Is my stingray eating?

[Proximus]

Looks like he is red on the inside of his left eye on that last pic of him... Thats not a good sign at all, and i am afraid you will lose him. In my experience this can be a result of the ray bein exposed to higher levels of ammonia or nitrite at some point.

IMO:

- Lights off
- Thinner layer of substrate (to avoid possible buildup of ammonia pockets)
- Feed bloodworms and shopped earthworms
- Waterchanges every day, i`d say 30%
- Focus on good water movement/circulation
- I would personaly not recommend using any liquid to boost bacteria when the ray is already in the tank... From what i know of these liquids/powders - their mission is to boost the ammonia, so that bacteria starts to grow... with other words it could possibly kill your ray.

 

[titustitus]

Looks like he is red on the inside of his left eye on that last pic of him... Thats not a good sign at all, and i am afraid you will lose him. In my experience this can be a result of the ray bein exposed to higher levels of ammonia or nitrite at some point.

IMO:

- Lights off
- Thinner layer of substrate (to avoid possible buildup of ammonia pockets)
- Feed bloodworms and shopped earthworms
- Waterchanges every day, i`d say 30%
- Focus on good water movement/circulation
- I would personaly not recommend using any liquid to boost bacteria when the ray is already in the tank... From what i know of these liquids/powders - their mission is to boost the ammonia, so that bacteria starts to grow... with other words it could possibly kill your ray.

yes, i do not know why his eye is red, was thinking that some other fish attacked it when it was in the tank in the LFS i got it from.

-ok noted, will go home and remove some substrate.
-been feeding bloodworms but not sure if he is even eating it at all or is majority of the worms actually sucked up by filter
-ok, water changes will be done in accordance to ur advice!
-sorry, but what do you actually mean by watter circulation. i kinda have a fountain filter if that was what you were referring to. u can see it on the right side of the tank.
-oh boy, didnt know that the liquid wld actually boost exactly what is not needed and deadly to the ray!!! will go home immediately and read contents once more.

thanks for ur very good advice, hoping that i wont lose him

 

[Proximus]

Focus on good water movement/circulation

I will try one more time

- I mean that it`s very important that you don`t have too many areas where the water is still/stands still. The water needs to go trough surface areas where there are bacterias (mainly and most important your filter) for the waist to be braken down to nitrite, and finally nitrate. So it`s very important that your entire water mass is regularly flowing/moving/circulating into this filter you have. Makes sense?

I just put this up as a reminder. For all i know this is not a problem in your tank.

 

[titustitus]

I will try one more time

- I mean that it`s very important that you don`t have too many areas where the water is still/stands still. The water needs to go trough surface areas where there are bacterias (mainly and most important your filter) for the waist to be braken down to nitrite, and finally nitrate. So it`s very important that your entire water mass is regularly flowing/moving/circulating into this filter you have. Makes sense?

I just put this up as a reminder. For all i know this is not a problem in your tank.

OIC, that's much better, bite size for my small brain haha. would it help if i increase the pressure of my filter? I suppose so right! oh and isn't nitrate bad for the tank? im kinda mixed up between nitrite and nitrate...

 

[Proximus]

I don`t know the exact conditions in your tank, so hard for me to tell if you really need to turn up the flow/pressure... Just take a close look at the particles in the water - how fast are they moving? Are there areas where they don`t move at all? And if you have a feeling it`s not good enough - then consider to speed it up a little.

About ammonia, nitrite and nitrate, just some simple lines:

- Ammonia is broken down to nitrite, and nitrite is broken down to nitrate.
- Ammonia is toxic for the fishes, and so are nitrite. Nitrate is the final product of the nitrogen cycle, and you deal with it by doing waterchanges. It is not very harmfull for the fishes in lower consentrations. I always try to keep the level below 25ppm, but sometimes it can go up to about 50 - and still i see no change in apetite or behavior. The problems starts if the fishes are exposed to high levels over time/longer periods. Their immune system will be weakened, and they will then be more exposed to diseases etc...

 

[titustitus]

I don`t know the exact conditions in your tank, so hard for me to tell if you really need to turn up the flow/pressure... Just take a close look at the particles in the water - how fast are they moving? Are there areas where they don`t move at all? And if you have a feeling it`s not good enough - then consider to speed it up a little.

About ammonia, nitrite and nitrate, just some simple lines:

- Ammonia is broken down to nitrite, and nitrite is broken down to nitrate.
- Ammonia is toxic for the fishes, and so are nitrite. Nitrate is the final product of the nitrogen cycle, and you deal with it by doing waterchanges. It is not very harmfull for the fishes in lower consentrations. I always try to keep the level below 25ppm, but sometimes it can go up to about 50 - and still i see no change in apetite or behavior. The problems starts if the fishes are exposed to high levels over time/longer periods. Their immune system will be weakened, and they will then be more exposed to diseases etc...

alright man! i totally understand it now! this is so much better than reading all the other threads cos they make it sounds so complicated for newbies like me! thanks alot Proximus! will do the changes and alterations to the tank as told by you

 

[titustitus]

oh oh oh and one last qn! what size should the food be for my teacup ray cos i mentioned earlier it would only nimble with its small mouth. is there a good size that will enable it to swallow it whole? or do rays generally eat by nimbling?

 

[Proximus]

A strong and healthy ray does not eat by nimbling (if i understand this word correct). You can feed them whole fish/worm/shrimp, and they will rip it up and swallow it within a few seconds - if not just swallow the whole thing right away, depending on the size of the pray compared to the ray itself of course.
But it`s completely normal for a new and stressed out ray to be a bit slow when it comes to foods. So it`s definitely a good idea to give smaller chunks of food... As mentioned bloodworms are perfect for small and newly acquired rays. And with earthworms; you can cut them in pieces - I think 0,5 cm (0,19 inches) or even smaller would be about perfect. Just try it, and observe

Remember to remove the leftovers after some time.

 

[titustitus]

A strong and healthy ray does not eat by nimbling (if i understand this word correct). You can feed them whole fish/worm/shrimp, and they will rip it up and swallow it within a few seconds - if not just swallow the whole thing right away, depending on the size of the pray compared to the ray itself of course.
But it`s completely normal for a new and stressed out ray to be a bit slow when it comes to foods. So it`s definitely a good idea to give smaller chunks of food... As mentioned bloodworms are perfect for small and newly acquired rays. And with earthworms; you can cut them in pieces - I think 0,5 cm (0,19 inches) would be about perfect. Just try it, and observe

Remember to remove the leftovers after some time.

i gave blood worms, the frozen kind but of cos i defroze it first! it always turns away when i hand feed it, rejecting bloodworms and prawns. however, he sucks in fishies hahaha. i left some bits ofprawns in the mornign before heading to work. am knocking off soon sohopefully when i get back they're all gone! gonna try some glass shrimps too.

 

[Proximus]

Here is a short video of how a strong and healthy ray will feed.
Doesn`t always have to be this brutal, but it gives you an idea!

[YT]FuT4fqSoKRc[/YT]

it always turns away when i hand feed it, rejecting bloodworms and prawns.

I think it`s a bad idea to stick your hand down to him at this point. I belive this will only stress him out even more.