Future of the Ray Keeping Hobby?

[DB junkie]

Where do you guys see the future of ray keeping heading?

I see less and less of the old schoolers continuing to keep rays. Doesn't seem like they're being replaced by the new generation?

Are we witnessing the beginning of the end or has that already started? OR is am I crazy and everything's business as usual?

Seems like there is only demand for the genetic freak rays anymore - Het this and albino that. Hybrids from hybrids. Am I blind or is there NO desire to keep pure blooded species anymore?

WHAT exactly keeps people in this hobby? I am wondering myself A LOT these days...... Have never personally been so unclear about the future of this hobby..... Always had ups and downs but never before have I been so hard pressed to answer the question WHY is keeping rays worth it? Anymore it doesn't seem like such an easy question to fight for......

 

[eon aquatics]

Probably pretty good future of ray keeping

 

[tlindsey]

Where do you guys see the future of ray keeping heading?

I see less and less of the old schoolers continuing to keep rays. Doesn't seem like they're being replaced by the new generation?

Are we witnessing the beginning of the end or has that already started? OR is am I crazy and everything's business as usual?

Seems like there is only demand for the genetic freak rays anymore - Het this and albino that. Hybrids from hybrids. Am I blind or is there NO desire to keep pure blooded species anymore?

WHAT exactly keeps people in this hobby? I am wondering myself A LOT these days...... Have never personally been so unclear about the future of this hobby..... Always had ups and downs but never before have I been so hard pressed to answer the question WHY is keeping rays worth it? Anymore it doesn't seem like such an easy question to fight for......

I personally find Rays fascinating. Believe most were keeping them for making money.

 

[DB junkie]

Probably pretty good future of ray keeping

How long have you been keeping them? How many do you have???

 

[eon aquatics]

None yet, but i see them for sale all the time on here.

 

[CrazyPhishMan]

CITES makes getting wild types more difficult. I loved my P. Marinae but i dont think i could get them again.

a few online shops popped up and then disappeared recently.

I think, like most things fish keeping, the old heads and their wives Tales, poor methods of coaching newbies and genuinely unfriendly elitest approach keeps ppl away or afraid to attempt things and grow within the hobby. As if they forgot where they started.

The hybrid BS has polluted many aspects of the hobby and i dont feel there should be a section for that on any legitimate forum, if I have to see another flowerhorn or "red texas" post i may just go back to my fishkeeping being simply my private hobby.

 

[jjohnwm]

Rays are just fish, and keeping them is just a subset of aquarium keeping in general. And, yes, it certainly appears, to me at least, that the aquarium hobby is dwindling slowly, and that the most vibrant portion of it is the keeping and production of distorted mutations, hybrids and other assorted unnatural monstrosities. This is even taking over the hobby of reptile keeping and breeding, although so far at least it seems to be limited to weird colour varieties. But I don't doubt that there are probably skilled breeders working feverishly to produce short-bodied monitor lizards and long-finned axolotls.

Cichlids is another area where the mania for hybridizing everything, just for gits'n'shiggles, results in very few actual pure specimens available. Naturally, the look-at-me types then go to great lengths to obtain pure, wild-caught, locality-specific fish...but then as soon as they get them they start crossbreeding them!

It's especially entertaining to listen to these "breeders" pontificating to other, less-experienced hobbyists about their fish, explaining what they are and what grade they should be assigned. Guys: the fish are mutts. Doesn't matter what you call them.

I expect to quickly be told that "fancy" varieties of fish are what the hobby was built upon, and that I'm a bitter old man not to embrace the New Age of fishkeeping. That's okay; everybody's entitled to their own opinion, and nothing makes mine any more or any less valid than anyone else's. In fact, I hope that I am wrong...because I don't see a rosy future for the aquarium hobby as a whole.

 

[Fatlungy]

I kept Motoro, Pearl and some hybrids a few years ago and the fish get massive. Most hobbiest can't afford, house or maintain these size systems. I think the future is with the smaller rays. Ones that can be kept in community tank settings and not with just other monsters. I waited till I found a pair of Scobina to jump back in and I think they are perfect. Non predatory behavior, stay small, look great and can live for life in a 300 gal.

 

[Caveden]

Only thing keeping me away from raising stingrays is how difficult they are to keep for a newbie to ray keeping like me. Any other fishes I am able to keep for long term, without difficulties. I have kept 5 pearl, motoro and hybrid stingrays before. None of them lasted more than 7 months under my care. My fault of course. I tried ray keeping for more than 2 years and finally gave up to switch to keeping bichirs.
think if scobinas, reticulated and mini marbled motoros weren’t so expensive and rare within the hobby there would be more ray keepers. Reason many people are unable to maintain larger sizes aquariums.

for the future of the ray keeping hobby I don’t see it lasting in general. I’ve seen the prices of these stingrays dropping because nobody wants to own them. When I first started monsterfish keeping 3 years ago price of motoros were $50, now I can find them at the mere price of $30.

 

[Friller2009]

Rays are just fish, and keeping them is just a subset of aquarium keeping in general. And, yes, it certainly appears, to me at least, that the aquarium hobby is dwindling slowly, and that the most vibrant portion of it is the keeping and production of distorted mutations, hybrids and other assorted unnatural monstrosities. This is even taking over the hobby of reptile keeping and breeding, although so far at least it seems to be limited to weird colour varieties. But I don't doubt that there are probably skilled breeders working feverishly to produce short-bodied monitor lizards and long-finned axolotls.

Cichlids is another area where the mania for hybridizing everything, just for gits'n'shiggles, results in very few actual pure specimens available. Naturally, the look-at-me types then go to great lengths to obtain pure, wild-caught, locality-specific fish...but then as soon as they get them they start crossbreeding them!

It's especially entertaining to listen to these "breeders" pontificating to other, less-experienced hobbyists about their fish, explaining what they are and what grade they should be assigned. Guys: the fish are mutts. Doesn't matter what you call them.

I expect to quickly be told that "fancy" varieties of fish are what the hobby was built upon, and that I'm a bitter old man not to embrace the New Age of fishkeeping. That's okay; everybody's entitled to their own opinion, and nothing makes mine any more or any less valid than anyone else's. In fact, I hope that I am wrong...because I don't see a rosy future for the aquarium hobby as a whole.

I hate most mutations, besides things like albinos and melanistic. I don’t need no caramel BS. Short bodied monitors! I think i’d up and leave the internet!

Cichlids I think are a lost cause at this point. There are so little people actually keeping wild type cichlids these days. duanes and some other guy who’s name I can’t remember (wild collects most of his fish. CA Cichlid guy, last name starts with a W/R) are some of the only people I know of. It’s impossible to get a pure Midas/Red devil in Australia. The ones first brought in were hybrids in themselves.

I agree with you. They are, when it comes to all things, mutts.
Isn’t fish keeping about appreciating nature? I came into the hobby because of my father who was obsessed with native fish. ANGFA NSW prohibits the sale of hybrids rainbows. That’s a good thing. IMO mutts shouldn’t be in the hobby. It’s damaging for all of us.

To get back to the topic of rays, they are coming down for in price here in Aus. You really only have three choices though; Motoro, Black diamonds and hybrids. I know there is other species here, (i’ve seen at least 5 species in person) but these are the only ones readily available.
I think a reason why a lot of people aren’t keeping rays is because they need a lot of space, and these days all people are interested in is nano tanks and shrimp, which are cool in their own rights.
I for one would love a ray, but if I had a tank large enough, I’d rather get an Aussie lungfish.