I'ved got stingray!!

[andywg]

Paul, dude, you are gonna have one hell of a selection.

Since you seem to spend so much on fish there is still a Zebra Shovel Nose in Shotgate for a measly £1,200.

I'd love to think about putting it in with my RTCs once the pond's built but I think it'd be just too small, but it's fit lovely in your tank...think...lovely looking fish...forget price...nice fishy... (possibly forget a number of other fish once it's in too...)

Also, there's a coupe of really nice gars, arowanas (sp?) and plecos in Shotgate right now. Hell, they've even got the corydoras elegans I'm after (just too expensive there at £7 each...).

And if you want they've got the lovely rays (forget species and latin - too many vodkas...) the black ones with the white spots, again only £450...for specimins around the 7-10 inch mark across the disc.

Could definatley be worth your while taking a look at Shotgate (but bring your money, last time I visited I left with 7 DPs and 3 upside down catfish... )

Anyhow, sorry to babble, just thought you'd be interested to know what's around just outside of what would be your normal LFS range.

EDIT - I wsh I could spell...

 

[Paul_MTS]

Hehe cheers

I am Sir Spend alot!! I might have to slow down soon though as college is messing me aorund and i might have to drop a day at work

Yep Shotgates is awesome and I might have to go back there soon as my L024 died recently for no reason which i got from there and you expect a £42 plec to last longer than 1 month!!

It's a bit of journey though and don't even tempt me about the zebra ived already considered it but I reakon i would prefer a small specimen.

Heh once i got these 2 rays thats all I need for now!!! Until i have more time on my hands, i'ved just bought a lizard aswell so he's going to take some looking after.

Last time i went i came out with a slant nosed gar, marbled birchir, ornate birchir, tulip eel and the L024.........that came to quite a sum

oh well better go get ready for work now.

 

[CFC]

Yep Shotgates is awesome and I might have to go back there soon as my L024 died recently for no reason which i got from there and you expect a £42 plec to last longer than 1 month!!

I doubt very much that they will offer you any refund for a fish you have had a month whether it cost £42 or £420, the longest guarentee ive ever seen on tropical fish is 7 days and only on production of a water sample which proves the fish was kept in ideal conditions.

 

[Paul_MTS]

True, I will be partially surprised if they do give me something in return but I'm putting it down to something that it already had. It definately ate and he didn't get bullied.

 

[CFC]

Dont forget that wild caught fish like plecs come from very soft mineral deficiant acidic waters so unless you are keeping them in water that matches this then the strain that is placed on their internal organs by the minerals and contaminants present in tapwater is enough to kill the fish in short time. Another problem with wild caught plecs, expecially those which rasp on wood such as Panaque and Baryancisterus species have a symbiotic relationship with bacteria in the gut. When imported a lot of wholesalers treat all new stock with a broadspectrum anti paracitic anti bacterial medication to clean them up prior to sale, unfortunately this kills all the bacteria in the gut too leaving the fish unable to digest its food properly sentancing the fish to a slow painful death. Personally after losing several expensive L numbers in the early day of the hobby i wouldnt touch them any more unless i had seen the fish in the store for at least a couple of months.

 

[Paul_MTS]

I hate my water!!

When I move my decision will be based on a nice soft slightly acidic tap water!!

I wondered why you barely had any plecs. I have peat in my filter at the moment, so hopefully it's softened the water a bit but haven't checked recently, the GH/KH tests take ages!!.

 

[OohFeeshy]

Sigh... If only I had the room to get a 100gallon tank.... The most I can afford at the mo is a 15US gallon tank....

 

[Paul_MTS]

Just a query about the laticeps full size...

on ste2k's profile on them he says about 12" and some books say 12" but other books say a whoooooping 27"

When I get them there going in my 20gallon (UK) for a while until I'ved finished a treatment on the big un. There all feeding fine on froozen bloodworm at the moment, had a word with the supliers.

 

[CFC]

Two rays in a 20 is a disaster waiting to happen, i would greatly advise you dont try this. If you dont want to take my advise ask here in the stingrays forum http/forums.waterwolves.com/index.php?act=idx . Are you sure they are laticeps are are they being sold as Tea cup rays? Tea cups are more likely to be P.reticualta or P.hysterix.

 

[Paul_MTS]

Damn!! How about using a devider or is it simple because of water chemistry will be tight in a 20gal?

Yeah they are being sold as Teacups and Laticeps have appeared on the list this week but a different batch to mine.

When i went to the suppliers there was a tank with hysterix rays on but nothing was in there.



I guess i'll be ID'in them once i get them.

Unfortunately my aro is still have anchor worm probs ( yep i know...."you told me so") so i'm gingerly treating with Internet No.12 as the tank has BGK's and eels in. Or can i full dose. I'ved already gone through 4 bottles after a water change. I have 2 more bottles and if they don't make an effect i'm getting me aro supplier to send me aload of Parazin P tablets.

 

[CFC]

The nitrates will rise far too quickly in a 20g, rays are messy fish that require a lot of food to remain healthy. The absolute minimum you can keep one ray in even as a temporary tank needs to have a footprint of 48x12", for two nothing less than 48x24". Nothing kills rays faster than unstable water and high nitrate pollution.
Remember that they are also highly sensative to medications so you shouldnt add them to the big tank until the entire volume has been replaced twice, ie 2x 100% water changes. Even trace ammounts of a medication could kill your rays.

 

[Paul_MTS]

arse, the arival of the rays really isn't going to be timed too well.

Luckily when i got home from college there was no anchor worm on my arowana so thats a start.

If i manage to do 3 large water changes before introducing the rays and add all my carbon to the sump do you think this should help out the situation?

The treatment was only half dose anyways because of the eels and BGk's in there.

I'm not sure if there's 2 spare 4ft tanks going at work to house them for extended ammounts of time.

Can I use any medication at all with the rays in the tank or is this purely just for the introduction period?

 

[CFC]

The only comercially available medication you can safely use with rays is Melafix, if you need medications for anything else you will need to consult a specialist vet on a medication that is suitable for your needs and safe for Elasmobranch species (true sharks and rays). When keeping rays in a community tank a UV steriliser as part of the filtration is highly recomended as a prevention of water born parasites and pathogens.

 

[Paul_MTS]

This isn't getting much better!!

Just done my first of the 3 water changes and took 45mins and made me miss The Simpsons!!

I was planning on a UV in the end....how many do you run? Going by the recomended litres on the Vecton's I would need 2 15W ones to cover the tank well.

I'm going to have to find a aquatic vet aswell.

 

[CFC]

I have a single 30w UV on my tank.