocr1]

4 inches from head to tail? thats a SMALL ray i dont think i ever saw one that small! but anyway their disc will grow about 3-4 inches a year if fed properly

 

[reeftank27]

yeah they will but the cortez is a very small ray to begin with...i think he will be fine...i have seen the tiniest ray ever...i was about 3" and was called a florida ray..dont know what that meant but was tiny. Has anyone ever heard of a florida ray???

 

[sebae09]

my LFS had a cortez thats 4in also, he wants 70$ for it tho and it is eating i have seen it eat firsthand.