Catching 2 baby stingrays born in my 15,000 gallon tank

[arapaimag]

Hi Everyone

I Hope you had a great christmas and best wishes for a great 2011


I had 2 baby motoro stingrays born in my 15,000 gallon tank Dec 13.

Richard went in and caught them both a few days after they were born.

They stuck themselves to the floor of the tank and he had to use a spoon to get them un stuck so he could get the net under them.

Catching the first one along the 18 foot side of the tank

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGMHeYrt9Hc&feature=related

catching the second one and needing the spoon on the 28 foot long side of the tank

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7s4L5lA_hg&feature=related

[ZX10R]

That is awesome thanks for sharing. I believe my brothers Jaguar rays are about to have pups again. He had one pup months ago so he is hoping to get several this time.

[hedut]

WOW that your tank? that is huge and is good for breeding large fish:). congratz anyway

[arapaimag]

That is awesome thanks for sharing. I believe my brothers Jaguar rays are about to have pups again. He had one pup months ago so he is hoping to get several this time.

Best wishes for many new nephews and nieces.......

I have only had babies that we were able to get out of the tank one other time. 2 babies that time also but probably others were eaten before they were noticed by me.

[arapaimag]

WOW that your tank? that is huge and is good for breeding large fish:). congratz anyway

Thanks..........I just watch the sexy rays do all the breeding.

[ZX10R]

Best wishes for many new nephews and nieces.......

I have only had babies that we were able to get out of the tank one other time. 2 babies that time also but probably others were eaten before they were noticed by me.

That was something my brother was worried about that is why he pulled the pup as soon as he seen it. Best of luck with them.

[wendy9722]

Wow!!! You have a swimming pool for a fish tank... I am so jealous!!! Not for the amount of wc's you would have to do.

[arapaimag]

Wow!!! You have a swimming pool for a fish tank... I am so jealous!!! Not for the amount of wc's you would have to do.

The 52,000 gallon tank actually has a lot more big fish and actually needs a lot more wc's. I also keep a lot of other tanks which are far more time consuming. And yes I do have a discus tank too.

[wendy9722]

The 52,000 gallon tank actually has a lot more big fish and actually needs a lot more wc's. I also keep a lot of other tanks which are far more time consuming. And yes I do have a discus tank too.
I'd love to see your discus tank!! Can you post that one too..

[arapaimag]

Sorry I don't have a video of that one yet.

I converted my Mbu puffer/cichlid tank to a discus community tank about 3 months ago.

However here is the puffer man video

Arapaimag's mbu puffer's 810 gallon tank video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsDjcfrGMpg

I still have the puffer but he has aged and actually needs a smaller tank so he can easily get to the food. He is getting old and having a tough time swimming well some days. He appears a lot happier now in a 180 with a shoal of small harlequin rasboras.

[jball1125]

WOW thats a lot of water! Nice tanks

[Second Hand Pat]

Scuba comes to mind while catching fish or rays in your tank. Nice.

[Ed13]

I'd love to have a tank that big!
I'd love to have rays(lepoldi)!!!



Yet, I can't have neither!!:mad: Live the dream man!!!:thumbsup:

[arapaimag]

WOW thats a lot of water! Nice tanks

Thanks very much

[arapaimag]

Scuba comes to mind while catching fish or rays in your tank. Nice.

Thanks

Actually I normally take about 10,000 to 12,000 gallons out of the 15k and 4 friends go in to catch the fish. But due to time restraints my son in law had to go in after he got home from work and visited my house because of the possible loss of the pups.

I have had a friend scuba dive in the bigger tank because it is 9 feet deep.

[William Palumbo]

9ft deep! That's the height of the ceilings in my house! WOW...Those tanks are something. Man, could I go nuts with a Discus biotope in any of those. Lucky you!...Bill

[Second Hand Pat]

and this is a home tank...9 feet deep wow. I'm with Bill, what a super biotope but no clue where I would get all that water, but wait, I have a lake in the back yard...

[Discus-Hans]

Nice going Michael!!!!!!!!!!

When do we see you again, missed you at the OCA buddy,

Joanne & Hans

[Jennie]

I couldn't imagine WC on that?? who has that kind of time, Holy!!

[arapaimag]

9ft deep! That's the height of the ceilings in my house! WOW...Those tanks are something. Man, could I go nuts with a Discus biotope in any of those. Lucky you!...Bill

Thanks
here is a quick video of the bigger 9 foot deep tank.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3j6JAJeGRzI

[arapaimag]

and this is a home tank...9 feet deep wow. I'm with Bill, what a super biotope but no clue where I would get all that water, but wait, I have a lake in the back yard...

1. Look at the movie Dr No the James Bond flick around 1962. Note Dr No's tank in
his basement
2. Then dig a basement in your house and put a glass panel on one side of it and join
the lake to your house.
3. Fill the lake with discus.

Then sit back and enjoy it...............

[arapaimag]

Nice going Michael!!!!!!!!!!

When do we see you again, missed you at the OCA buddy,

Joanne & Hans

I miss you both also

The last 2 years have been tough and I lost the use of both hands/wrists for periods of time. Able to use them with limited strength at present but not enough to lift my body into the car and that is why I missed the ACA, Catfish Convention and OCA.

Hopefully I will be better in 2011. I am organizing my Spitfire Challenge wheelchair basketball tournament in July/August 2011 and will have national teams from Germany, Netherlands, USA etc attending. So I will need to be better.

Have a great 2011

[arapaimag]

I couldn't imagine WC on that?? who has that kind of time, Holy!!

The 2 biggest tanks are the easiest for water changes.

I use a fast drip system of fresh water into the bigger tank (Between 2,000 to 2,500 gallons a day). Note: I did say fast drip system.

I built the big tank so that the water level would be 1 foot lower than the smaller tank.
Then I divert some cleaned water from one of the filters in the big tank to the smaller tank which has an overflow and drains by gravity back to the big tank thus doing a wc in both tanks continuously. I have large ponds outside my house where the overflow (using a pool skimmer) is discharged to. The water is absorbed into the ground in the ponds and my well pump collects the new water from about the 180 foot level and it is pumped back into my tank.

So the water changes are really not a problem time wise.

My friend Rusty Wessel in KY has his whole 1800 sq foot fishroom automated with regular wc several times a day even when he is away collecting fish in Central America.

I think of his system every time I do wc in my 100 plus smaller tanks and swear a lot that I was not smart enough to do what he did when I built my fish rooms.

[ZX10R]

My friend Rusty Wessel in KY has his whole 1800 sq foot fishroom automated with regular wc several times a day even when he is away collecting fish in Central America.

I think of his system every time I do wc in my 100 plus smaller tanks and swear a lot that I was not smart enough to do what he did when I built my fish rooms.

KY as in Kentucky?

[William Palumbo]

WOW! Man you've got some serious tanks for sure! AND 100+ smaller tanks!...I guess once you have a 52,000 gallon tank...It makes all the other tanks seem small!...LOL...Bill

[arapaimag]

KY as in Kentucky?

Yes Louisville Ky.

Rusty in the ACA (American Cichlid Association) and does several collecting trips each year. He speaks at club meetings and conventions around the world.

[ZX10R]

Yes Louisville Ky.

Rusty in the ACA (American Cichlid Association) and does several collecting trips each year. He speaks at club meetings and conventions around the world.

That would be something worth going and seeing his set-up I am only 1 hr 45 minutes from Louisville. Does he collect discus also?

[arapaimag]

WOW! Man you've got some serious tanks for sure! AND 100+ smaller tanks!...I guess once you have a 52,000 gallon tank...It makes all the other tanks seem small!...LOL...Bill

Bill it all started with a goldfish bowl when I was 2 years old.

My dad gave me home made 5 and 10 gallon tanks when I was 7 and my fish illness progressed from there.

Even though I have several large fish I still enjoy all aspects of the hobby and like small fish like zebra danios and bettas also.

[arapaimag]

That would be something worth going and seeing his set-up I am only 1 hr 45 minutes from Louisville. Does he collect discus also?

I am not sure.

I know his biggest interests are in central american cichlids and livebearers. He even has a cichlid fish named after him Theraps wesseli.

Give me an email at arapaimag@speedway.ca with your phone number and I will give you call & his phone number. I believe he has 2 collecting/photographing trips planned soon with a few buddies who are icthyologists and biologists. But you might be able to visit him before he leaves the USA.

[William Palumbo]

LOL...I guess that's all it takes to get you started. Fish keeping is a great hobby, no matter what you keep. I like smaller non-Discus fish as well. I think most seasoned hobbyist, tho have their favorite fish, also keep others as well. Let me ask you...at 52,000 gallons, do you ever wish for a tank bigger than that? Or is that it?...LOL...most of us have 55's or 75's and wish for a 100+gallon tank! Does that hold true when you have tens of thousands+ gallons?...You know, the typical Discus trait of always wanting more!...Bill

[ZX10R]

I am not sure.

I know his biggest interests are in central american cichlids and livebearers. He even has a cichlid fish named after him Theraps wesseli.

Give me an email at arapaimag@speedway.ca with your phone number and I will give you call & his phone number. I believe he has 2 collecting/photographing trips planned soon with a few buddies who are icthyologists and biologists. But you might be able to visit him before he leaves the USA.

I just sent you a email with my email and number. My brother is big into fresh water rays and he is on MFK also his user ID is FishDog

[Richweg]

Awesome video. Can't imagine having a tank that size in my house.

[arapaimag]

LOL...I guess that's all it takes to get you started. Fish keeping is a great hobby, no matter what you keep. I like smaller non-Discus fish as well. I think most seasoned hobbyist, tho have their favorite fish, also keep others as well. Let me ask you...at 52,000 gallons, do you ever wish for a tank bigger than that? Or is that it?...LOL...most of us have 55's or 75's and wish for a 100+gallon tank! Does that hold true when you have tens of thousands+ gallons?...You know, the typical Discus trait of always wanting more!...Bill


Bill sorry for the delay.

Yesterday a friend was over and we witnessed the 2 Arapaimas fighting.....and yes at that moment I did wish I had a bigger tank. When 2 six foot long 150 lb plus fish are fighting even my 52,000 looks tiny.

It ended when one turned away to build up speed for another attack and ran into the mouth of the Wallago leerii female who bit the Pima and sent both of the Pimas swimming to get away from her.

[arapaimag]

Awesome video. Can't imagine having a tank that size in my house.

Thanks

Anybody can build a large tank if you can find the space. I know lots of hobbyists on MFK that have built amazing tanks 1,000 gallons and up.

[lpiasente]

well it's time to sell the house and get one on a concrete slab so I can get a tank like that.

[aquaticparadise]

Hello,

Just wanted to stop by and say thanks for sharing the clips on your 15,000 tank. It is absolutely beautiful!!!!

[arapaimag]

Thanks very much glad you enjoyed the tank.