ok guys after a little research I know what i want

[taygolf]

i am going to get eithe a cali ray or a yellow ray. THey are both supposed to be very hardy and easy to take care of and feed. it will be a fish only tank no live rock because the rays need as much room as possible with live sand on the bottom. I have read about what size tank rays need and I see that it is more on surface area than gallons. so lets talk about dimensions of the tank rather than gallons. I would like to get one that is 6'x3'x2' I think this will not only be plenty of room for one ray but probably 2 which is what I would love to have. also I would like to know what other types of fish are good in a fish only tank with a sand bottom and what types will not bother my rays. In other words I have decided on the type of fish I want which is a cali or yellow ray and now I want to build everything around them to make it the best possible tank I can for them. Can I have a sea horse or a star fish or a clown? those are the things i need to know. Also what type of lighting and filter system do I need. Is there a special type or will a normal one do? HTe last thing is how often do they eat. everyday, every other day, once a week? I am not sure on any of these things. I plan on buying the book about rays and shark aquariums but I would like to know all of your thoughts on this. I have a marine biologist friend that I am planning on getting in touch with as well.
thanks
T

 

[harlequin]

No clowns and especially no sea horses. There is nothing there for them to forage on or hang on to. They would get eaten most likely as well. As for fish, there are a few you could get. Lookdowns would do okay, groupers, snappers ect. You might as well forget your traditional reef fishes however since you definately do not have a traditional type tank. As for filtration I would have a large sump filled with LR, and a very very high quality skimmer, Euroreef at the minimum and at least the next size up from what they say for whatever gallon tank you have unless its at the bottom of the skimmers gallon range. I would say feed the rays something meaty every other day or so but the book will definately help you more with that. I think a small school of lookdowns would be cool if you could get them for a decent price.

 

[taygolf]

excellent! thanks for hte information. i went and looked at tanks and fish today just to get a clue about what I liked and did not like and what everything was going to cost. I saw a 100 gallon long tank that was awesome. it was at least 5 feet long and 2 feet wide and only about 18 inchs high. I think this should be plenty big but i would like to have yalls professional opion on weither this is enough surface area or not. they had one ray at the shop but it was a blue dot. I think they are the looking between them and the cali and yellow rays but after reading about how hard they are to keep alive and how hardy the cali and yellow rays are I am going to opt away from the blue dot for sure.anyway the tank and a oak stand were on sale for $500 and my LFS told me that a good wet dry filter system with a good protein skimmer would run me about another 500. is this a good price or not? then they said i would need sand and that i needed about a lb per gallon. I just want to make sure all this sounds good. The LFS said a lion fish would be good to go with a ray. not sure about that either. I will look into the lookdowns you mentioned. Thanks for the help and anyother advice would be great. I am still a few months away from buying anything

 

[harlequin]

a 100gallon really isnt big enough for a ray seeing as they can easily get more than 2 feet wide. I would be looking for at least 3 feet in width, not too too concerned with length or height since they typically go up with width anyway. A lion would go decently well except they like having stuff to perch on. You dont need the Wet/dry, use that money for a kickass skimmer and a sump with with LR and a return pump. Thats all I would use except maybe a UV filter on the return line. That is a nice price on that combo tank/stand, although I am much more prone to building my own stands.

 

[taygolf]

yeah I am pretty handy my self. I have been thinking of building the tank and stand myself. I think this will be pretty hard but worth while and very cost saving. also it will allow me to get the dimensions right. i will look into that. if you have any plans for DIY tanks and stands please let me know about them. also I like that you said not to worry about the wet dry so what should i get a hang on filter? I am a little confused about waht i need besides the tank and stand. maybe I am just not paying attention but an explaination of everything and what it does would be great. that or a link to some reading on it. Thanks and keep the suggestions coming

 

[taygolf]

hey after looking at prices on glass I think ti will be better on my pocket book and better to the ray if I build a tank 60x60x12 inches. this will allow the ray a lot of room to swim and it will also allow me to use 1/4" glass for the tank and save some money. the question is do I need to use thicker glass for the bottome of the aquarium or should i simply brace it really goo. it will be a 60x60 inch piece. but it is the bottom so I can use playwood if I need to or I can have a great stand that braces the bottom really well. let me know yall opinion.

 

[kart racer]

I dont think 1/4 inch glass will be thick enough to hold that volume of water. I dont know how many gallons that would work out to but my 72" long 125 is made of 3/8 inch glass and your dimensions sound like a lot more water than my tank holds. I know someone here can calculate how much water that is and can recommend the right thickness glass.
Jeff

 

[harlequin]

Those sound like excellent dimensions for a ray although I too am unsure of the glass thickness. I would ask a glass shop that does custom glass work what they think, oh and ask someone there who knows what they are doing and not just some peon who works there.

 

[taygolf]

well the thickness of the glass mainly depends o nthe height of the tank and since it is only 12 inches 1/4" glass is what is recommended. I am just curious about the bottom piece it is the one that will have all the pressure on it not the sides. I will have to brace it some how . i am not sure exactly how this will work but if all else fails I can have it on a stand that has braces going across the bottom all the way around and never move the tank off the base with water in it. This tank will not be that many gallons but it will have a huge surface area which is ideal for rays. IF you have any good DIY stand plans that I can modify to build a stand for this tank I would appreciate it.
Thanks

 

[marineking]

You calculate it by multiplying length x width x height / 231 60 x 60 x 12 = 43200 then divide by 231 wich equals roughly 187 gal!!!! For rectangles and for hexagons or other multi-sided tank with equal sides, measure the total perimeter and multiply by the width of a single side. Then divide by two and multiply by the height (in inches) and divide by 231. There ya go hope it was helpful!!!!!

 

[taygolf]

I appreciate you letting me know how many gallons it will be. I really need to know more about glass thickness and if I am correct on that. I have read several places that as long as I am no taller than 18" then 1/4" glass is ideal. what I am really wondering about now is the bottom of the tank since it will ahve most of the pressure. Should i put thicker glass on the bottom or should i just make a good stand and brace it well so that the pressure is on the stand and not the tank bottom. just curious.
T