Ray pond idea - will this work?

[zoohoot]

Hi all. We currently have a California round stingray in our 210 gallon mixed reef. We have had him for about 3-4 months and he is doing very well; eats well, doesn't bother the corals, and is a good tank mate. Other than kicking up lots of sand in the DT he is a pretty good tank mate and definitely gets lots of attention from visitors. We have been toying with setting up an outdoor salt water pond for a long time, and I think the ray would love the extra room and dedicated space.

Here is what I am thinking:

• Outdoor saltwater pond
• In a shaded area of our backyard
• "Approximately" 700 gallons
• Live rock, sand, and not much else
• Other inhabitants would be limited, mainly just the ray.
• Could cover at night, during rain, etc.

Where we live:

• Southern California, near Temecula
• Our temperature tends to be warm, lows in the winter at night are low 50s, highest is summer at 100+
• Very little rain

My primary concern with doing this is temp control. I currently keep the temp in our tank around 78. The ray prefers cooler temps but is doing fine at 78. I am sure I would have to run a chiller on the pond during the summer.

Does this seem doable or am I crazy?

 

[dublo8]

I think it's an awesome idea. Especially if you can keep that water immaculate. Very original. However, I think you may be fighting a losing battle with the heat issue. Even with a chiller large enough to do the job, you still have to remember you have direct sunlight for most of the day and that is going to make temps rise pretty high. Direct sunlight may also cause a ton of algae. My first thought would be to cover the "pond" area, but then that would require supplimental lighting. What other ideas do you have to impliment this.

 

[tozzi]

Could u do it in your basement?

 

[Burghboy]

Yeah, the direct sunlight seems like a killer. Heat spikes and algae would be rough but if you are able to throw enough money at it for a monster chiller and lighting it would definitely be cool.

 

[puggsli1]

Could u do it in your basement?

FYI people in California don't have basements :wave:.

 

[zoohoot]

tozzi... No basements here in California

dublo8... the area I plan to put it (next to my house) actually gets shade throughout the day, so that should help avoid too much direct sunlight. Do you think day-long shade is enough to keep the temp in check?

 

[Beaun]

I would never heat it, just cool it. 3-4 months at 78* is not "success". Other then that, I would consider the idea of a small sand filter. If its going to be outside you could also think of using geothermal cooling.

 

[dublo8]

tozzi... No basements here in California

dublo8... the area I plan to put it (next to my house) actually gets shade throughout the day, so that should help avoid too much direct sunlight. Do you think day-long shade is enough to keep the temp in check?

I have had several ponds before and yes it will keep the temp reletively close to the outside temp. just slightly below. however your outside temp does climb pretty high out there in so cal. I'm in AZ believe me I know what hot is like lol. Due to the sensitive nature of this animal in the first place a chiller of correct proportions would have to be considered. Look into some online pond suppliers for proper filters and such. Like i said before. This is an awesome idea and if done correctly it would be amazing. you need to treat it like your inside tank though, since your talking saltwater critters and not normal koi or fancy goldfish that can live in stagnant water.

i would consider going to seaworld or talking with...(drawing a blank) I cant remember his name but he is on this site and he is a seaworld biologist. I'm sure he can give you some pointers and lead you in the right direction.

you wont need powerheads but you will need a good pond filter with enough flow. (which most dont have) you can probably buy a better return pump and get the flow your looking for. I would also consider some supplimental lighting.

 

[gnorman]

If you do end up doing it contact me id love to come check it out

 

[zoohoot]

Thanks dublo and everyone for the input. Keep your suggestions coming.

gnorman... if I do it, I will let you know

 

[2Addicted]

I have daydreamed about something like this. Very cool idea. Evaporation seems like it would be a big deal too. I think it would be cool to do it somewhere in your house.

 

[dublo8]

Not a problem. After you get all your equipment. Do a wet run with all your equipment going for a couple weeks and with salt water to see how paramaters fluctuate durring day and evenings. Document everything no matter how small it is, this might just be trial and error for about a year due to temp changes and such but this way you will be ready for the next year. You still have a tank inside to accomodate the ray anyways so you can always move the little guy into the house if things go south.

 

[Mr. Fish]

Your keeping a subtropical animal in tropical conditions, not smart. I have personally cared for this species and in the long run they need to be kept in temperatures in the mid 60s. Fish are cold blooded and having a subtropical fish in tropical conditions is slowly killing it. In another 6 months you may not have a ray to build a pond for.

 

[tozzi]

No basements? That stinks! My whole fish room is in basement and dt upstairs. Keeps it nice n cool no chiller.

Maybe make 1 deep section to help heep the water that much cooler?

 

[T Diddy]

Just do a big closed loop with the PVC or flex PVC under ground in a semicircle around the pool as mentioned in a previous post (geothermal). Ground temps stay pretty consistent. You may consider a small pergola with a sitting area to provide some partial shade...just a thought.


Cool idea. I wanted to do the same thing with a nurse shark, but they just get waaayyy too big.

 

[zoohoot]

Mr. Fish... I understand your point, but before purchasing the ray I did lots of research and spoke with several longtime ray keepers here on RC that have kept CA round rays long term in mid/high 70s temps.

How long did you keep your CA round ray and at what temps? I appreciate your thoughts.


Tdiddy... The geothermal is an interesting idea. I wonder how much line would have to be in the ground to significantly impact temps?

 

[dublo8]

The Geothermal idea is actually pretty darn good. You wouldn't need to go very deep either.

 

[Mr. Fish]

Mr. Fish... I understand your point, but before purchasing the ray I did lots of research and spoke with several longtime ray keepers here on RC that have kept CA round rays long term in mid/high 70s temps.

How long did you keep your CA round ray and at what temps? I appreciate your thoughts.

I have never owned one, but I consulted with a public aquarium that was having difficulty keeping them alive for any amount of time. They kept them in a touch tank in tropical conditions with tropical catsharks. After convincing them to lower the tank temperature and to remove the catsharks, they have been going strong for 6 months. I set their temp at 63 degrees, but I think they raised it to 66 for some reasons.

 

[zoohoot]

Interesting... Definitely leaves me a little torn with what to do. I actually think the average temp in the pond would be lower than my reef, but the spikes in summer are a concern.

 

[KyleO]

As long as the pond is dug down in the ground a foot or so you probably won't have that much of a heat issue. I am surprised with the pond I put in last year that it never really gets that warm...........even though we tend to have temps 100+ fairly regularly during the summer.

I am now wishing I would have considered the saltwater pond idea...........sounds cool!