Freshwater Rays

[IrishPunk4748]

i saw freshwater stingrays in th fish store i work at and loved them. wich brings me here to find out all i can about them before i consider buying one. my questions are: What is the smallest species of ray and tank size required for it? What are the water conditions that, that ray requires? And any other info would be greatly appreciated. thank you in advance for the help.

 

[CFC]

The smallest species of ray is Potamotrygon scobina which only grows to around 12" in diameter but unfortunately they are fairly uncommon in the trade so are difficult to find. The most commonly sold species are Potamotrygon hysterix and Potamotrygon reticulata both of which can attain a disc size of 18 inches, Potamotrygon motoro is also fairly common but can grow to up to 24". A bare minimum of a 5x2x2' tank is required to keep rays but really a greater width is preffer with custom built tanks which are 30" or more from the front to back being better suited.
Rays are extreemly delicate and require pristine water conditions at all time, even trace ammounts of ammonia or nitrite will kill them and nitrates should be kept below 40ppm at all times, they dont deal with higher pH very well either with neutral or slightly acidic water preffered and certainly not higher than 7.5.
With rays you must be very carefull of tankmates, any fish which may be aggressive to the rays should be left out, rays are easily damaged and CANNOT be treated with any off the shelf aquarium medications so even small wounds can prove fatal if they become infected, sucker mouthed catfishes (plecs) are also out as they like to feed on the slime coat on the rays disc. Rays are also predators and any fish which is small or slow enough to be caught will soon be devoured.

 

[nmonks]

I think CFC has said all you need to know, but I'll add that there are a couple of inexpensive books that you could read before deciding either way. Here are the Amazon links...

Freshwater Stingrays, Richard M.D. Ross

AquaGuide to Freshwater Stingrays, Hans Gonella, Herbert R. Axelrod

Even after 20 years of freshwater fishkeeping experience, I still wouldn't keep stingrays. To start with, the expense involved in providing nitrate-free, soft water is significant if you live in an urban environment. Then there seems to be almost no latitude for error, and you're locked into doing substantial regular water changes at least once a week.

If I could make a suggestion, take a look at freshwater flatfish. They're inexpensive, generally small, and fairly hardy. You get the "stingray look" without any of the hassle, and they can be mixed with a wide variety of fish (though this varies on whether you get a freshwater or brackish species, and most are brackish). If you take a look at this Japanese web site you get some idea of the variety. On the downside, freshwater flatfish tend to be rather shy and are more or less nocturnal.

Cheers,

Neale

 

[prankster705]

How big do the tankmates have to be?; Like a pearl gourami?

 

[Paul_MTS]

quite frankly if you kept stingrays you wouldn't be thinking of things like gourami to keep with it.

althought whilst a full grown pearl might be ok the size you buy at the shops might be a quick snack for a larger ray.

 

[bunjiweb]

When people come into work asking for a stingray, i usually point them in the direction of stone sucking loaches (hillstreams). They like fast flowing water and generally the cooler end of tropical is far better for them, but they will certainly do better in most people's tanks without the expense and tank size constraints.

Ben

 

[nmonks]

Good call. I've been thinking that "subtropicals" could be a really nice alternative to the usual aquarium. There are so many species overlooked, but if you think about it, they'd work well in most small to medium tanks, and be cheaper to keep (less heating!) as well.

To begin with, there's a lot more small species of subtropicals for sale than most folks realise... Barbus gelius, rosy barbs, white clouds, Corydoras barbatus, variatus platies, and white-cheeked gobies, to name just a few.

Cheers,

Neale

When people come into work asking for a stingray, i usually point them in the direction of stone sucking loaches (hillstreams). They like fast flowing water and generally the cooler end of tropical is far better for them, but they will certainly do better in most people's tanks without the expense and tank size constraints.

 

[bunjiweb]

also things like horsefaced loached which have real character.

There are also various hillstream temperate catfish.

Ben