Newbie on the block

hi all

I used to be koi hobbyist, 60kl pond with a variety of Japanese show koi. Sold and moved house and not up for rebuilding a pond and starting all over again so thinking of starting up a nice fish tank to occupy my mind.

I've been looking into a few marine setups and not sure I'm up for that...... seems very technical and complicated. Not saying tropical is not it's just it seems more user friendly.

I'm looking at a few setups and came across freshwater stingrays, shrimp, blue lobster which seems it may give me that nice marine vibe without all the hassle.

I also really like the rock/ Malawi setups that I have seen here and there.

My question is, can anyone offer advice on what is involved in the stingray/ shrimp/ lobster setups? Anyone in Jhb with a setup I could visit? Which fish are compatible? Would like to learn more around the intracacies involved in such a setup?

Thanks again in advance!

 

Welcome here!

 

Hi and welcome to the forum

As for the questions you have asked:
Freshwater lobster are black listed in SA. and even if they were not, they will eat all the fish in their tank.
Take some time and go to the Forums page, if you scroll down you will find the post where i have given the link to the latest blacklist

Stingrays.. Again go to the Forums page, scroll down to tropical fish and then oddballs
You will find a comprehensive guide on stingray care and husbandry as well as stingray species (this one i am busy with and not fully completed)

If you do a search for shrimp, there are hundreds of threads...
I dont mean to be rude but if you take a read through those we can then answer all your questions and we will help where we can

 

Hi Maria

Thanks for your reply, much appreciated.

HVe done a fair bit of reading since and definitely have a better idea........ especially about who not to loan a decent male ray to while the female is waiting to give birth......lol

I'm still reading, but cannot find anything regarding pricing on the various rays? I am in the process of trying to find a tank and see it is advised that the tank should be at least 2.5x1.2........... why would a 600 wide not be suffient especially if the tank is 2-3m long? Would a 600 or so wide be fine?

 

Hahaha... He has gone back to his Dad and his girlfriends... I tried to hijack him but didnt work...
Luckily, I see him everyday so its ok..

Did you read my thread on the care and husbandry of stingrays?
Most species will grow to at least 45/50cm disc in captivity
If your tank is 60cm.. how does a 50cm disc ray move around? And if its 2 rays? Make sense now?
Although some people will take a chance on 1m.....1.2m is the minimum required and recommended and the extra 10cm is not whats going to break the bank if you want rays.
If you spending the money then do it first time, you save in the long run

If you read the thread "stingray family" you must have seen the pictures of our 3year old rays... it will then make sense to yo.
They also powerful and chunky as they age... they need space

As for prices it varies but an average of between R3000.00 to 12 000.00 for black diamonds

 

You can raise 2 rays on a 60cm wide tank to between the age of 1.5year... maybe stretch to 2years depending on growth rate of each ray but after that you need to go bigger
By then you have spent money on a tank, filtration for that tank etc...
1.5year down the line you have to upgrade everything including the filtration so... you land up spending money twice so.. if you can.. do it right straight away

 

Makes complete sense, quite amazed at the rate that they grow at. Aware of what a new 3x1.2 tank should cost to build or of any that are for sale that are good enough as a ray tank? Not that I am going to buy straight away but just want to start pricing everything as I continue with my reading up etc.

 

im looking at setting up an anscetrus tank any advice or pointera?

 

Thanks for your reply Reedfish, if I read correctly you're base din the UK?

I would definitely lean more towards a ray that does not grow too big as I am worried about where I might be able to place a 1.2\1.5m wide tank without it being an eye sore in my house.

Maria, what do the Hystrix generally sell for here in SA? and are there other species that potentially stay smaller that those you mentioned that an 800wide tank would be perfect for?

I would definitely go for a good length tank, coming from koi keeping definitely a trend where bigger is better, so would like size so that I have options when it comes to variety keeping.

thanks again

 

Spoke to Mo from Wazeers........seems there are nice options around the hystrix which is a hybrid and which does not grow to extremely proportions which a 600-800 wide tank is more than adequate. I dont have much width to play with so these would definitely be the route to take........I can go more in length than I can in width.........so still nothing under 2.5m or there about.

 

@Reedfish is right but...
Just be a bit careful.... Unfortunately up until now some species have been literaly impossible to get in South Africa so far and the hystrix is one of them..
The boesmani is another...
There are some nice hybrids coming in and they do seem to stay a bit smaller but the problem is that as 10cm pups its impossible for inexperienced ray owners to tell what hybrid it is as they go through huge colour morph as they grow and you taking them on word of mouth..
The other thing I have learnt is that Hystrix breeders dont often do hybrids, reason being that the males of the bigger species will tear a hystrix female to pieces during mating so this is not usually done to safeguard the females so i really dont think you will find a Hystrix hybrid being brought in.
The other two smaller rays are not readily available here either so at this stage we are a bit limited to what we have to chose from

Believe it or not even the Black Diamonds you have to be REALY carefull...
I had two Henlei's sent in for me as Black Diamonds.... Unfortunate for them I could tell the difference
I have kept them as, good quality henleis are not readily available either and these two came from a top breeding farm and are the big spot henleis which suit me for my future plans but this is just an example of how careful youhave to be

 

@Cliff .. If anyone promises you Hysterix pups, post a picture on this Forum before you pay for them
Between @Reedfish and i, we will tell you if they are or not

 

@brendonklipper , I think.. Start a new thread of your own with your question and you will get much more response as the members that have experience with ancistrus might not be reading this thread on rays so they wont answer you...

 

Hi @MariaS, while chatting to mo today he mentioned he has them in stock so can only assume as you referred him that this to be a reliable source?

 

Yep... Mo is reliable but does not have enough experience to tell them apart


And yes, he has 6 of them there... i have seen them.. they all hybrid.. motoro X MANTILA, Motoro X Pearl... there are no Hysterix hybrids or pure Hysterix there...

 

@Reedfish.. you are very lucky...

The days of wild caught rays except for the common Motoro are basically over since the ban on catching/exporting WC rays is in place
There is no way you will lay hands on wc rays in SA...

I would also never recommend a wild caught ray to any beginner or to anyone for that matter unless you personally know who its coming from.
Unless they have been quarantined and treated for parasites for a few months.. they dont survive