Stingray..problem??

[Paul_MTS]

Was by my big tank this morning when the smaller stingrays did a poop and it still have complete bloodworm in. she also stood up on the tips of her fins to do the poop.

is this normal and worrying too much again or is there something up??

also is there some way that i can tell on the spot if there eating enough??

I'm putting in alot of food and some of the bloodworm gets swepted off into the bogwood to places they can't get to easily.

 

[Oddball]

I can only help a slight amount here paul but........

Rays have a "pelvis" just up from the tail, between the wings of the animal, normally this is not visible except for a rounded lump often assumed to be the animals body. An underfed ray will lose this area and it looks sunken in like a pelvis on a really skinny person, this is a really underfed animal and requires serious care or it may suffer.

Concerning the blood worm i wouldnt be too worried, as a fish can only digest so much food, they often pass out more "complete" sections of food, rather like sweetcorn

I'd see about gettin some sort of small catfish to sweep around the edge of the bogwood to clean those worms up though..........

 

[CFC]

Arching on the wing tips when feeding and pooing is normal behaviour so dont worry about that.

While the rays are still only eating bloodworm it is very difficult to tell if they are eating but you will soon see if they are not because the pelvic bones will begin to show though the skin, if this happens then you have problems and need to start getting something into them fast.

 

[Paul_MTS]

Cheers for that worrying over nothing again.

both of them came to me slightly under fed but the pelvic bones are slowly disapearing more particularly on the large one who looks "meatier"!! whilst on the smller one the pelvic bones are slightly more vissible and doesn't look as meaty.

don't worry about the other food it all gets eaten there in a oddball community Oddball!!

I thought they has started to feed on chopped king pranws but i'm not so sure now, although 1 of them seemed to take up froozen river shrimp to my surprise. I'm using up a pack at the moment.

I think i'll have to dig up some earth worms...is it best to chop them or leave them whole?

 

[CFC]

Its best to chop earthworms when first introducing your rays to them, it gives them more time to find them (live worms burrow very quickly) and they should be attracted by the scent, the trouble is so will everything else in the tank so you will need plenty.

Frozen river shrimp is a good food for rays, they were one of the first frozen foods mine would eat with any gusto.

 

[Paul_MTS]

i usually stuff everything else on super worms or crickets first before i put in the good stuff!!

odd!! do you buy whole river shrimp from your LFS or from a fish monger and such like??

I find it odd they didn't eat the live river shrimp i got mainly for them, they went over them but the shrimp came out the other end!!

 

[trimacdevilconvict]

i aggree with cfc frozen river shrimp are very good my stingray (rip) would only eat them i bought mine from the market paul

 

[Paul_MTS]

excellent cheers, i'll have to get my mum to find some!!

 

[CFC]

I rarely buy the frozen river shrimp now but when i was trying to get my ray off bloodworm i tried everything and anything. Now i buy what my fish mongers calls potting shrimps which seem to be basicly very small prawns, comes in 500g vacume packs and costs about a fiver.

 

[Paul_MTS]

right ok, although i guess i should stick to river shrimp for now, as thats what i know there eating.