First let me start off by saying thanks for the response. What rays would you recommend to a beginner?
Brazilian Teacup Stingray? or Freshwater Atlantic/Florida Stingray
- Thread starter D Realist
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First let me start off by saying thanks for the response. What rays would you recommend to a beginner?
I do not have any experience of the Florida rays but I imagine they would convert back very easily, it would probably be a simple case of slowly bringing up the salinity.
If going SW, I recommend Yellow or Cortez rays (I belive both stay under 20" disc).
If FW I would say Hysterix (stay under 20" disc) or Motoro (get over 20"disk).
SW fish are beautiful, just a big hassel mixing salt for the WC. Not to mention expensive.
FW rays are very easy to care for and in most cases, more beautiful than SW rays. (you need a large tank and good filteration).
If FW I would say Hysterix (stay under 20" disc) or Motoro (get over 20"disk).
SW fish are beautiful, just a big hassel mixing salt for the WC. Not to mention expensive.
FW rays are very easy to care for and in most cases, more beautiful than SW rays. (you need a large tank and good filteration).
I can't speak from experience (since I've only had retics), but the overall consensus would be that Motoros are the most advisable starter ray. The downside being their eventual size. Other than that, they are alleged voracious eaters and probably one of the most readily available captive bred healthy FW ray species.
Honestly, if you don't have a constant supply of live blackworms, you may never be able to keep retics alive long enough to switch them to another food. You just absolutely have to have live blackworms, which aren't cheap. Honestly, I would just go with a motoro. The more I talk about it, the more I realize how prepared you have to be just to keep up with the possibilities of the retics ill-fated feeding habits and possible parasite issues.
Honestly, if you don't have a constant supply of live blackworms, you may never be able to keep retics alive long enough to switch them to another food. You just absolutely have to have live blackworms, which aren't cheap. Honestly, I would just go with a motoro. The more I talk about it, the more I realize how prepared you have to be just to keep up with the possibilities of the retics ill-fated feeding habits and possible parasite issues.
Blackworms wouldn't be a problem. Fortunately I have several pet stores around me that have them almost always. I am most concerned about size and difficultly keeping them. I would prefer a ray that could live in a 125 as long as possible before I upgrade.
I agree on SW being expensive. That is what made me hesitate on doing a SW tank. That is what I was originally contemplating on doing before I thought about doing a ray tank. My fiancee says I am constantly starting new fish projects, but what can I say.. I LOVE fish!!!!!!
I saw some Hysterix at one of my LFS and they were $225 I believe. I am very nervous about spending that much on a ray with me being a beginner. The one store near me has what they call Brazilian Tea Cup rays for $70, but I am nervous that it will end up being a ray that gets huge. The Florida rays are at another for $100.
Well Retic's are slow growers, and that's usually the "teacup ray" that is referred to. It would last in a 125 for a while, probably the longest of any of the freshwater rays (besides Scobina). If you get it from an LFS just make sure you watch it eat in the store, and then read up on some anti-parasite treatments just in case.
Someone else can probably help out here, but I knew there was a Prazi product for internal parasite treatment of stingrays, but does pure garlic mixed with frozen food or pellets soaked in epsom salt solution work as well with stingrays as it does with other fish?
Someone else can probably help out here, but I knew there was a Prazi product for internal parasite treatment of stingrays, but does pure garlic mixed with frozen food or pellets soaked in epsom salt solution work as well with stingrays as it does with other fish?
prazi is effective at eliminating external parasites (gill flukes) and internal parasites (intestinal parasite tapeworms) when added to the aquarium water.
That's for the info I will look into the anti-parasite treatments. I had already planned to not only watch the ray eat, but see how long they could hold one for me so I could check its behavior before I buy it.
