Hey everyone!
This is my first post on here. I’ve been researching stingrays for a while, and the time finally came... I got one! I've had fish for close to 5 years now and a stingray has been the one dream fish I have been just eyeballing.
She came from another hobbyist who was new to stingrays, and while I think he cared about her, I don’t believe she was kept in the best conditions. When I got her, she had a cut on her back, another on her belly, and what looked like damage to the tip of her tail, possibly from a tankmate nipping at her (even past the barb).
It’s been about a month now, and her wounds are healing nicely. (Man, the meds were expensive though!) The cut on her back is no longer bloody, her color is starting to come back, and the tip of her tail is almost fully regrown.
That said, she’s still not very active. She spends most of the day buried in the sand, but every now and then, usually at night, she’ll get the zoomies for a bit. I love her already and just want to give her the best life possible, so I’m here to ask for help and learn from others with more experience.
Here are a few questions I’ve got so far:
This is my first post on here. I’ve been researching stingrays for a while, and the time finally came... I got one! I've had fish for close to 5 years now and a stingray has been the one dream fish I have been just eyeballing.
She came from another hobbyist who was new to stingrays, and while I think he cared about her, I don’t believe she was kept in the best conditions. When I got her, she had a cut on her back, another on her belly, and what looked like damage to the tip of her tail, possibly from a tankmate nipping at her (even past the barb).
It’s been about a month now, and her wounds are healing nicely. (Man, the meds were expensive though!) The cut on her back is no longer bloody, her color is starting to come back, and the tip of her tail is almost fully regrown.
That said, she’s still not very active. She spends most of the day buried in the sand, but every now and then, usually at night, she’ll get the zoomies for a bit. I love her already and just want to give her the best life possible, so I’m here to ask for help and learn from others with more experience.
Here are a few questions I’ve got so far:
- Feeding & Pellet Training:
She’s currently eating tilapia by hand every day. I’d really like to get her on pellets eventually. Any tips on how to start that transition? I’ve tried sneaking a few in during feeding, but not sure if that’s the right approach. - Sand Substrate Maintenance:
I know sand vs. bare bottom is a hot debate, but I really want to keep sand in her tank. It seems more natural for her. What tools do you all use to sift or clean the sand effectively for barbs? - Activity Level:
She’s been through a lot, and while she’s eating and occasionally swimming, I still worry about her. Do rays tend to become more active over time as they settle in? Or is there something I can do to encourage more movement, like target feeding? - Coloration:
When I got her, she was a faded gray rather than a deep black. Could that be from stress or poor care? Or is she just still a juvenile and her color hasn’t fully developed yet?
