Tank mates for Stingrays
Let me first state. There are no 100% tank mates which are safe for rays. All of them will carry different risk factors depending on many factors. Damage to the rays disc causes stress and opens the rays to infections, so the water must be kept cleaner when you have dangerous tank mates. Any damage to the rays tail especially to the tips is usually permanent.
I will list the tank mates alphabetically and the dangers I have encountered.
Since I am assuming the tank mate will be smaller, Survivability refers to a tank mate (At ¾ the rays length) chance of survival in a standard 6 foot bare tank environment. You may generally increase the rate of survival with a piece of driftwood or smooth edged rocks. Generally the bigger the tank the higher the chance of smaller tank mates surviving.
Danger is short for the danger level the tankmate poses to rays at ¾ the rays length. Tank mates are best kept with rays 6 inch and above which have less fragile disc edges. I recommend removing the tank mate if chunks are being taken from your rays disc edge.
Each rays character differs greatly too, with wild caught being the more aggressive. Dont expect them to stop hunting and defending their territory just because they are now living in a tank. Im also not listing any fish less than 2 inches for obvious reasons.
I am assuming that each inhabitant is given enough food to eat, because if the rays or the tank mates become really hungry, all hell will probably break loose.
Angelfish Angelfish are great tank mates before the rays outgrow them. Get the biggest you can. Beyond 14 inches, the Angelfishs days maybe numbered. Huge Altumns may be the best way to counter this.
Danger 1/10, Survivability 8/10 (3/10 in long run)
Arowana Arowana are perhaps one of the ideal tank mates. I would choose Golds over Reds because of the frequent water change high bioload monster fish tanks produce. I have heard of an aggressive male ray killing similar sized Arowana for fun from Ray2828 but I believe such cases are few and far in between. Ive also seen big Arowana make a meal of small ray pups, so be warned. There should not be a too great size difference, or either will be gone.
Danger 2/10 for similar sized, Survivability 9/10.
Clown & other bigger Loaches Go for the 6 inch and above loaches since loaches are generally docile and grow much slower than rays. Don't keep a pack as loaches then to be more aggressive as a pack. The spike on the dorsal fin should keep them relatively safe. Rays will outgrow them at later stages, but hopefully they have already been recognized as a tank mate.
Feedback I have received conflicting reports that loaches are sometimes eaten too, so I have lowered their survivability to 6 although 1 have a few 5-7 inch loaches living with 12-17 inch rays happily.
Danger 1/10, Survivability 6/10
Bichir
Ornates are snappy and should only be kept with Rays above 8 inches. Ideally they should be ¾ the rays length. Rays could occasionally have chunks bitten from their
Danger 8/10, Survivability 8/10
Senegals/Delhenzis Less snappy than Ornates but may be eaten once the ray is more than twice its length because they dont grow very beyond 9 inches.
Danger 5/10, Survivability 6/10
Endlicheri Differs from individual to individual. Occasionally bites the ray disc by mistake when hunting for food.
Danger to rays - 6/10 for normal size, 4/10 for semi short & short body endies. Survivability 8/10
Ropefish Very low survival rate and is easily killed by rays. May nip rays if a large one twice the length of the ray is kept
In the long run, the ray will out grow the ropefish.
Danger 3/10, Survivability 1/10
Catfish
Tigerinus & Juru - Catfish make reasonable tank mates and only squabble over food with the rays without much harm. However if you intend to breed rays, you may want to reconsider their long term cohabitation. Big catfish will eat anything that fits into their mouth, including small ray pups. The smaller catfish could end up eaten later on.
Danger 3/10, Survivability 8/10
Gulper cats - The Gulper cat is a good tankmate for rays. being a slow hunter ensures that the rays will eat first before them, but also makes them easy to be hunt by bigger rays. Gulpers are good at clearing up all leftovers.
Big individual above 8 inches will take ray pups so breeders please take note.
Danger 3/10, Survivability 7/10
Cichlid They tend to survive if given a hiding place but may nip at the ray. They are slow growers and may get eaten if the ray gets to more than 4 times its size. Only get those that can grow beyond 6 inches. Watch for cichlid aggression and territorial behavior. Aggressive Flowerhorns are the highest risk and I would advise only the most foolhardy to try.
Danger 3/10, Survivability 6/10
Datnoids Siamese, ATs and NGTs are more aggressive compared to the Indo and NTTs. Their spikes make them good survivors of ray community tanks. Should be no bigger than 1/3 the rays size. Tigers may bite chunks out of rays edge with swooping for food.
Danger 5-6 /10, Survivability 9/10
Discus Discus need really good water same as rays. If you have no problem maintaining the water quality then go for it. Other than that, they face the same problems as the angelfish. Don't keep Discus with pups as they have a habit of taking bites out of the ray pups disc. This could stress and kill the ray.
Danger 4/10 Survivability 8/10 (3/10 in long run)
Fei Fong Almost nothing keeps a tank free of algae as well as these, but too bad most love to suck on ray slime. The danger increase as they grow bigger. For some reason rays love to eat them too. Its a strange enmity.
Remove the Feifeng immediately if it starts latching on to the ray and sucking.
Danger 8/10 Survivability 3/10
Fire, Tire Track and Peacock Eel- The slime coat on the eel seem to provide a certain amount of protection against capture by the ray. Eels with soft mouth parts like this family make quite good tank mates and they do not bite rays. An eel at least the length of the ray is recommended. They tend to grow at a compatible growth rate, but do produce a high bioload.
Danger 1/10, Survivability 8/10
Gars I would advise only on the spotted. They are generally less aggressive and easier to manage than the Cuban or Alligator. Hopefully they will stay at a size which is big enough to survive the ray and small enough not to kill pups.
Danger 5/10 Survivability 7/10
Goldfish Those that make it to 8 inches and above have a chance of survival, but they are more likely going to end up as feeders. Big ones may suck on ray pups.
Danger 3/10, Survivability 1/10
Gourami There are 3 different sizes for Gouramis. The dwarf, the mid sized ones and the giant white and the red tail Gourami. The Dwarf ones will end up as feeders fast, the mid sized ones can be kept up to a year with well fed rays but only the white and red tail Gouramis. Take particular note of the aggression level of the giant Gouramis. They are the only Gouramis that can be kept with rays in the long run. Those kept together in ponds have higher success rates.
Danger 7/10(Tank), Survivability 8/10
Koi Koi can only be temporary tankmates, not really being a tank fish. Have fun trying to get the food to the rays if you have kois. There is also the danger of big koi will finish off ray pups too.
Danger 2/10 Survivability 7/10
Masheers/Kelahs/Bigger Barbs- Certain individual may nip at the rays tail and cause unsightly chips on the tail. Some rays enjoy hunting shiny fast swimming fish, so make sure the rays are well fed.
Danger 4/10, Survivability 6/10
Parrots Parrots are ok tank mates, a tad territorial but not too aggressive. KKPs are better in the long run if they dont attack the rays. Smaller parrots may become ray snakc when the ray grows beyond 14 inches.
Danger 2/10 Survivability 7/10
Peacock Sea bass/Dorado/barracuda like fishes. They should be ok as long as you can handle the tremendous bioload generated by these big eaters. Dont expect any pups to survive big sea bass attentions if you are intending to breed your rays.
Danger 5/10, Survivability 8/10
Pike Northern/Tapajos These make ok tank mates. The pike is more territorial than aggressive. When the northern pike hits 14 inches or bigger any ray pups will not survival. The smaller Tapajos pike that only reach 12 inches may be a better choice. Ive also seen very aggressive individuals so choose the more passive ones as tank mates.
Danger 6/10, Survivability 8/10
Plecos Its a case to case basis. I will recommend albino commons and royals, but avoid Pseudas. Pseudas can shred a rays disc when fighting for food. Panaques are generally too small to survive in the long run. As for the rest there are too many to list but try to go for plecos which have a more vegetarian diet and are ¾ the rays size. (A 4 inch pleco for a 6 inch ray).
A 4-5 inch royal will be great to grow out with a 6 inch ray if they get along. Plecos to avoid- L095 (Please PM me to add to the list.)
A piece of driftwood should be added as part of the plecos diet and a hiding place.
Remove the pleco immediately if it starts latching on to the ray and sucking.
Roya/Common/vegetarianl - Danger 3/10, Survivability 9/10. Pseudas & other high risk plecos Danger 7/10, Survivability 10/10.
Rays Rays can sometimes be their worst tank mates, especially wild caught rays. Mature males and pregnant females are often the fiercest of the lot. Pups should be removed or you risk them being eaten. Having a higher male to female population is a recipe for disaster should a few males turn on 1 female at once. Unlike the wild, females are stuck in the tank and have nowhere to hide from the horny aggressive male rays.
Danger 5/10, Survivability 9/10
Red hooks, Silver Dollars These fast swimming fish are mostly good tank mates. Certain individual may nip at the rays tail and cause unsightly chips on the tail, but the main problem lies with the ray. Many rays find hunting shiny fast swimming fish irresistible. When the rays are bigger they may hunt them later on when they out grow these fishes.
Danger 3/10, Survivability 7/10
Turtles- The Red Ear Slider will nip the rays disk and is a no no. The Pig Nose Turtle is sometimes kept with rays, but results varies a lot, from peaceful success, to the PNT biting chunks out of the ray and killing it, to the ray chewing on the PNTs shell.
Danger 6/10, Survivability 7/10
My conclusion is rays are a money see monkey do bunch. Once you have failed in a certain tank mate, try another species or a substantially bigger size, if you want to persist with the original plan. Do have a hospital tank ready incase things dont work out.
Nothing is impossible and you may try whichever tank mate you wish. This information is to help you assess the risk with attempting tank mates. This recommendation is based on my limited experience and consulting other ray keepers experience in keeping rays, and should be viewed as a friendly advice.
Stingrays are social creatures and you should keep at least a pair. There many hobbyists who just keep stingrays to save the hassle, but its also interesting to see the ray interact with other species. The choice is up to you
