# FW Stingrays, calling all stingray owners too!



## Osiris (Jan 18, 2005)

I have a chance to finally get one at a very very reasonable price. I am changing my 125g african tank to make suitable for this guy. I can get a teacup stingray, believe it's sci. name is: Potamotrygon Hystrix not sure though. I have been finding scattered info on them over the web, and remember talking about it before the site crashed awhile back....

Could use some more info, i have southdown sand bottem which is pretty fine stuff. And what about tankmates for this guy, i know anything can fit in it's mouth dont keep.... I am assuming since it's from CA/SA that it must be nuetral ph levels?

And what about temp. wise....be good investment to have a weighted down glass top or just let him flop on it when he feels it's necessary?


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## Guest (Mar 22, 2005)

its scientific name is actually Potamotrygon reticulata. Reticulata (reticulated) refering to the markings on its back. These guys are awesome. I think you saw mine in the "what's your favorite fish" post. Right now i keep mine in a 30 gallon because it's so small. Your 125 is perfect for life, though. Its PH should be around 7 and temps between 80 and 82. Stingrays are also very sensitive to water condition so the water should be changed once a week or so but they are also very sensitive to large water changes.
Their food should be frozen bloodworms, blackworms, and occasionally i give mine live blackworms. They can be picky eaters at first, but mine takes just about everything besides dried foods (i almost got her to eat shrimp pellets, but she was being too bratty. she wanted frozen bloodworms. ) You were right about the small fish, however. If you are buying it as a baby, then you wont have a problem with that now but my stingrays mouth is getting bigger and therefore she has snacked on 3 fancy guppies, 1 neon tetra, and one ram. :roll:
Tankmates can be Arowanas, otos, and other stingrays. I keep mine with my discus and they dont mind each other. these are just what most people keep with them but it all depends on the fishes personality (usually). One fish you CANNOT put with the stingray is any type of pleco. This is because the pleco may develop the habbit of sucking the mucas off of the stingray's skin and eventually killing it. some people have successfully kept them together, but i would never try it.
You can deside whether u want a boy or girl stingray. they can be sexed the same way sharks are. Males will have claspers and females will not.
My ray will easily handfeed and its not too hard to get them to do this. but, i am very careful about their stingers. they contain venom just like most stingrays and there was this one guy that was stung by his FW ray and his finger was numb for 6 years!:shock: you should be careful....
a stingrays stinger will shed every couple months or so. you can tell when it will come out because it comes out like a baby tooth. for a while it will seem like it has 2 stingers because as one is coming out, the other is growing in. Be carful with this though. if the stinger gets lost in the gravel, it will still contain its venom so be careful about messing around in the gravel and if you notice that she probably shed it, try to search for it and get it out w/o getting stung.
one more precaution. dont use a net to handle these guys. I tried using a net to move mine into a tupperware bowl so i could siphon the gravel. Her stinger got caught and i had to cut it free. the skin came off of her stinger and now it is bare cartalege. so i dont suggest doing that.
this should be pretty good to get you started with these great fish! i hope i helped you out! 
enjoy your ray!

-Katie


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## Guest (Mar 22, 2005)

one more thing...you definetly need a hood because they will jump out of the water when begging for food. at least mine does. When you first put them into the tank, they will also suck on the glass and do the jet proppell out of water thing. it's normal and after they settle in, they will bury themselves in the gravel. thats usually when you know they're content.


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## Osiris (Jan 18, 2005)

sweet, thanx for all the info. I am alittle worried about this propelling thing. wouldn't they be able to push through the glass tops then? 

Also, think u could get a shot of urs in the 30g..just kinda give me a perspective of it..


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## Guest (Mar 23, 2005)

sure i have a pic...oh and the proppelling thing...they cant get anough momentum to break open a glass top. i have a cheap plastic hood and my stingray can barely reach the top. i think itd only be a problem if you didnt have a top.


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## Guest (Mar 23, 2005)

sorry, the first 2 came out a little blurry


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## Osiris (Jan 18, 2005)

very cool, that's in ur 30L? how big is she now?


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## shev (Jan 18, 2005)

They might lay on and burn themselves on the heater.


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## Osiris (Jan 18, 2005)

o that would be horrible shev..but think they that stupid to not get off when something burns? I have a CPR HOB fuge settin here i could always use as installing heater or whatever, 

Kid, u ever had that problem? makes sense how easily they could do it...


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## flynngriff (Jan 19, 2005)

They sell covers for your heater to prevent this from happening. Should be pretty cheap.


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## Osiris (Jan 18, 2005)

Hey flynngriff, happen to know the name of it? or can get me a link to auction on ebay for it?

I looked closer at a few pics of some rays in tanks i found this on the heater, looks like the insert to a micron cartridge plastic supporter for magnum canister filter:


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## flynngriff (Jan 19, 2005)

I've got no idea... Probably just "heater cover" or "heater guard" or something like that.

Personally, I'd just make one. All it is is a plastic cover you slide over the heater to keep fish from rubbing against it.


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## Guest (Mar 24, 2005)

rifght Malawian, i use a heater cover. i use them for all of my fish tanks, but especially the stingrays. Most burns arn't fatal but they will leave a nasty scar or could develop an infection. i wouldnt take that chance, so definetly go w/ a cover.

my stingray's about 5 inches in diameter, so its fine in the 30 gallon...for now :wink:


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## schplitter (Mar 24, 2005)

malawipro and I have been chatting about the rays for the last few days and we cam eup with what i think are 2 very good questions. here we go:

If the rays should breed how many fry can one expect?
What would trigger breeding?

We also were wondering what a good source would be to buy some that are not hibrids or that are at a decent size? All we were able to find were 5 inch at the most.

thank you 

BK


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## Guest (Mar 24, 2005)

Malawian, If that's the ray you plan on buying, it's not the same as mine. it might not be a tea cup ray


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## Osiris (Jan 18, 2005)

not the one in the picture no..just using that as reference to the guard on the heaters..

From what i know the breeder/LFS owner, said teacup, and guessed was 5" disk when got it in prolly little smaller though...since i imagine the large ones would be very difficult to transport.

I am looking into that ID you gave me above, scraping some more info on them, gonna try hit the library saturday finding a book on ray's....

Thanx for all the info, great topic we don't see often.

Schplitter, glad to see you could make it, about time


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## Guest (Mar 24, 2005)

np malawian! good luck!


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## osteoporoosi (Jan 27, 2005)

Here's a great pick of a fw stingray:

http://www.aqua-web.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=3564463#3564463


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## Guest (Mar 25, 2005)

thats sad.


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## osteoporoosi (Jan 27, 2005)

yep, poor stingray.
I had no idea that they can get that big :shock:


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## Osiris (Jan 18, 2005)

wow that is huge sad though. I imagine they must get much bigger then that in the wild big ocean:









I just posted pic of it so everyone could easily see it


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## Lexus (Jan 19, 2005)

If you are ever in EC go to Tropics and look at theirs...


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## Guest (Mar 25, 2005)

well the ones they seel for tanks dont get that big... if they did, i think i might need another tank :shock: lol
but they dont have the big ocean...they get big lakes
u know they're FW, right Malawian?


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## Osiris (Jan 18, 2005)

LOL yea...was just sayn that one for SW that was pictured...

Lexus, i will have to do that, i am going to MOA first thing in May, so plan on checking out some breeder'swhile i am up that way


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## Fishfirst (Jan 24, 2005)

yeah... they had 3 in a 125 last time I was there.


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## Lexus (Jan 19, 2005)

MalawianPro @ Fri Mar 25 said:


> LOL yea...was just sayn that one for SW that was pictured...
> 
> Lexus, i will have to do that, i am going to MOA first thing in May, so plan on checking out some breeder'swhile i am up that way


MOA?????


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## Guest (Mar 26, 2005)

OMG MOA!!!!!!!!!!


...whats that?


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## Osiris (Jan 18, 2005)

hmm..considering Lexus is a girl and doesn't know! LMAO.(Laughing My Ass OFF)

MOA=Mall Of America




O BTW my kid's name is Lexy, is ur name Lexus?


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## shev (Jan 18, 2005)

my dogs name is lexy. she was pre-named when we got her.


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## Osiris (Jan 18, 2005)

that''s cool shev, Lexy is such a pretty name, along with Hailey, and i really like Julia "Jewels", if i have a third girl(no boys yet  ) she will be Julia


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## Lexus (Jan 19, 2005)

Nope, my name is Katie, I wanna name my kid Lexus...
Also I hate the MOA, too expensive, too many people. I don't like shopping at ALL!


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## Osiris (Jan 18, 2005)

LOL, my bad. Well Hello Katie, I am sure i will see you around, and from what i hear you'll be meeting up with Sara soon, that is cool, she's very nice person with some great looking fish. 

Hmm..i think for a guy i enjoy shopping more then i should, but then again it's more for electronics and fish more then anything, lol.


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## Lexus (Jan 19, 2005)

Well I have plenty of experience in those areas. I worked in electronics for 2 yrs, i have 2 older brothers that surrounded me with guy stuff. 
I would rather go car shopping than clothes shopping.


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## Guest (Mar 27, 2005)

my name's katie
yay

okay so what's MOA?


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## Osiris (Jan 18, 2005)

MalawianPro @ Sat Mar 26 said:


> hmm..considering Lexus is a girl and doesn't know! LMAO.(Laughing My Ass OFF)
> 
> MOA=Mall Of America
> 
> ...


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