This may help.
BatoidFAQs
A few quotes from the FAQ...
Stingrays
Is there a small type of ray that will fit in my 12 inch in diameter and 39 in length? <No... no... and no... this aquarium is probably less than 55 gallons.
You would need at least 30" wide aquarium...that is at least 6-8ft in length to house even the smallest of rays. IanB>
"
Urolophus halleri?
Hey guys, I was wondering if
Urolophus halleri was a cool water or tropical species? LiveAquaria.com has it as a tropical (72 - 78) but I've heard that it's a cool water also.
<It's found from Northern CA,
where temps are around 50-55, all the way down to Panama. Keep in mind though that most individuals in the trade are likely coming from warm waters and may need to be acclimated slowly.> "
"
Blue-spotted Stingray tank?
Hi, I am planning on building atank for stingrays - dimensions -
7 ft long x 3 feet wide x 2 ft high,
<hmmm...
just one small specimen hopefully. Very little rock in the display too... soft substrates (1 mm sand grain size)... heavy filtration... ozone use too perhaps>
how many gallons is this and is this
<LXWXH in feet X the multiple 7.4 (galls of water in a cubic foot) = 310 gallons>
sufficient for 1 stingray w/no tankmates to live out his life?
<yes... several species could I believe. One specimen only though>
It would house possibly
Urolophus halleri (cool water?)
<eh...
I'm inclined not to recommend temperate species... harder to keep. More expensive usually too>
but I would really like Dasyatis kuhlii,
<an excellent choice!>
although I cannot find anybody that sells it.
<do put a special request in with rare fish collectors like the LFS oldtownaquarium.com in Chicago. They seek the rarest of the rare every week and ship nationwide.>
My LFS has a
Taeniura lymna but I think I should look for a different species.
<Yikes! What a
horrible species for captivity! I'm truly sorry to see it even offered
Please avoid this one my friend>
What is a good ray that would happily live in this tank? Thanks!
<your first choice for blue spotted ray was quite excellent. Dasyatis kuhlii is an aquarium-use species of merit and beauty. Pasted below is the caption we will likely use for this fish in contrast to the other dreadful species mentioned above:
**What a difference a genus makes!
Dasyatis kuhlii (Muller & Henle 1841) is also known as the Blue-Spotted Stingray (or Kuhl's Ray). Like Taeniura lymna, this ray of shared common namesake is also found throughout the Indo-West Pacific, including the Red Sea. Growing somewhat larger,
to twenty inches in width (50 cm) with the same electric blue spots, this species on the contrary makes an excellent aquarium specimen. They are reef associated and feed mostly on crustaceans with a tolerance for home-prepared substitutes (cocktail shrimp, packaged krill, etc.). What they lack in number of blue spots compared to the Ribbontail Ray, they make up for in hardiness, survivability and grace. Other common meats of marine origin are accepted readily like fish, Mysids, and squid, as well as commercial frozen shark food formulas and live feeder shrimp and crabs. A Best Bet elasmobranch. Venomous – pictured here off Heron Island, Australia.**
[from the Natural Marine Aquarium Vol. 2 part one, "Reef Fishes" by Robert Fenner and Anthony Calfo (2005)]
best regards, Anthony> "
"
Bat Ray?
Bob, I wish to purchase a
bat ray (4-5"'s) for my home 180 gal tank. Please email me with specifics. Bo Siryj
<Specifics? I have never seen a bat ray offered for sale that was less than
eighteen or so inches wide... these animals get too large for your system. Bob Fenner> "