# Freshwater Teacup Stingray, Reticulated Stingray



## Guest (Sep 26, 2005)

SUBMIT​​
​Common name​- Reticulated Stingray, Teacup Stingray​Scientific Name- Potamotrygon Reticulata​​Native geographical area- Amazon Basin, South America​Native habitat- murky streams and rivers with sandy or muddy bottoms and submerged vegetation.​Maximum Size- 12-14 inches in disk diameter (this does not include the length of the tail!)​Minimum Aquarium Size-125 gallons, 72”x18”x24”​Diet- most meaty foods such as black worms (my ray‘s favorite), bloodworms, earth worms, krill, beef heart, even live feeders or any fish small enough to fit in it’s mouth.​Tank zone- bottom dwellers​Temperament & compatibility- teacup stingrays tend to be very peaceful and will usually ignore other fish in the aquarium (aside from eating very small fish). Males, however, can become aggressive towards other rays and when it is spawning time, the male will bite the female’s disk as a part of courtship.​Hardness range-soft water (less than 10 DH)​pH range- around 6-7 is usually optimal​Temperature range- 78-82 degrees F​Notable sensitivities- burns: stingrays are very sensitive and even a slight touch of a heater can cause a burn. make sure to buy a heater cover or place the heater elsewhere such as a sump if that is being used.​​Hardiness- teacup stingrays are fairly hardy for freshwater stingrays, but are not for beginning hobbyists.​Physical description-the teacup stingray is an olive color with dark markings that sort of resemble a net. They have a white underbody. They’re tail is about 1/2-3/4 of the length of they’re body.​Spawning notes-​​During courtship, the male may bite the disk of the female.​​Stingrays give birth to live young.​​Sexing a stingray is easy: males have claspers and females do not. Claspers are small fins under the base of the tail.​​First Aide- as most people may know, all freshwater stingrays have a venomous barb at the end of their tail. The venom is not fatal, but it causes a lot of pain. Here are some steps to take if one was ever stung by a freshwater stingray:​​Apply pressure to the wound, but do not apply a bandage to put pressure on.​​Place the wound in hot water. This can help lesson the pain.​​Disinfect the area after removing it from the hot water.​​Seek medical care.​​Restrictions- The following U.S. states have restrictions on freshwater stingrays. They are either illegal to own or you need proper permits (usually only for educational or research reasons).:​​Arizona​​Arkansas​​California​​Florida​​Georgia​​Hawaii​​Nevada​​Oklahoma​​Texas​​Utah​​Tankmates - As mentioned before, teacup stingrays are usually very peaceful and will mind their own business (as long was the tankmates are not too small to swallow). Avoid aggressive tankmates. There have been stories some more aggressive attacking the ray’s disk and tearing them to shreds. In my own experience, I had a tinfoil barb that was very aggressive and nipped off some of my teacup stingray’s disk. This forced her into hiding and she was deprived of food. Also, some plecos have been known to suck off the stingray’s mucus coating on their disk and they will eventually succumb to disease and die.​​Diseases - Argulus - commonly called Fish Lice. The small parasites attach themselves to the stingray’s disk and extract nourishment by piercing the flesh with a pointed organ called a style. The wound can cause bacterial or fungal infections. Although one or two may not cause a serious problem, a serious infestation can be fatal. To remove the argulus, one can carefully remove it with tweezers.​
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http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y47/ScubaKid/Nov1101.jpg​
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## Fishboy93 (Jun 11, 2005)

That looks good! I wanted one but looks as though they are illegal in FL.


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## Lydia (Feb 6, 2005)

That looks great! I'm glad you put which states they are resticted in too. That is a good idea. Also first aid is a good idea. Very well written!


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## Fishfirst (Jan 24, 2005)

not bad for a rough draft! I'm impressed, but knowing skuba kid, not surprised.


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

Rough draft???
Oh, if only all the rough drafts could be this good.


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## Guest (Oct 28, 2005)

lol thanks TOS. sorry i haven't been able to finish it. ive been really busy with school starting and all. but i have free time now, so i guess ill work on it.


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## Guest (Nov 11, 2005)

all done. if something needs to be fixed or if anyone thinks it's missing something, please let me know.


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## Fishfirst (Jan 24, 2005)

good profile  Consider it posted!


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

Bumping to current in case it wasn't


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## Mazzy (Dec 16, 2006)

Can anything be added to this?? Just something I think should be noted... 
Often in stores you see stingrays with pelvic bones or spine showing. This is a malnourished ray. Rays should have a smooth top with a raised "lump" (for lack of a better word) in the middle where their organs and body structure are. Many people loose rays to underfeeding. The ray seems fine and then suddenly dies with no indication of why (if water parameters are correct) - this is from starvation. Rays eat ALOT! 
A 8" ray can consume about 6-8 shell on shrimp, a chunk of fish, and a few mussels or scallops or other small meaty item daily (and then some). A cube of bloodworms simply won't do it.


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## Gump (Aug 2, 2006)

Id disagree with the hardiness you posted. retics are really sensitive untill adult size and not a good beginer ray.


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## flamingo (Nov 5, 2005)

Gump said:


> Id disagree with the hardiness you posted. retics are really sensitive untill adult size and not a good beginer ray.


All stingrays can be sensitive but retics are one of the hardest rays to initially get eating, they are commonly brought in with parasites (argulus and internal), and they are so common for a normal stingray that they are packed and underfed.

When I had my little one, the only problem I had was feeding.


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## Guest (Jan 9, 2007)

I never had a problem with my retic. It was a pretty hardy ray and ate well.
But that's not all that makes a good beginner's ray...availabilty and price do as well. i understand that other rays may be hardier than the retic, such as the leopoldi...but they are by no means readily available and incredibly expensive.

But I never said anywhere that they make really good beginner's rays...i said fairly good implying that there are hardier rays out there, but I did not reccomend them to a beginning fish keeper.


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## Gump (Aug 2, 2006)

I never said a beginer fish either, i said beginer ray. Motoros are the best beginer ray by far. How many adult retics have you seen? not many. Why because there not so easy to get to adult size.


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## Guest (Jan 10, 2007)

I've actually seen quite a few....
in pet stores? no. why? they sell very quickly.
I do agree about motoros, but i did not make a profile about motoros. i made one for retics. sorry you disagree, but that is my opinion on them.


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## euRasian32 (May 19, 2005)

Very nice profile. 

My aro is sick. I hope she makes it through. If not, i'm going salt or getting a ray. I may just stick my bumble bee gobies in the 125... overkill? nah But I do want a couple retics but I don't trust the local guy that carries them. You've really got to be wary of the know-it-alls.

C


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## Guest (Jan 17, 2007)

hey eurasian! Long time no see! :razz:
sorry to hear about your jardini though... I hope she pulls through.


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## euRasian32 (May 19, 2005)

thanks

it's been a while since i've posted but i frequent often.

she's doing a lot better. small signs of fin rot, so i'm starting a vitamin e treatment this weekend.


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## Mazzy (Dec 16, 2006)

My last stingray came from a private breeder who had a couple full grown motoros and one that I believe was a reticulatus. All a couple feet wide. He had a human sized pool in his basement that was probably 12' in diameter and the sides had been altered to be 2' high. He lined the sides with thick black rubber cuz he said the rays would bite at the sides while mating and caused some damage in the past. He used two 50gallon plastic drums as a filtration device - it was a crazy thing to see but really cool to see real FULL grown (at lest in captivity) stingrays rather than 10" stingrays in a 6 foot tank that will never reach their full size. 
The stingray I bought from him was the last I ever bought (when it got too big for me to house properly I sent it off to a breeding program which I hear, after he (it was a male) got over the initial scare of seeing a few females and wondering what the heck they were, did very well) but ever since, I decided if I get a house with ample room, I too will have a human sized pool in the basement and have another ray


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## badassissimo (Mar 21, 2008)

*freshwater stingray market*

Does anyone know where I could find a Freshwater Stingray for starting out? I can only find them with wholesalers and I did find one stingray for $130 at riverwonders.com but I'd like to find a smaller one or a hardier one if at all possible. Please let me know if have seen them for sale in states close to Louisiana or in the United States period at this site, my email: [email protected], or my phone: (281) - 961- 1526. Thank you for reading and feel free to post any comments at all.


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## Guest (Mar 21, 2008)

Try phoning some local fish shops. some may be able to special order one for you.


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## yournamehere (Oct 12, 2008)

badassissimo said:


> Does anyone know where I could find a Freshwater Stingray for starting out? I can only find them with wholesalers and I did find one stingray for $130 at riverwonders.com but I'd like to find a smaller one or a hardier one if at all possible. Please let me know if have seen them for sale in states close to Louisiana or in the United States period at this site, my email: [email protected], or my phone: (281) - 961- 1526. Thank you for reading and feel free to post any comments at all.


All of my local pet stores in PA sell them.
Most are about 5" and cost $48 usually.

Pets plus
The Hidden Reef


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## seth (Nov 6, 2008)

Hey all! Noob here with a question.

I a looking at the possiblility of getting a motoros ray and i was wondering about tank size. I saw the 125 gallon recomendation, but as i understand it, rays stay to the bottom mostly. So a ray does not need a deap tank, just alot of area on the bottom. If i was going to build a tank for a ray of non-glass material, so it was more a pond than a tank, what gallonage am i looking at, or is it then a matter of size? If i did a 6 to 8 foot wide by 2 foot deep (front to back) by 1 to 2 foot high (depth of water) would that be sufficiant? 

I read the above post about the indoor pool, something like that but on a smaller scale.

Also im looking so see if someone can suggest a non-toxic sealent i could use to line the tank. If it was build from a strong but toxic material like fiber-glass i would need to use a pond liner or get a sealent material i could paint on to keep the rays safe. I'd prefer the sealent to the pond liner because of flexability.

Anyone have any comments, please let me know. Thanks!

-Seth


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## Desirae85 (Jul 7, 2009)

scuba, can u read my post and give your input ...my baby tea cup wont eat


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## SouthernBelle23 (Mar 24, 2009)

I haven't seen Scuba Kid around lately.


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## lencoo12 (Sep 28, 2010)

Fishboy93 said:


> That looks good! I wanted one but looks as though they are illegal in FL.


That looks great! I'm glad you put which states they are resticted in too. That is a good idea. Also first aid is a good idea. Very well written!


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## linhely (Jun 2, 2011)

Good profile Consider it posted!











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## Toonsketcher (Jun 6, 2011)

I see it says sandy or muddy bottoms but when in a freshwater tank is this needed or just recommended?


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

It's needed. They can't dig under gravel very well without getting all scuffed up and injured.


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## I catch my own (Sep 1, 2011)

Nice!, what kind of sand is that and where did you get it?. I have never seen that kind of sand for sale in fish stores.


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## greenterror (Jul 21, 2011)

whats a good website to order for under $80


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