hystrix owners-----or just ray owners...

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
Bacterial infections? Nah, your a raykeeper.
Water quality? Nope, you know your stuff.

Low pH causes cloudy eye.
Excessive handling causes cloudy eye.
Poor Nutrition causes cloudy eye.


I think it's poor nutrition based on the fact that they are such young hystrix, and its probably near impossible to keep up with their metabolism and dietary needs at such a young age.. Also the mere fact that we can in no way re-create the varied nutrition they get from their food source in the wild. Although blackworms and seafoods might be a good staple for older, more stabilized rays.. juveniles, especially 'teacup' types, might have a very special dietary requirement as newborns. (ie: reptiles that start off as insectivores and graduate to herbivores) ...

Preggo Mama is getting it because she cant keep her nutritional needs up because the pups inside her are competition for those nutrients.

2¢
 
i wonder about bacterial.. It may be. I just don't see how any other hystrix guys are not having this problem... I feed worms and shrimp, sometimes stuffed with pellets.



after i keep them about a month it starts to show up.. they seem healthy though.
 
Your nutrient composition in your tap water might be different than other hystrix keepers.. although you said your pH was really high, there could be specific minerals lacking in your tap water that are a necessity for the development of young hystrix in South American waters.. Fish absorb these nutrients/minerals through osmosis, but usually large frequent water changes keeps those nutrient levels well-balanced..

Bacterial could be an issue.. but its usually a secondary effect of poor water quality or handling issues. If it was handling issues, you would think it would be within immediate arrival, not 1 month later.. thats why I point towards nutrition. 1 month in captivity and the problem develops..

Also, blackworms, seafood, and pellets are all great protein fillers.. but keep in mind these little guys at that size in the wild are eating alot insect larvae, crustaceans, etc.. they could possibly be lacking veggie-based nutrition that they would absorb through consuming crustaceans that graze on algae.. just a thought. Try to feed it some super-soft sinking spirulina pellets?
 
Just my opinion here but:

The ray you pictured (which actually is not Potamotrygon hystrix but is really an undescribed species, but most people call it 'true hystrix') is an undescribed species from the Rio Negro. The pH of this river is very low and nutrient poor, so I find it extremely unlikely that a low pH would be causing cloudy eyes in this species, given it's native environment. Could be water quality or countless other things.
 
amazongirl;3027676; said:
Just my opinion here but:

The ray you pictured (which actually is not Potamotrygon hystrix but is really an undescribed species, but most people call it 'true hystrix') is an undescribed species from the Rio Negro. The pH of this river is very low and nutrient poor, so I find it extremely unlikely that a low pH would be causing cloudy eyes in this species, given it's native environment. Could be water quality or countless other things.
Click to expand...

So could it be high PH causing it? IF you HAD to make a guess as to cause what would that guess be?

And just out of curiousity what species is that in your avatar?
 
amazongirl;3027676; said:
Just my opinion here but:

The ray you pictured (which actually is not Potamotrygon hystrix but is really an undescribed species, but most people call it 'true hystrix') is an undescribed species from the Rio Negro. The pH of this river is very low and nutrient poor, so I find it extremely unlikely that a low pH would be causing cloudy eyes in this species, given it's native environment. Could be water quality or countless other things.
Click to expand...


i actually have high ph..
 
Tank
pH 7.9-8.0
GH 60 mg/l
KH 70 mg/l

Readings are the same out of the tap, and I have well water. My rays don't have cloudy eyes.
 
I´ve had the cloudy eyes problem twice with my MM male, only when pH drops down to 3,5-4 in 24 hrs due to unknown causes. Water and eyes looks cloudy, and the ray shows more slime coat (you can see it), also he shows some round holes on the ventral side of the disc. This symptoms only happened two times but, and gone with 30% WC within 12 hrs. It´s proven that if pH goes down (or up) slowly the rays show no signals of damage in the skin or eyes and no stress, but if it occur suddenly they do.
The water in most rivers in the amazon (from Venezuela to Peru) is very acid (3,2-4) in some points but it´s NEVER poor in nutrients. Keep it in mind.
 
DB junkie;3027706; said:
So could it be high PH causing it? IF you HAD to make a guess as to cause what would that guess be?

And just out of curiousity what species is that in your avatar?
Click to expand...

Did you have a picture of it? If this is something with a quick onset, I might tend to think it was from something recent (like water quality), as opposed to something that would happen more long term (like a nutritional component). I would agree with what some have said that a rapid pH change could cause a problem. If it looks more like a cataract I might lean towards nutritional, but there are so many possibilities that it is not really possible to diagnose via the internet.

The ray in the pic is a tiger.
 
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