Hystrix Stingray Red.....die?

[miketyler]

hey guys I bought a hystrix about 3 weeks ago and hes been eating really good and hes swimming around the tank but I noticed that his underside is turning red is he not doing well to the new adjustment. I did have a nitrAte problem but recently moved so thats no longer an issue no ammonia or nitrite I just cant figure it out i have researced and found nothing but dead ends..any help would be appreciated...
thanks in advance
Mike

 

[CFC]

What substrate do you have in the tank?

Sharp or rough substrates can irritate the skin on the rays underbelly giving them a pink hue and sore patches, when i got my first ray i was badly advised to use river/silica sand and had to remove it all after a couple of weeks when i noticed that the ray had sores and was spending long periods of time "climbing" the glass rather than swimming along the substrate. I now use kiln dried block paving sand which is much finer in texture.

 

[miketyler]

i have like fine gravel you know you could be right cause he does spend alot of time climbing the walls do you know how i would go about switching from gravel to sand or what you use..
thanks mke

 

[Paul_MTS]

The way to switch without disturbing your too much is to remove some of your gravel with each water change, just digging a large tube into the gravel with a syphon going. This way to suck out the gravel and all the crap thats trapped in the gravel too.

To get the change done faster you could do a few more water changes than usual or bigger ones until all the gravel is gone. Then find some sand, get it very well washed and add a thin layer to the tank but scooping it in a net then putting the net to the bottom of the tank then tipping it out.

Doing it this was will cause the least disruption.

 

[miketyler]

K sounds good just one more question I just moved yesterday and all my fish are doing well and adjusting fine how long should i wait? and i just did a nitrAte test and i noticed my nitrAtes have gone back up but my ammonia and nitrItes are ok would this harm my ray and how do i lower it it seems that when i do my water changes it goes down.....then over night it shoots back up i have cleaned all the filters and added new media (not all at once) and still goes up I have a 90 gallon all thats in it its a 18" fire eel and sting ray could it be the eel?
Thanks again and this rocks
Mike

 

[Paul_MTS]

Water changing is the best way to sort out nitrates.

If there rising again quickly I suspect you have have trapped debris in your gravel.

How often do you feed?

You can do small water changes straight away but not too big ones straight after the move!

 

[miketyler]

I feed the ray around twice a day chopped earthworm and the eel once every 2-3 days as he eats alot. Would the high nitrAtes kill him (The ray) im really not sure i have read conficting statements I was thinking that maybe the eel is just to big?and is a 90 gallon to small for a hystrix?

 

[CFC]

The 90g is too small for both the eel and the ray really, the eel has the potential to grow to 30 inches and as thick as a mans fore arm and even the smallest species of ray require a 120g gallon tank, for hysterix you really want something more like 180 gallons or more.

As paul says trapped dirt in the substrate is the most likely cause of rapidy rising nitrates, both your fish are sensative to nitrate and ideally shouldnt be exposed to levels above 50ppm for long periods so efforts should be made to get the levels down, thorough cleaning of the substrate and replacing the mechanical media in the filter as well as cleaning the biological filter media to get out as much trapped sludge as possible as well as small water changes each day should get the levels down fast.