just ordered two wild hystrix pups (need advice)

**hystrix777** · 12-03-2011, 06:42 PM

Hey guys, im pretty new to the forums and looking for advice in this area. Currently i only keep arowanas and a few other monster fish.. I just ordered to wild hystrix rays from Brazil (yes they are legit). They are about 3-4 inches and currently in a hospital tank at my breeders location and should be shipping out this upcoming Monday and arriving by Tuesday. He says since they are wild he likes to medicate them and get the little ones feeding before shipping.

So this is the deal; ive kept tons of fresh and saltwater fish, just never freshwater rays. I have a cycled "hospital" tank im going to be keeping these guys in that is 15 gallons (but 18 inches wide to provide more swimming space). I ordered a special white sand for these rays and gave them about a 1 inch depth.. I forgot the name brand but it almost looks like a liquid and i know it doesn't affect the ph.. seems very soft, they say its great for rays and discus. Anyways, i have no plants in the tank and just a few small stones (should i remove these?). The ph is kept at 7.0 with a temp of 78f. My importer told me they are currently feeding on chopped earth worms, is this a decent part of their diet? I currently just have one hang on the back filter, ive heard rays need 0 ammonia in their water at all times, how would this be possible...? probally daily %50 water changes in my current situation?

Should this tank hold them for a couple weeks max? Any other tips or advice would be greatly appreciated!! thanks in advance guys, im new to FW rays and need some help, i wanna give these guys a good home!

**hystrix777** · 12-03-2011, 07:56 PM

one more question, i was told i should use an acclimation process with a drip before adding the rays after getting my shipment. what does this consist of exactly?

**frefal13** · 12-03-2011, 08:46 PM

Did you mean 0 nitrate instead of 0 ammonia? Because all fish require 0 ammonia and if your tank is truly cycled there will be no ammonia in the first place. There is a pretty good post on drip acclimation in the DIY forum, you can take a look there for more info.

**Cliff** · 12-03-2011, 09:00 PM

Here's some really good drip acclimation info.

I use the same process and it has never failed me

http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/aqua...ad.php?t=62211

**hystrix777** · 12-03-2011, 09:46 PM

Originally Posted by Cliff

Here's some really good drip acclimation info.

I use the same process and it has never failed me

http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/aqua...ad.php?t=62211

yeah sorry about that, 0 nitrate lol my bad.. any more advice would be great! thanks guys!

**Crispy** · 12-03-2011, 09:53 PM

I'm not sure I would use the drip acclimation method since the bags they will be shipped in will contain ammonia and it's best to get them out of that water right away.

**hystrix777** · 12-03-2011, 10:07 PM

hmm, thats right but i also heard their easily stressed.. are these guys pretty hardy? their wild so im a bit concerned..

**Crispy** · 12-03-2011, 10:15 PM

check out the info here... these guys have lots of experience with rays...
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/fo...281-Viewing%29

**gm72** · 12-03-2011, 11:23 PM

I'm concerned for the fish. I appreciate your coming here to get some help, that's what we are best at.

At the same time though you have ordered some quite sensitive/difficult to keep/relatively expensive fish. You clearly don't know much about them. You are also not even able to tell us the name of the substrate you plan to use for the fish yet you have stated that you set up the "hospital" tank specifically for them.

You also use language that makes it seem as though you don't understand how to keep any fish at all, given your comment about ammonia.

So what is the story here? I am sorry if I am coming off as being confrontational but this story is not making sense to me at all.

**hystrix777** · 12-03-2011, 11:37 PM

Originally Posted by gm72

I'm concerned for the fish. I appreciate your coming here to get some help, that's what we are best at.

At the same time though you have ordered some quite sensitive/difficult to keep/relatively expensive fish. You clearly don't know much about them. You are also not even able to tell us the name of the substrate you plan to use for the fish yet you have stated that you set up the "hospital" tank specifically for them.

You also use language that makes it seem as though you don't understand how to keep any fish at all, given your comment about ammonia.

So what is the story here? I am sorry if I am coming off as being confrontational but this story is not making sense to me at all.

Actually i think you may be mistaken, as i stated in a previous post didnt intend to state 0 ammonia, ammonia is toxic to fish. Correct i couldnt name the substrate off the top of my head when i was posting the topic but if your that concerned its called moonlight sand for freshwater aquariums made by caribsand with no ph altering substances. Hospital tank? Its an aquarium you keep new fish in while monitoring their health before adding them to your main aquarium. I added the sand for them to feel more at home but simply dont want to spread disease to my other fish. Not to mention ive done plenty of research and realize my aquarium what chemistry and setup would do them quite well, i was simply asking for experienced keepers advice... Difficult to keep? ive had saltwater rays for years, not to mention discus, arowanas, gar and a few other "demanding" fish.. I think i know what im getting into but sometimes its nice to speak with other keepers on forums just to chat ;)