New 300 Gallon, help me

[sal t. nutz]

I have a 55 gal and I am getting a 300 this weekend. I currently have what is in my sig. I would like to get at least 1 shark and 1 blue spot ray. What other fish can I keep with those? Tangs? I will not be happy with just the shark and ray, and will forego them if I can't mix other things with them. I also would like to know what to use for a cleaner crew? My LFS has a 750 gal tank with about 5 sharks, a ray, some lookdowns, a few tangs, a zebra eel, and they use Huge hermitts for cleaners. Is this safe? I need advise, as this big tank thing is new to me.

 

[sistrmary]

Rays make it a lot harder to have a tank (Not to mention they do not adapt very well to aquarium life and most of them die in captivity..they either starve themselves or just suddenly die for no apparent reason) because you can't have a lot of live rock in with them (With the exception of a good secure ledge to hide under...they need a*lot* of bottom-swimming room.) Everything they eat has to be on the bottom of the tank so they're difficult to feed...and usually, they *wont* feed. I would really do a lot of thinking about getting a ray. Agreed, they're very cool, but you should really ask yourself if you're ready to kill something that cool because you're not experienced? (Nothing against you, I'm just a blunt, right in the eye kind of person)
Sharks on the other hand do decently in aquarium life. House them with large, less aggressive fish that won't pick on it and it should be fine.

 

[splash1914]

I agree with the above statement........leopards, bamboos, groupers, tangs, dwarf angels, harlequin tusk, clowns (wouldnt recommend if you get a grouper) just make sure you dont overstock and put a ton of fish in at once... good luck...

 

[grouperhead]

There are other rays besdies the blue-dots. The blue-dots are the least hardy of the aquarium rays. They can easily be fed meaty foods off of a feeder stick. You could probably have two bamboos/epaulettes in there, and maybe a grouper or an eel. I don't reccomend keeping tangs, etc. with aggressive fishes as they can lower the water quality required to keep them healthy. Bo

 

[jim27]

Originally posted by sistrMary
Rays make it a lot harder to have a tank (Not to mention they do not adapt very well to aquarium life and most of them die in captivity..they either starve themselves or just suddenly die for no apparent reason) because you can't have a lot of live rock in with them (With the exception of a good secure ledge to hide under...they need a*lot* of bottom-swimming room.) Everything they eat has to be on the bottom of the tank so they're difficult to feed...and usually, they *wont* feed. I would really do a lot of thinking about getting a ray. Agreed, they're very cool, but you should really ask yourself if you're ready to kill something that cool because you're not experienced? (Nothing against you, I'm just a blunt, right in the eye kind of person)
Sharks on the other hand do decently in aquarium life. House them with large, less aggressive fish that won't pick on it and it should be fine.
Actually some rays do just as well in aquariums(like the yellow ray I had). There food DOES NOT have to be on the bottom of the tank. I hand feed mine a lot and other times I it ate from a feeding stick which it would swim up to the top of the tank to get to.

 

[splash1914]

My 3 tangs (two yellow and 1 unicorn) do just fine in my aggressive tank
The atlantic ray I had never ate... that has been my only experience with a ray....

 

[sistrmary]

Originally posted by JIM27
Actually some rays do just as well in aquariums(like the yellow ray I had). There food DOES NOT have to be on the bottom of the tank. I hand feed mine a lot and other times I it ate from a feeding stick which it would swim up to the top of the tank to get to.
I notice you said "had"...what happened to it? And was your hand feeding it the norm or the exception? Everything I've read about the bluespotted ray has said something along the lines of "*If* they ever actually eat, it has to be placed on the substrate". But I've never had a bluespotted ray because I like them too much to take the chance of killing them. I'm an extremely careful saltwater aquariest...I read a lot about whatever I'm thinking of buying. I read whatever I can get my hands on, and then I ask around and see if anyone has ever had one.
I think that I just have a problem with keeping rays because they're so interesting to me. I hate to think of them dying in some guys' tank.

 

[jim27]

Originally posted by sistrMary
I notice you said "had"...what happened to it? And was your hand feeding it the norm or the exception? Everything I've read about the bluespotted ray has said something along the lines of "*If* they ever actually eat, it has to be placed on the substrate". But I've never had a bluespotted ray because I like them too much to take the chance of killing them. I'm an extremely careful saltwater aquariest...I read a lot about whatever I'm thinking of buying. I read whatever I can get my hands on, and then I ask around and see if anyone has ever had one.
I think that I just have a problem with keeping rays because they're so interesting to me. I hate to think of them dying in some guys' tank.
First of all I had a yellow stingray(Urobatis jamaicenis) not a bluespotted ribbontail ray(Taeniura lymma), different species. One's hardy and ones not. I traded it in for my whitespotted bamboo because I didn't think the 24" width of my tank is large enough for it later in life. Hand feeding rays is pretty much the norm, ask sammystingray his yellow ray ate from his hand too.
I too have read a lot about Taeniura lymma and will have one someday, but I've never read that their food had to be placed on the substrate, if the fish wants to eat it doesn't matter where to food is, it will try to get it.
Also, you have to understand some rays are very hardy, they're NOT all like the blue spotted ribbontail ray.

 

[sistrmary]

I know...but he said that he wanted a bluespotted ray, so that's what I was posting about. I really was just asking, it wasn't my intention to irritate. I just don't want this guy to go get a bluespotted ray and have it die. That's all I was saying.

 

[jim27]

The way you posted "Rays" instead of "bluespot rays" made it look like you were talking about rays in general.

 

[sistrmary]

Well, the beginning of the post I had intended to address rays in general. You can't have a whole lot of live rock with them because they need swimming room and they get huge. Not a whole lot of tanks are big enough to house a decent amount of live rock as well as a ray. A 300 certainly isn't. I guess I should have clarified that after the live rock part I was talking about bluespotted rays, but I didn't realize that someone would jump my ass about it. All apologies.
For some reason, you seem to be taking everything I say the wrong way. I was merely offering my opinions, thoughts and what I'd read about the bluespotted rays. Until I asked what had happened to your ray, I'd never even thought about any other specific type of ray because he'd only mentioned the one type. He was asking advice, and I was advising him against getting a bluespotted ray at the very least until he'd studied up on them. I ws also stating my thoughts on rays in captivity. I don't think that they should be kept in aquariums because of their length and width. I like them too much for anyone to take the chance of killing them. Everyone else is perfectly entitled to think/feel how they please about it.

 

[jim27]

Reread your first post, it looks like your saying ALL rays will suddenly die for no reason and are generally do bad in tanks, which is not the case, some do very well. You also said that a rays food must be on the bottom of the tank or they will not eat, which is also untrue. I only posted to correct some false information I'm not trying to jump on anyones ass.

 

[grouperhead]

Guys, don't let this escalate into a flame war. I don't think Jim was criticizing you or anything as some people could have been under the impression after your post that all rays die in captivity, which is not the case. So, can't we all get along? Bo

 

[sal t. nutz]

Can't people just help me out? I just got back from picking up my tank. You wouldn't beleive the deal I got. He didn't even mention all the awsome stuff that was included. Like a Berlin XL skimmer. A little giant pump as well as an Iwaki pump. I could go on, but I won't bore you.

 

[jim27]

What are the tanks dimensions?

 

[sal t. nutz]

96x24x30

 

[jim27]

Your tanks a little on the narrow side for a ray, if it was 96x30x24 it would be better. A bamboo/epaulette shark should be fine in there though. As for tank mates eels do well with sharks, as well as groupers, and if you can keep your water quality very good(it'll be hard with sharks) tangs. Like grouper said you could probably keep two bamboo or epaulette sharks in their and maybe a grouper or eel. Although with such a tall tank I'd go for one shark as well as some tankmates that will use the extra hight(like tangs).

 

[sal t. nutz]

Yeah, I was thinking about only 1 shark and some Tangs, I like Tangs the best. Plus I already have an emperor Snapper. What about a clean up crew? Are huge hermitts the only thing that will make it?
By the way, since most of you prob have big tanks, look at this post I made in the equip forum.
Overflow fittings

 

[jim27]

I don't have much of a clean up crew with my sharks. All I have is 5 turbo's to keep the lr clean, two chocolate chip stars(I don't know if they count though) and 1 small hermit(which I just threw in because it was bothering the corals in my nano reef). The sharks are always trying to eat all of them. If your going to add clean up crew critters put them in first to lower the chance of them being eaten.

 

[splash1914]

My clean up crew consists of about 100 blue legs and 15 or so brittle stars/serpant starfish, a few turbos, a few yellow cucumbers and 10 or so emerald crabs. When I go diving I replenish what was eaten... Its nice not have to spend loads of cash on clean crews that just get eaten!