Having a Ray is a great responsibility. It is your obligation to provide a tank for them to live comfortably. You must take into consideration that you are purchasing a juvenile that will grow to maturity, and will require a large system. Prior to purchasing, it is your responsibility to educate yourself on the needs of the Ray and especially its requirements of space.
- For Inactive species the aquarium must be .75 times as wide as the full adult length of the ray, and 2 - 2.5 times as long.
- For Active species the aquarium must be 1.5 times as wide as the full adult length of the ray, and 4 - 5 times as long.
- It is important to remember that tall configurations of standard tanks may not be as appropriate as longer or wide designs of equal volume.
- When choosing a substrate for your tank, a smaller grade is ideal. Sand or Fine Aragonite Sand is especially important for species that spend lots of time lying on the bottom or that bury themselves.
- Temperature should be between 70 - 80 Degrees (F)
* Some cold water species do better in the 60's
- Salinity Specific Gravity should be kept between 1.020 - 1.026
- pH should be kept between 7.8 - 8.3
* Rays are sensitive to pH- If adjustments need to be made, they should be done very slow.
1. Purchasing a Ray on impulse without educating yourself on its biology and necessary care requirements
2. Purchasing a species that will outgrow your tank and/or financial resources
3. Purchasing a species that is too active for the tank you provide
4. Purchasing a cold water species for a tropical aquarium (a chiller may need to be provided)
5. Purchasing a species that poses difficulty for feeding
* We do not sell each and every Ray listed below, these are just a few suggestions.
Smaller Adult Sizes
- Cortez Round Stingray - Round Stingray
- Bullseye Stingray - Yellow Stingray
- Bluespotted Stingray - Bluntnose Stingray
Medium to Large Adult Sizes
- Eastern Fiddler Ray
* We do not sell each and every Ray listed below, these are just a few suggestions.
- Shovelnose Guitarfish -Leopard Torpedo Ray
- Lesser Electric Ray - Bullseye Electric Ray
- Southern Stingray - Atlantic Stingray
- Bluespotted Ribbontail Ray - Bat Ray
Bad Tankmates/ Potentially Harmful to your Ray:
- Scorpionfishes - Butterflyfishes
- Large Angelfish - Filefishes
- Triggerfishes - Puffers
- Purcupinefishes
Good Fish Tankmates/ Non Harmful Fish:
*We do not sell each and every item listed below, these are just a few suggestions.
- Moray Eels - Snake Eels
- Squirrelfishes - Grouper
- Batfishes - Spinecheeks
- Cardinalfishes - Goatfishes
- Snapper - Jacks
- Discfishes - Monos
- Damselfishes - Hawkfishes
- Sand Perches - Gobies
Good Invertebrate Tankmates/ Non Harmful:
*We do not sell each and every Invertebrate listed below, these are just a few suggestions.
- Larger Cowries - Larger Conchs
- Boxer Shrimps - Cleaner Shrimps
- Hermit Crabs - Decorator Crabs
- Slipper Lobster - Spiny Lobster
- Linckia Sea Stars - Brittle Stars
- Pencil Urchins
* Although there is the possibility of transmitting certain parasites, fresh seafood is preferred to frozen as it has greater nutritional value.
- Earthworms - Snails
- Clams - Market Squid
- Frozen Krill - Table Shrimp
- Blue Crab - Sardines
- Herring - Mackerel
- Orange Roughy - Snapper
- River Smelt - Plaice