Cortez stingray info...

[moon27]

Can anyone inform me about the cortez stingray?

[Witfull]

stingrays are not for the beginner reefer, first off, they need a LARGE aquarium with huge floorspace. Urolophus maculatus get to about 20" (not including tail) in diameter and would need a tank atleast triple that in width, and atleast 6X in length to provide swimming room. personally i think that would still be to small to properly house a ray. then you would need a soft sand/silt/mud bottom for them to bury in and for them to hunt small crustacians. they are also suceptible to bacterial infections, and usually dont respond well strong medications.

my best advice is. they need to be in the ocean, or public aquaiums that can house them properly.

[Woodstock]

Welcome to Reef Sanctuary Moon27~~

[moon27]

Thank you woodstock for the welcome!

Let me introduce my tank.
I have a 300 gallon tank.
8 feet in length, 2 feet in width.
It's cycling right now, and I'm looking for some fish.
I personally want to make it a predator tank
I want a stingray, but I cannot decide which one to get.
The blue spotted stingray is too common, so, I was looking for some other ones until I came across the cotez and bullseye stingray( not the electric one)
If I could some more info on these stingrays, that would be great!
I was also thinking of putting a flounder in there as well.
and two sharks. ( banded sand shark )
what other ones will I be able to put in there?

[corvettephreek]

if you want sharks, look into cat sharks, like the banded coral cat and the spotted cats. they are smaller versions of a potential HUGE problem, and they look cool. stingrays are all like witty says, they need plenty of room and are definitely a burying creature. they get sick easily, so i wouldnt recommend any fish that may introduce a threat upon them. im not sure about flounder, though..... sounds cool, i think. good luck and welcome to RS!

[moon27]

I thought the banded sand shark is a catshark.

[Woodstock]

Sweeet aquarium Moon! I can hardly wait to see pics once you set it up

[Witfull]

sorry if i came off abrupt in my post, its just that they can be hard to keep, and i didnt know the size of your tank. i used to have a large LFS and people would want fresh and saltwater rays and think that a 55g tank would be more than enough for them.

one more thing,,,invest in an oversized skimmer or 2, sharks and rays are sloppy eaters.

and welcome to RS.

[moon27]

THanks Everyone! =)

witfull, I understand that stingrays are hard to keep.
Thank you for the warning. I appreciate it.
I tend to like keeping species that are hard to keep. (ex.. sea horses, pipe fish)
and money is not a matter for me. I'm a student, so of course it could be a matter, but I don't really care. hehe. I work very hard, but I don't hesitate to spend money on my tank. It's a hobby, and I like to take care of pets in my house. so, i'd appreciate it if I can get all the good info I can get.
And, what kind of skimmer is best? does the brand matter?
Also, I can't seem to find any info on bullseye stingrays. does anyone have them?
I'm aware that tangs, angels, and triggers are not compatible with sharks and rays, are wrasses okay? or what other fish can I put in my tank?? (if any)
A LFS store told me that I don't need live rock to cycle my tank, is that true?
I was thinking I was going to cycle it with LR and give the LR to my friend.
I'm not planning on putting any in the tank, I want a lot of room for the stingrays and sharks to swim around.

[corvettephreek]

room is cool for sharks, but you also need hiding places for your sharks. they arent very fond of swimming around all the time, most of the time i see (cat) sharks hiding, and only come out for food. and LR is pretty good to put in a tank ust for the bacteria. it can be just a little bit around the back of the tank. something for your bacteria to colonize on. good luck!