Spotted Mandarin and a Stingray

[Razor]

I've had a small Atlantic Stingray for about 6 months in my 100 gallon reef. He never seemed to bother anyone and was happy eating frozen prawns. Today I put a Spotted Mandarin in the tank and the Stingray has been hunting him down. The Stingray had the Mandarin up against the glass and was trying to eat him when I noticed and I moved the Mandarin into a quarantine tank.

My questions is:

Is this normal behavior for a Stingray, and should I return the Mandarin or the Stingray to the store?

I had a Striped Mandarin in the tank with the Stingray without a problem until he died from a bacterial infection, so I figured a new Mandarin would do fine.

If my Stingray has gone nuts, I'd rather get rid of him versus not being able to put any new fish in my tank.

Does anyone know if the Stingray is a natural predator of the Mandarin or any other fish which I should avoid while having him in the tank?

Thanks,
Razor

 

[MandarinFish]

stingrays.... don't... belong... in... fishtanks....

just my opinion.

Good luck. Your decision should hinge on what *else* you want in the tank; at least that's how I make my livestock decisions.

 

[Jimbo3006]

it does get annoying when ppl say "this/that" doesnt belong in a fish tank, if you say that about one marine species you shouldnt keep anything at all imo

 

[cmc1]

maybe he should have said it isn't compatible. It's not what you say but how you say it

 

[SPC]

No, I think Mandarin said exactly the way he feels and I agree, stingrays have NO place in the average aquarium.
Steve

 

[Tpynckel]

Neither do Mandarins...they just slowly starve to death.

 

[Razor]

Anyone have any similar problems with Atlantic Stingrays?

 

[newreefman1]

wow razor...i was just about say reiterate rays dont belong in pvt aquarist tanks(albeit the majority of em)...and you went ahead and surprised everyone.

I know it sucks but it was the right and smart decision.

As for the mandarins..they can be kept successfully and there is no reason not to have one with a well stocked tank with plenty of live rock/sand and critters for it to eat.

=-)
GL

JAson.

 

[dendronepthya]

"Neither do Mandarins...they just slowly starve to death. "

Wow, I feel like I'm in the 80's again.

 

[Anonymous]

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Razor:
<strong>Didn't realize this was such a sensitive topic.

The ray was very happy in my tank for the last 6 months. Mainly because I organized the rock so it gave him plenty of room to swim (both below and between) and I left him a nice piece of sand to bury himself. I forgot to mention the Ray was only 7 inches in diameter.

But the decision was made this morning...and the ray has been returned. I have a very good relationship with my LFS and he gave me a nice credit. Luckily, he has a customer with a 3000 gallon tank who was looking for a ray.

So in the end both the Mandarin and the Ray will be happy in their new homes.

Thanks again for your input. Not knowing many people with fish tanks, it's nice to know I can count on this board for some answers/suggestions.

Razor</strong><hr></blockquote>


Great job Razor!

 

[MandarinFish]

Nice steppin', Razor.

I hope you didn't get the impression I was being a Flaming Moe.

I really wasn't trying to be. You are a nice guy with legitimate questions, and probably more experienced than me by far.

The other nice thing about taking the ray back is it gives you that much more fish you can get.

 

[MandarinFish]

Mandarins, WITH:
* the right amount of liverock
* no predators / aggressors
* little competition for food

CAN be kept healthy, fat, and happy in a tank.

Rays swim large distances. When kept in public aquariums, they have massive areas to swim in.

I don't want to rehash the whole tang-in-a-fishbowl argument.

I was polite about it. I was not dogmatic. I stated it in a friendly way (the best way to get a message across). I stated it was my *opinion*.

I am entitled to one. I am entitled to share, last I checked.

Did I flame Razor? No. Why would I?

And I closed with a suggestion that his decision be based on the other tank inhabitants' compatibility, since hs probably has other fish too and obviously wants them to be happy.

The only rays I've seen remotely happy in captivity were in an exhibit at Busch Gardens (I think - it was on tv) and they had a very long, wide shallow pool.

The rays were swimming all over the place.

There are those who will argue that any fish in any tank is ok. There are those who will maintain fish need large enough areas to roam, which is conditional on the species.

Tangs roam. Rays roam. Mandarins hover spot to spot and hunt closely in the rocks.

 

[Razor]

Didn't realize this was such a sensitive topic.

The ray was very happy in my tank for the last 6 months. Mainly because I organized the rock so it gave him plenty of room to swim (both below and between) and I left him a nice piece of sand to bury himself. I forgot to mention the Ray was only 7 inches in diameter.

But the decision was made this morning...and the ray has been returned. I have a very good relationship with my LFS and he gave me a nice credit. Luckily, he has a customer with a 3000 gallon tank who was looking for a ray.

So in the end both the Mandarin and the Ray will be happy in their new homes.

Thanks again for your input. Not knowing many people with fish tanks, it's nice to know I can count on this board for some answers/suggestions.

Razor

 

[SPC]

Posted by Razor:
But the decision was made this morning...and the ray has been returned. I have a very good relationship with my LFS and he gave me a nice credit. Luckily, he has a customer with a 3000 gallon tank who was looking for a ray.

-Well done Razor, a decision only a true hobbiest would make.

Steve

 

[MandarinFish]

Yup Razor.

Make sure they have a lot of live rock and little competition, get them while they're small so you can hopefully train them to eat prepped foods...

I've done a lot of research and Mandarin Dragonets seem quite keep-able.

I personally hope to breed them someday. I'm letting my tank settle for 18 months before getting my first Dragonet pair.

I think in a normal sized aquarium, it's probably easier to keep a Mandarin happy than a ray.

 

[Razor]

I have two very small scooter blennies who eat very well and are looking plump. I had a stripped mandarin, who was eating well, until a bacterial infection got him. So I see no reason why the new mandarin won't do well. They are very keep-able, but you have to make sure you have enough "life" on your rock.

I've found that there are ways around trying to "train" them to eat flake or frozen foods. The "competition" goes to sleep at night and therefore any live food you place in at night will have time to settle into the rock before it gets eaten. Adding live brine a few times a month, after the lights have gone out, has kept my scooters and madarins happy. They hunt all day long for the brine which have settled into the rock.

 

[Razor]

Don't sweat it Mandarinfish. Everyone is entitled to their opinion whether I agree with it or not. In this case I happen to agree with it.

Plus, from your name I would assume that your opinion would be in favor of the Mandarin.