A little terrified new ray owner

[ARasberry]

Well I got a big new shiny 55g tank for my birthday (also have a 29g, 20g and two 10g tanks) As I was browsing for new fish today I happened upon a ray (about 6 inches). I fell in love and brought him home. In trying to be a good mommy on top of what I was told at the pet store I started doing my own research tonight and feel that I may have jumped into more than a bargained for. On a good note I bought a teacup ray and the man at the store told me on a later call back that he had given me the wrong ray and I actually had a Motoro Ray, so what a bargain at $65.

My concerns are as follows:

He said that the epoxy coated gravel I have would be fine. From everything that I am seeing they MUST HAVE sand.

He said they eat frozen bloodworm cubes (about 2 per day) in reading this side along with several others it seems that this may not be the best diet I can provide and I want to do everything in my power to provide this little guy a healthy long life.

What should I be feeding him and how much, how often?

At the moment I have all of my fish in the 55g as I rearrange and clean my other tanks. In all I have:

1 Awesome Motoro Ray
2 small very timid bala sharks
1 mean 5 inch leporinus (who is leaving the tank tomorrow)
1 very docile eclipse catfish
1 small algae eater
2 tiger barbs
4 resporas (small schooling fish)
1 zebra fish
5 bloodfin tetra (small schooling fish)
4 Amano shrimp (as hopeful food for the ray until I can find a supplier of ghost shrimp)

I was planning on moving most everyone out into the 29g and 20g tanks and leaving only the Ray, Bala Sharks, Catfish and Algae eater (and of course the shrimp as I am hoping they become dinner)

Is this going to be enough space??

Please HELP!

He does seem to be happy and very active so I think he seems healthy and pretty happy with his new home (perhaps minus the gravel). I currently have a bubble curtain in the back of my tank that to the ignorant observer (me) seems that the ray just LOVES it. He has spent a lot of time swimming up in the bubbles and drifting back down. When I turned the bubbles off he kind of looked confused and went and laid back on the bottom and as soon as I turned them back on he was up doing it again. Is this really a good thing or something I should be concerned about? I wasn't really expecting that much activity out of him a few hours after putting him in the tank.

Thanks very much to Ezman on tips for beginners page I will go buy the bible tomorrow.

 

[rvrrays]

You probably have too much on your hands.

That motoro will reach 18" to 24" in diameter at it's full adult size. With good feeding and excellent water quality, it should reach the 12" diameter mark within the next 8 months.

A lot of the other fish you have in there (probably all of them) will become snacks as the motoro gets larger. The algae eater could be a problem. Sometimes they like to chew on rays.

Two cubes of bloodworms is not going to cut it. They are bottomless pits. I would try to convert him on to frozen grocery store shrimp and smelt. They are much cheaper and easier to feed.

Is the ray eating in your tank? Do you have space for a much larger tank or pond?

Motoros are hardy rays but their size is limiting for the average hobbyist.

Colin

 

[rob408]

I agree that you may have more than you bargained for. That 55 gallon will only be good for a few months. He will need to go into at least a 180 gallon. Good luck and enjoy.

 

[ae2359]

Really he will even outgrow a 180, most rays including motoros are really better suited for a pond. My motoro is in a 120 (48, 24, 24) right now and he is only a year old and the tank is starting to look way to small for him.

Oh yeah, a six inch motoro should be able to eat multiple frozen shrimp a day. Two bloodworn cubes will definately not fill him up.

 

[CichlidAddict]

You got a great deal picking him up for $65, but if you want to keep him long-term you're going to be shelling out a lot more cash!

As stated above, motoros get up to 24" in diameter not including the tail. You'll eventually need a tank with a width of at least 30" or a pond. I have a 240 gallon and I didn't get rays because it would be too small for them since it's only 2 feet wide.

I'm assuming your tank was cycled already, right? Rays in general are pretty sensitive about water quality.

Anyway, whatever you decide - good luck!

 

[Waldo]

Nice find. you got a ray for about 50% of the normal price for retail. If you want I can send you a little book with EVERYTHING a novice should know before buying a ray ~

I can also help you build a cheap and effective pond for fairly cheap.

DreAlphaBettas@aol.com

 

[KJP]

Lets not forget about water quality...you are going to have to do two water changes a week of about 40% to give him the water quality he needs. He won't be happy in a 55 gallon for very long maybe 6 months if you are lucky. They eat everything in sight i feed mine 3 - 4 times a day. If you can get blackworms you should try that they love them. At $65.00 that is a steal! Good luck.

 

[ae2359]

He looks prety skinny get him bulked up on earthworms he should take those with little or no problem. then try to get him switched to shrimp and smelt. good luck

 

[riskistang]

No need to repeat everything everyone said......If I was you I sell him off, due to you not being able to give it the life it deserves....the pet store should of never really sold it to beigin with....I hat ewhen pet stores unload thier stock without knwing it is going to a proper home......with the proper space needed for it.....

If you can get a bigger tank, and great filtration, and large amounts of food for it....keep it....otherwise I think Adoption would be best for it

 

[water_baby83]

I agree with everyones concerns, and that you may have possibly jumped the gun...BUT, do not get discouraged ok, it's not a lost cause! Sure you jumped into deeper waters than you may have been ready for, but hey, you're here now, so it's time to cowboy up, and take on the challenge. And sometimes, we learn best when we are forced to! About the LFS (local fish store) Employee, I am sure I speak for all my buddies here when I say 99% of the time - take anything they tell you with a grain of salt!!! You should never rely on an employee to fill you in on a species - you should actually know enough about them PRIOR to your purchase, that you would be able to spot immediatly if an employee gave false or inconsistant info. As far as some basic info. goes, there is a plethera of information available, as well as all of us here who have kept these rays, and speek from experience. I could go on and on (Like I am known to do, LOL), but here is just some basic outline of starter info to get you on the right track, and others can fill in the gaps as we go ok.
Scientific name: Potamotrygon motoro
Common name: Motoro Stingray, Ocellate River Stingray
Genus: Potamotrygon
Order: Rajiformes
Class Elasmobranchii
Family: Potamotrygonidae
Size: 18" (45cm) (usually, but can grow larger)
Origin: Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, Venezuela (Amazon River & Orinoco River)
Tank setup: A minimum of 100 Gallons is needed (IMO), sand is preferred over gravel, and no sharp decorations, no decorations is even better.
Compatibility: Armed with a harmful spike stingrays are capable of killing most fish, but the sting is really only for defense and not attack, they are generally peaceful towards other fishes although they may try to smother tankmates, plecos are not suitable tank mates though as they are known to suck on the rays.
Temperature: 75-82F (24-28C)
Hardness: 10.0dH
pH: 5.0-6.0
Feeding: Shrimps, small fish, shellfish and worms

Also, there were a few threads from a while back with more info, but i can't remember what they were called, so i will try and hunt those down and send you the links.