Hi everyone, I'm wondering what are the minimum sizes of fish I could keep with a full grown hystrix stingray. I read the advise "not anything bite sized" but how large, exactly is the bite size of a full grown hystrix? Any advice would be appreciated.
Minimum Size Tankmates for Hystrix
- Thread starter Randolph71
- Start date
It really depends. My hystrix female is about 12" diameter and the male is 7.5-8" diameter. I would guess they are close to full grown, at least for my tank as neither ray has grown much in the past year or two.
For tank mates I have spotted pictus cats, Raphael cats, bristle nose plecos, a pair of severums, a geo, and various tetras. I tried angelfish in the past, but they eventually got picked off one by one. When adding a group of tetras (8-10) there were some that got eaten within a few days. After that, they seemed to learn quickly to stay away from the bottom at night. The rays have never bothered the catfish.
They did kill 2 smaller (3") severums a while ago but leave the bigger pair alone.
How big is your hystrix? I would say avoid cichlids that are less than 4".
For tank mates I have spotted pictus cats, Raphael cats, bristle nose plecos, a pair of severums, a geo, and various tetras. I tried angelfish in the past, but they eventually got picked off one by one. When adding a group of tetras (8-10) there were some that got eaten within a few days. After that, they seemed to learn quickly to stay away from the bottom at night. The rays have never bothered the catfish.
They did kill 2 smaller (3") severums a while ago but leave the bigger pair alone.
How big is your hystrix? I would say avoid cichlids that are less than 4".
I have seen it often suggested that Geophagus are good tank mates. But I would avoid these.
In my tank, a pair of Geos decided to pair up and breed. Being bottom dwelling cichlids they tried to lay on a small piece of wood on the bottom of the tank. And every time the Rays came any where near the Geos, they got attacked.
Took the Geos out pretty quickly!
In my tank, a pair of Geos decided to pair up and breed. Being bottom dwelling cichlids they tried to lay on a small piece of wood on the bottom of the tank. And every time the Rays came any where near the Geos, they got attacked.
Took the Geos out pretty quickly!
Good idea! I only have a single geo so no breeding issues. The severums spawn up on the drift wood.