Complete n00b to rays... a quick question for the experts

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
A guy I met has a 4 year old Marble Motoro male that is 12 inches.
 
Oh ya forgot about that one! Mini marble would be great if you can locate one if you are looking for something pretty (retics and hystrix are bland to me but beauty is in the eye of the beholder).
 
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Mini marble? As in motoro? Please go on...
Yah, as in marble motoro
Every once in a while, you'll find "mini" marbles. The males only get to about 9"-10" and the females stay around 12"-14". I think I lucked out and found myself a mini who is about 10" and hasnt grown for about half a year and has fully rolled claspers. I purchaced him when he was about 8". His claspers werent rolled and he was defenitely a still a pup. Over the past year I've had him he has really only grown thicker and only a little bit longer/wider. Finding one is going to be tough because there is no real visual difference from regular marbles and a seller selling regular marble pups can easily just lie and say they are minis. Then again, you can get the opposite happen, like my male. You buy a regular marble and they only grow to 10". Thats risky because a full grown standard male marble wouldnt do well in a 150. Allot of times (at least the ones I have seen), mini marbles have incredible patterns and are normally labled "king" marble motoro. I'm not sure if one has to do with another but if I had a quarter for every 9" mature male "king" marble motoro I saw, I'd have enough quarters to buy one! If you see an adult male marble motoro, fully rolled claspers, but it's still under 10", thats a mini. Someone was selling a 9" male with fully rolled claspers a little bit ago but I think he decided to keep him.
Good luck!
 
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Mini marble is a species or "bloodline " of Ray that seems to max out at 9" male 13" female there is a few out there reproducing these Ray's and have adapted well to aquaria life here's mine captive bred by Richard ( aqua man ) in the U.K.

Lovely ray! Its hard to beat one of aquaman's minis.
 
Now this is just great news. I really like the mini motoro idea! When the time comes, I really think that's the direction I'm gonna try to go. :)
 
Now this is just great news. I really like the mini motoro idea! When the time comes, I really think that's the direction I'm gonna try to go. :)
You defenitely wont regret your descision!
I'll be tough to find one, but it'll be so worth it
 
Now this is just great news. I really like the mini motoro idea! When the time comes, I really think that's the direction I'm gonna try to go. :)

get a 150g sump under that 150g ;) Rays are dirty and require super clean water. So a drip would really benefit you. But Im sure you are ready for all that. But watch out....rays are addicting and im sure you'll be trying to upgrade that 150 in no time.
 
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get a 150g sump under that 150g ;) Rays are dirty and require super clean water. So a drip would really benefit you. But Im sure you are ready for all that. But watch out....rays are addicting and im sure you'll be trying to upgrade that 150 in no time.

This is the kind of reply I was looking for. Unless my stock can be managed with 2-3 big canisters, I'm not really wanting to go that route for now. I'm incredibly limited on space, and my 150 is REALLY pushing it as it is, and doing things like changing plumbing or putting holes in the walls is out of the question for the time being lol. I might forego the rays until after I build my new house and I'm not renting anymore. Unfortunately, that's gonna be a couple of years lol
 
But how do you know it's a mini marble if it's wild caught or captive bred ? Even if somebody had two smaller marbles breeding in captivity there is no guarantee the pups will stay small.
 
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