Shark and Ray Tank

[mn1467]

This is what I want to do.
I am going to get a large tank in my wall. The dimensions are going to be 6'x3'x3 (not sure the gallon size)
I want to put 1 shark(if i can add 2 let me know pls) 1 SFE and maybe 1 ray(same thing here).
I am thinking of a marbled cat shark because they only get about 2 ft long( so I've heard). I already have the SFE. not sure what kind of ray that I want(any suggestions)
With the dimensions that I have said:
1. How much sand? how deep
2. Live Rock if any
3. lighting (if it matters)
4. protien skimmer (if needed)
5. Do I cycle the tank with live rock and damsels?
If there is anything else please let me know. I am not new to the fish hobby but I am new to keeping sharks and rays actually I never had a shark or a ray
Also I know these threads do not get looked at that much
as much info as everybody can give me please

 

[liontamer]

Okay, yer tank seems to be adequate sized for a ray and a shark, you can probably have one and a pair (pair of sharks or pair of rays, etc)
Now for the substrate, yer gonna want some soft snad, not crushed coral, and a fairly deep sandbed. Id say 3 inches. Aroganite is a good choice, live sand as well. You can mix and match with play sand, aroganite and live sand.
For Live Rock, Id say maybe about 150 poudns for you, since you need some space in the middle. Id say give the tank 2 piles, one in each far corner, or to make it interesting, one in a far corner, and one in a front corner (if it is a one-way viewing wall) to make a little "cove" for yer creatures. My little rule that i follow is to have atleast 3/4 pond per gallon (75 pounds per 100 gallons) but since you need to leave space, id say 150 pounds will be nice.
Protein Skimmer: I say you need something big, cuz its a big tank and sharks do like to produce waste. Id say set up a sump and get a nice in-sump protein skimmer. Water flow will help too, but you dont want too much flow in the tank, so maybe setup 4-5 smaller powerheads (maybe the powersweeps?) and that will set you up good.
Lighting isnt really important. Maybe just a powercompact setup t show off yer fishies color, but not much more than that is needed.
You should cycle the tank with the live rock and sand, but no damsels. They will just be pests and end up messing around with the future tankmates. Wat you can do is toss a chunk of raw cocktail shrimp in ther and let it decay and that will feed the bacteria for you.
Sounds like this will be a pretty neat tank in the end. Have a great new year!

 

[mn1467]

Thanks Liontamer for the info but just one thing what about the SFE will he ok in there with them?

 

[liontamer]

Yea, the eel will be fine.