Stingray and Lionfish

[brannahale]

We have just recently aquired a 180 gallon salt water tank. One of us wants a lion fish and one wants a blue spotted stingray. We plan to have tangs and have heard they go well with both. So here are the questions:
Can you have a stingray and a lion fish?
Can you have a chocolate chip seastar with a sting ray?
Can you have a nudibranch with a stingray?
Can you have a cucumber with a stingray?
What food do you need to keep in stock for a stingray?
Can you have a black Volitan lionfish with a red Volitan lionfish?
What food do you need to keep in stock for a lionfish?
Thanks everyone.

 

[meowzer]

I don't recommend a stingray in a 180G....there will not be enough room
I have a 225G and a Cortez ray that is now 17" long and it's disc is over 10" SADLY I am about to make some calls to aquariums to find it a new home.
A 180 will not work

 

[el guapo]

Originally Posted by Brannahale
http:///forum/post/3225077
We have just recently aquired a 180 gallon salt water tank. One of us wants a lion fish and one wants a blue spotted stingray. We plan to have tangs and have heard they go well with both. So here are the questions:
Can you have a stingray and a lion fish?
Can you have a chocolate chip seastar with a sting ray?
Can you have a nudibranch with a stingray?
Can you have a cucumber with a stingray?
What food do you need to keep in stock for a stingray?
Can you have a black Volitan lionfish with a red Volitan lionfish?
What food do you need to keep in stock for a lionfish?
Thanks everyone.
Well here is the thing ...
The Stingray and the lion will work fine together.
BUT
The tank size is going to be too small for the ray as it matures. Also The blue spotted stingray is notorious for being difficult to keep. If you insist on having a ray, I would suggest the Cortez ray. Rays are not something you should just jump into with no experience which I am assuming you have very little to work with. I'm not saying you can't do it... Just that this is a fish best left for bigger tanks and more experienced keepers .
Tangs are not going to be a good mix with the Ray. They will tend to pick at it (the like the eyes)
Small inverts are not going to last with a sting ray. So your nudibrach is going to go MIA very quickly . The Chocolet chip star will be fine . The Cucumber should also be ok ( I would skip it as they can cause issues if they die).
Lion fish should be feed meaty foods such as Shrimp, Muscles, Clams, krill and even small pieces of squid.
The same goes for the ray.
DO NOT FEED EITHER GOLD FISH.This is extremely bad for them. With out getting into the details of it goldfish offer Salt water fish little to nothing as far as proper nutritional value.
The two lion fish should be fine together.

 

[eerie]

Can you have a stingray and a lion fish? SHOULD BE OKAY
Can you have a chocolate chip seastar with a sting ray? STINGRAY WILL PICK ON THE SEASTAR IF NOT PROPERLY FED.
Can you have a nudibranch with a stingray? ...
Can you have a cucumber with a stingray? SAME THING WITH THE SEASTAR. HOWEVER, I WOULDN'T RECOMMEND A CUCUMBER. IF THEY FEEL SCARED OR ENDANGERED, THEY WILL RELEASE TOXINS WITHIN THE TANK, WHICH MAY DESTROY EVERYTHING.
What food do you need to keep in stock for a stingray? I FED MINE A VARIETY FO FROZEN FOODS. MAKE SURE THERE IS A MIXED DIET.
Can you have a black Volitan lionfish with a red Volitan lionfish? YES. THEY ARE BOTH VOLITAN'S SO THEY SHOULD BE FINE.
What food do you need to keep in stock for a lionfish? I FEED MINE FROZEN SILVERSIDES ALONG WITH OTHER MEATY FOODS, LIKE SHRIMP AND KRILL.
I HAD A BLUE SPOTTED STINGRAY IN A 180 GALLON ONCE, MYSELF. HOWEVER AFTER JUST A FEW SHORT MONTHS, HE QUICKLY OUTGREW MY TANK. THEY GROW BIG AND FAST. I WOULDN'T RECOMMEND ANY TANK UNDER 300 GALLONS FOR THESE GUYS. IF THE TANK IS TOO SMALL, THEY WILL LIVE A VERY SHORT LIFE AND WILL GET ALL SORTS OF DISEASES.

 

[brannahale]

Thank you all for your responses. Is there a ray that could be kept in that size? what about a skate? Is there a shark that can go with a lion fish that may be suited for an aquarium of this size. I have worked with salt water fish in the past but it has been a few years and the sharks and rays are new to me.

 

[roastreef]

Unfortunately, there are no rays or sharks that will be able to live in a 180 long term. Since you're new to sharks and rays, I wouldn't advise you to start off with a blue spot ray. It's very hard to get them to eat and be comfortable in a home aquarium. As far as tankmates, tangs should be fine. No angels or triggers though. Personally, I wouldn't keep one with a lion either (wouldn't want to risk them being stung).

 

[srfisher17]

Originally Posted by RoastReef
http:///forum/post/3225166
Unfortunately, there are no rays or sharks that will be able to live in a 180 long term. Since you're new to sharks and rays, I wouldn't advise you to start off with a blue spot ray. It's very hard to get them to eat and be comfortable in a home aquarium. As far as tankmates, tangs should be fine. No angels or triggers though. Personally, I wouldn't keep one with a lion either (wouldn't want to risk them being stung).
Most Triggers are very bad tankmates for lions; but the lion is the one in danger. Most triggers will find a lion's fins irresistible. I've kept lions with Angels, and many other fish for as long as I can remember and have never lost a fish to a lionfish sting. This is a very, very rare occurrence and nothing to worry about; IMO & IME. I have never heard anything in any literature about this worry, either. Lions are not aggressive fish and other fish give them their due respect; except fin nippers like many triggers and some puffers.
To the OP: Red & Black Volitans are just color variations of the same species. They usually are fine together if they have enough room and are about the same size. I've kept them together for many years.

 

[brannahale]

you guys have been great. I appreciate all the advice. We are going to avoid the sharks and ray...at least until we can get a bigger tank.

 

[el guapo]

Originally Posted by Brannahale
http:///forum/post/3225124
Thank you all for your responses. Is there a ray that could be kept in that size? what about a skate? Is there a shark that can go with a lion fish that may be suited for an aquarium of this size. I have worked with salt water fish in the past but it has been a few years and the sharks and rays are new to me.

There are certain Coral Cat sharks that don't grow large and could be kept in a 180. But they are extremely rare in the aquarium trade they are almost impossible to find and if you do they are $$$. Sharks are really not a good fish to have in the home aquarium unless is a larger system that is dedicated and built for a shark. I know where your coming from ... I too jumped in to SW and had to have a Shark right off the starting line. It did not feed well and only lived a few weeks . The stingray I had in the tank with it lasted about 4 months before I came home to find it on the carpet. The tank was just too small even for the tiny little ray( About4-5" across).
I would go with the lion fish and enjoy them. I honestly think your success rate would be so much better and you would enjoy live fish rather than dead sharks and rays . To be honest the small sharks are not all that active and tend to lose there interes pretty quick when all they do is hide in a cave and wait for dusk to feed .

 

[hammerhed7]

if your new to salt, consider adding a couple of lions, a tang and an eel like a zebra moray. These fish are very tough, and forgiving of mistakes. Rays and sharks need alot of depth (front to back) in a tank for swimming room and the 24" in a 180 limits keeping these guys long term. Also sharks are much more difficult to keep than the above mentioned stock, and require excellent water quality and expert care to thrive in the long run.
good luck with your tank!