New here Sting Ray help...

[lbnobel]

I have Fish only 120 gallon tank.
I have a niger triggerfish
lionfish
puffer
snowflake eel
yellow tang
foxface rabbitfish
california stingray
and the newest addition on tuesday was a rectangular triggerfish
Everyone got along great in the tank. Lots of live rock and sand. When I got the new trigger the Niger chased him around a bit but now seemed to settle down.
Here is the horrible problem......
The poor sting ray is getting picked on by the new triggerfish. He is in bad shape. He didn't eat today and I am trying to net the rectangular to keep him off of him. Having a real hard time catching him. I do not have a tank seperator as had not had a problem prior to Tuesday.
What to do. I feel awful. The rectangular is maybe 4'' long. The Niger is bigger than he is. He did try to pick at the Puffer.
Do I remove the sting ray? He is still hanging in there. I am just sick about it? Do I remove the new triggerfish and hope the sting ray makes it???
Thanks in advance,
Lori

 

[eric b 125]

welcome to swf.com!!! in my opinion, you should probably take the stingray out and find someone with a bigger tank to take it. also, you might want to take out the rectanglular trigger if it's stressing out other fish.

 

[lbnobel]

I can't get the new fish out. I have been trying for over an hour to net him. He is relentless with my poor stingray. I don't know what to do. I don't have anything big enough to section off the tank. I called a few local stores and nothing. The place that services the tank can't come until tomorrow. I hope that the stingray survives by then.
I feel so sad.

 

[aquaknight]

It unfortunately will be one or the other. Most triggers are relentless and will not give up till the job is done. You're going to have to remove all of the live rock to catch him.
I would remove the Rectangular, and then try to find a far more appropriate home for the stingray.

 

[roastreef]

California Rays are a cool water species. So it probably shouldn't be in the tank anyway.

 

[crimzy]

Just curious about what would make you think a stingray would survive in that setup... triggers and puffers are pretty much the worst possible tankmates for rays. Not to mention that your tank is too small for a ray to live for more than a year or so. Good luck but the longer that ray is in the tank, the worse off it will be. Please research before getting fish next time.

 

[dean1956]

The Ray for sure needs to go or it will be killed by either one of the triggers and any puffers, they will pick the eyes out , tear up the tail till like someone else said "the job is done". All I keep is Cal. Rays and they are so neat to have but in the right setup as you've heard, but we all learn. Give it to a LFS or where do you live?, I could take it, I'm building a 700+ gallon 9' round pond so I can have 4 or 5 of them. Hope it works out for you.

 

[liljoker013]

I am fairly new to having a stingray in my tank and am currently on my 2nd stingray. I had my 1st one and he was doing great and then he got sucked up to one of my power heads that I was using to create more water flow and he died. I removed the power head and added a 2nd California stingray, the 2nd one was doing great eating and swimming around just fine yesterday and then I found him dead this morning. I have a good 3 foot by 2 foot space for him to just chill in the sand bed and have just some live rock and some coral decorations at the end of the tank. I have an Ebli Angelfish (dwarf) a Huma Huma Trigger (doesn't bother the stingray at all) a Foxface Rabbit (haven't witnessed him anywhere near my stinray either) and then a large (12") Volitan Lion fish. Like I said the Stingray was eating healthy and swimming around the tank until this morning so I'm very confused as to what caused him to die. Any feed back for me would be greatly appreciated. I'm looking to add a smaller Grey Smooth Hound Shark so I need to know what I could be doing wrong that caused this guy to die or if they are just a fish that often times doesn't make it that well in captivity?

 

[skate020]

i dont mean to be rude here, but its very obvious you are new to this hobby and have done little or no research.
for one triggers and puffers CANT be kept with a lionfish. triggers and puffers can be kept togethers, but not with a lion.
they pick at the fins untill they lion dies, plain and simple. sometimes your lucky and they leave them alone, but thats a very risky process.
and then onto the stingray, far out too small of a tank. and then the problem with the puffer and the triggers. if you do nothing about it, then the lion and the stingray will die.
sorry for the bad news.

 

[liljoker013]

my trigger has not bothered my lion fish at all and I had got the both of them from someone who had them in the same tank for quite a while and they had proven to be good tank mates with no issues at all. I don't have a puffer in my tank and as far as my research I have done plenty of research, every site states that you need a 180 gallon or larger aquarium with a minimum of a 2 foot sand bed area with a soft substrate. I have a 240 gallon aquarium with a 2 foot by 3 foot area. I'm confused as to what could have happened. I have never seen any aggression between any of my fish and I'm constantly watching them, after all it is the headboard to my bed...

 

[skate020]

yeh a trigger will go with a lion OCCASIONALLY, but by all means, usually they are not good tankmates. ask anyone here, a trigger will NORMALLY go mad for lionfish fins

 

[liljoker013]

Like I said they have been in the same tank for quite a while and seem to be very cool with each other. Do you think that at 240 gallons I have enough space for a stingray or do you still think that I'm too small of an environment?

 

[skate020]

long term a stingray will out grow a 240. meowser has a stingray in a 240 and has to get rid of it becuase of space.
if your looking at keeping rays you want atleast 500g IMO.
making sure that the tank foot is as big at possible. height isnt really much of a bother for the ray tanks. obviously within reason tho.

 

[liljoker013]

actually I just plan to have one stingray and then when he gets too big I will sell him and then just buy a small one and start over again. I don't plan to breed or have just a stingray tank, it's the headboard to my bed and is just for enjoyment.

 

[roastreef]

A 2'x3' area isn't enough space for a ray to be comfortable. Try re-arranging your rocks so you have more open sand bed. And please don't sell your ray when it gets too big and then just buy a new one. It's not really the most ethical thing to do and I think you'll realize that not many people are in the market for a large ray. JMO.

 

[meowzer]

Originally Posted by liljoker013
http:///forum/post/3238359
actually I just plan to have one stingray and then when he gets too big I will sell him and then just buy a small one and start over again. I don't plan to breed or have just a stingray tank, it's the headboard to my bed and is just for enjoyment.
I have had a stingray for about 18 months now...I love her very much...she is in a 225g, and I have made arrangements to take her to the aquarium in Tulsa OK this Friday so she can live in an area that is appropriate for that type of "animal"
IN MY OPINION.....I would never get another one....for it to only grow too large for the tank......ALSO IMO....240 is too small

 

[pattycakes]

Originally Posted by meowzer
http:///forum/post/3238532
I have had a stingray for about 18 months now...I love her very much...she is in a 225g, and I have made arrangements to take her to the aquarium in Tulsa OK this Friday so she can live in an area that is appropriate for that type of "animal"
IN MY OPINION.....I would never get another one....for it to only grow too large for the tank......ALSO IMO....240 is too small
i had one myself in a 280 a while ago....loved it til i moved into an apartment and had to sell it and the tank...i myself think 280 is to small so i completely agree with u meowzer and sharks n rays shouldn't really be housed with angels triggers puffers or really just about anything just my 2 cents though...so it's best if you got rid of the ray

 

[salt210]

Originally Posted by skate020
http:///forum/post/3237803
i dont mean to be rude here, but its very obvious you are new to this hobby and have done little or no research.
for one triggers and puffers CANT be kept with a lionfish. triggers and puffers can be kept togethers, but not with a lion.
they pick at the fins untill they lion dies, plain and simple. sometimes your lucky and they leave them alone, but thats a very risky process.
and then onto the stingray, far out too small of a tank. and then the problem with the puffer and the triggers. if you do nothing about it, then the lion and the stingray will die.
sorry for the bad news.
not absolutely true there buddie. most species of puffers and triggers cant be kept with lions, but there are some

 

[el guapo]

I would love to see some pictures of this tank/headboard.

 

[liljoker013]

I have been out of town and will not be back home until late Sunday nite, I will be more than willing at that point to take a photo of the bed and headboard to show you....