Stingray Care

 So it looks like after a long wait for the Stingrays; The Stingrays are coming to the shop and should be available on Thursday 12-19. The vast majority of rays are not finicky eaters, and once you get them eating, be prepared for their voracious appetites and fun personalities!

 Housing for Rays:

Freshwater stingrays are inherently messy fish, so the bigger the aquarium is, the better. These fish require good water quality, and a larger tank with less drastic fluctuations in water chemistry and/or temperature over any given time.  A larger canister filter is preferred over any internal filter as your ray may break it. They are not overly picky about pH as long as it is not extreme and a good temperature for rays is between 80-84f. Many keepers of rays recommend tanks at least in the 100-200 gallon range. However, the most important consideration in selecting your aquarium is horizontal surface area, as rays spend most of their time on the bottom actively searching for food. Decorations and plants can be summed up this way; Keep it minimal. Sand is preferred over gravel as rays like to bury themselves in the sand and wait for a tasty worm.  Do not use decorations with sharp edges-- you don't want your ray's disc to get cut or scraped. The more unobstructed swimming room is provided, the better.

The best foods:

live chopped up night crawlers

uncooked shrimp (with or without shells)

Small live crayfish

raw fish, including smelt, silversides, and pollock .

Some aquarists stuff the food with vitamin-fortified pellets for added nutritive value, or inject feeder goldfish with vitamins and let the rays hunt them down. However, the nutritive value of goldfish is questionable (they are quite high in fat), and they often carry parasites such as anchorworm that can make your rays very sick, so I recommend you not use them at all.(For any fish as a food item) Some can be trained to the Repashy Meat Lovers gel foods as well.

Worms are a very good choice for newly-acquired rays. They are nearly all digestible protein, and the ray will probably end up metabolizing or storing around 80% of the total calories. Chopped nightcrawlers are the best way to beef up and energize a skinny and inactive ray. If you're feeding smaller rays or trying to get a new specimen to eat, live blackworms are probably your best bet.

These fish will literally eat until they can no longer move, so no matter how hungry they seem, don't give into their begging. Three or four nightcrawlers per day should serve as a good starting point for determining the appropriate ration for your fish-- feed more or less as you feel is needed. When your fish are done feeding, always remember to remove uneaten food from the aquarium to avoid fouling the water. Live blackworms (a.k.a. "baby food") are the best way to feed young rays. They can be expensive and expire rather quickly if not kept adequately refrigerated and washed daily.

 Species:

We are getting; Potamotrygon reticulata (Günther, 1880)

Common name: Reticulated,Teacup or long-tail stingray

Range: Surinaum

Adult size: 30cm (12”)

P. reticulata can be distinguished from other freshwater stingray species based on its unusually long, pointed tail, flatter body shape, and smaller eyes. Their color pattern usually consists of numerous small, indistinct, light-colored blotches on a darker base color. As their name suggests, they are one of the smallest species of freshwater stingray, rarely if ever exceeding a disc diameter of 12 inches. Most of the small freshwater stingrays sold under the name "teacup stingray" belong to this species, although P. histrix and P. orbignyi are occasionally given this distinction as well.

We are also getting; Potamotrygon motoro (Müller & Henle, 1841)

Common name: Motoro stingray

Range: Rio Paraná (mid and lower), Rio Uruguay (mid), Rio de la Plata, Rio Cuiabá, Rio Guaporé, Rio Negro, Rio Branco, Rio Araguaia, Rio Tocantins, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Paraguay

Adult size: 50 cm (16”)

There are at least two different Rays being sold as P. motoro, I have seen them advertised as Blue ring and yellow ring motoros. The Common P. motoro is a hardy ray although more expensive.

These fish will be available to buy and live black worms will be available as well to feed your Rays.

If you have questions, please feel free to ask us, we are happy to help you with all of your aquarium needs and questions.