African_Fever

Awesome pics again Ryan!

Glad to hear the ray is doing well. You still owe pics though!

What was the flow rate when all the materials were new? With Eheims (and other canisters) just because the flow rate is down it doesn't necessarily mean the performance is down.

Ishkabod - Dalray's not keeping jewels, vic's are completely different and if using a tank for spawning alone he could probably get away with something as small as a 15. Vic's don't have the 'pair forming' that your jewels have, nor do they both raise the fry together (under ideal circumstances) - they're also mouthbrooders (again, completely different from your jewels). Under ideal situations the fish might be alone in the tank for less than 24 hrs before they've bred and can be again (at least the male) returned to the main tank. Stick to what you know with your koi in your 40. Dalray - having the hunters in there is going to be great for helping get rid of any unwanted fry, and will definitely be cool if you're lucky enough to watch them stalk!

The filter you choose also has a lot to do with how heavily you want to stock your tank, and how often you want to do water changes. Sponge filters are great and I'm a big fan of them for fry tanks and planted tanks, but I'd never ever consider using them alone on a stingray tank (even pups). Look at how heavily stocks your tank are, and consider how often you'll be able to do water changes all winter when making your decision as to which filter to use. One thing to remember as well with Patrick's setup is that running a powerhead with a sponge filter will provide the same sort of flow and filtering capabilities as a HOB with sponges (which is how I run all my HOB's). Air powered sponges have much less flow, and therefore filtering capabilities. I'm a little surprised that there's no hard data on which filter works best (ie. sponge vs. hob vs. canister). It wouldn't be too hard to do if someone had the right monitors.

They do grow and multiply, but I've found as my interest in fish changes, so do the tanks I need (want?). I currently have 4-20's sitting empy, along with a 45, 55, 10, and 5. Rather than the 16 tanks I had setup when I was breeding cichlids, I find I'm switching to larger tanks for rays, and finding that even the 2-130's I have are starting to seem small compared to my 230 and 200. Right now I'm trying to decide whether or not to re-seal on of my 130's that needs it (water in one of the side seams when it was set up), or just tear it apart and use the glass to build 2-3 more 200 gallon+ tanks. Ideally I'd like to have only a half dozen tanks setup, with my 2-130's (if I don't tear one apart) used as growout tanks for rays. Funny how things change.

I'd flush them too. It's too hard to actually find purebred Vic's of the quality that Patrick has gone to such great lengths to bring to Canada that it's a shame to even consider keeping hybrids. If you've got even one extra tank that you can use for breeding, just switch the species you try to breed in that tank between there and the main tank as you let them breed. Otherwise I'd talk to Patrick about which ones might cross, and not keep anything from your main tank if there's even the remotest possibility. Another thing to keep in consideration is that a lot of people won't buy fish from someone who's ever had or 'encouraged' hybrids. If you keep these and see nothing wrong with it, then in the future others will be wary of buying fish from you because they can't be sure that you've suddenly changed your ways and now hold purebreds with high esteem.

You could always try to catch the fish at night when the lights are out, and after they've been out for a while. As long as you're quick and they don't wake up you can have them in a new tank before they even really know what's going on.

Great shots! I'm really starting to miss my cyps/paracyps and wish I maybe hadn't sold them...

Great dimensions, that'll definitely make a stunning show tank! Are you going to be going with a full CO2 setup as well?

Your best bet is to take the male out of the 15 and leave the female with the eggs alone in there. He'll continue to beat on her, as they don't form pairs in any way shape or form. The male will breed with any females that are available, and if you don't have female polit, he'll breed with other females of different species. They can be good parents, but if it's her first time I would't expect her to hold them the whole time. Many times they will, but not always (polits because they haven't been around for too long still have pretty good instincts so there is a good chance she'll last). Depending on what other fish you have in your large tank there's a good chance that the male will spawn with your other female as well. Congrats!

I didn't use a whole sheet with a hole cut in the middle for the front of mine either (due to it being a waste IMO of plywood). I had all my cuts figured out to be exactly what I wanted, and used 4" strips of plywood to 'frame' the front of my tank, the same way I used strips across the top (front and back) rather than having a brace go from the front to the back (though I never used any bracing on the top sides of my design). I have about 3" of overlap (glass overlapping the plywood), but would go for less next time for sure. A 2x6 could be used, but IMO the window would be too recessed, and you definitely don't need the full 6" of support around it - your support for the glass pressure is going to come from the edges of the glass, not wherever the glass touches the the wood. I think you could get away with 1" of overlap, but I'd personally shoot for 1.5-2" (I have 3" this time but think that it's way more than needed, and am planning on 2" or less next time). Think about how little 'overlap' there is on a glass tank - only the thickness of the glass itself, so even doubling the glass thickness and you'll have more than enough support (not to mention that ply/glass tanks are already way stronger than solid glass).

And make sure they're not too deformed either; probably 80%+ of the cacatuides I've seen have been deformed and not worth breeding or keeping IMO (deformed mouth/jaw seems to be the worst).

There are only certain meds that are ray safe. For a bit of a cloudy eye though, you're best to just up the water changes, maybe even raise the temp a bit, and ensure that she keeps eating. If she's healthy you won't have any problems.

Any chance of any pics? Are you sure it's a hystrix? Just make sure your water is clean and up the water changes if you're worried about anything. One of my schroederi had a cloudy eye for a while but it cleared up with time.

I've got two Koralia 3's (they were out of 4's at the time) and I absolutely love them. I love the suction cup and external magnet mounts, and I really like how open the design of them is. If someone were able to do a group order of these for cheap, I'd definitely take more. And they are making some larger ones now too, all the way up to 8's which I think have some crazy flow rates.

You might want to try adding some dithers to see if it helps with the pair bond again. If that doesn't work, separating and re-uniting might be the last resort.

Another option is Colby at Elite Aquatics. Last I checked his prices were the same as Gold's on FX5's.

Thanks - I'll have to make sure I hit them up the next time I'm up. I know their bulbs are much less than elsewhere too.

Just wondering if anyone knows if Gold's carries the Hagen Glo ballasts? I just set up a 230 and it needs lighting and a top. I love the Glo ballast I have now, and was planning on picking some more up for the new tank. If anyone else has any other ideas for flexible lighting options (not shop lights) I'm all ears.

Thanks for the updates Ryan! She's definitely got some blue to her rings.

Now that the FX5's have been out for a couple of years, has anyone had any problems with the hoses on them 'wearing out'? I've got one that seems to consistently take in air unless the tank is right full, so I'm assuming it's got a pinhole somewhere near the intake. Had anyone found any replacement hoses that aren't the plastic Fluval type but rather the more flexible ones every other brand uses that fit the FX5 without being Eheim expensive?

Was finally able to remove the congo tetra's last week, and they appear to have been the plant eaters. They really mowed down the new anubias leaves, as well as some old ones, and were also nipping on the new growth from ludwigia and rotala. Now that they're gone, all the new leaves don't appear to have any new bites in them and are coming in strong.

He's a great looking ray Ryan. I wonder if the food has much to do with how bright and vibrant the spots are.

Thanks Tim; she took to pellets as soon as I got her too!