proper temperature for rays

[calgaryflames]

i have herd all kinds of theory on temp and rays.i have maintained rays in higher temps for long periods without problems.what is ideal for rays.i think this is something overlooked greatly in this part of the hobby.

can we get some explanations on temp and what and when is it ideal to increase or decrease.pros and cons? oxygen is a factor with higher temps but if the tank is well oxygenated why would it be a problem keeping it higher??species is also a factor i emagine.higher temps boost metabolsim why not keep it high.

whats right and wrong?some people say raise the temp to over 90 when rays are not doing good or after importing.i have read some people think 84 is too hot for rays.

 

[MikeGF123]

I keep at 82 that why there's no risk for too hot or cold. Personally 90 its to hot

 

[johno27]

The temp in the amazon river basin water is 29C/84F almost year round. I think anywhere from 80F-84F is a good range to keep them under normal conditions. I know a lot of experienced ray breeders/keepers who have had great success with keeping newborn pups at 90F to get them eating. I can only speculate that this helps use up their egg sac and get them interested in food faster by raising their metabolism.

So I guess there is no magic number when it comes to proper ray temps. It all depends on the circumstances

 

[Just Toby]

Stability is often the key.

I keep mine at 80

I think you need to try and match the wild within parameters.

There has been recent talk of pups at 90 but I don't get it, unless they are naturally born in the hot season and temps reach that in the wild why speed them up? there may be a reason why they take x time to absorb the yolk sac.

I am happy to be proven wrong but haven't seen any evidence yet, I think feeding pups on what their parents eat seems the best logic?

 

[calgaryflames]

Stability is often the key.

I keep mine at 80

I think you need to try and match the wild within parameters.

There has been recent talk of pups at 90 but I don't get it, unless they are naturally born in the hot season and temps reach that in the wild why speed them up? there may be a reason why they take x time to absorb the yolk sac.

I am happy to be proven wrong but haven't seen any evidence yet, I think feeding pups on what their parents eat seems the best logic?

most of my rays are captive bred.what i notice most with higher temps is my rays breath harder.

i would emagine that different regions of the river has different temps.the upper amazon is closer to the equator which means its probably alot hotter.down towards brazil maybe a bit cooler.xingu and tocantins are where black rays are found and lower regions of those rivers go down pretty far south.dont know how far south in those rivers they go but compared to the upper near columbia thats pretty much on the equator .this is probably why people say flowers and tigers need warmer water.but with proper acclimation i think they will adjust ,just my opinion i maybe wrong hopefully not but in dr ross stingrays book he mentions about keeping flowers and tigers in warmer water was a key to sucess keeping them long term up around 88.

i guess its probably based on the species and the circumstances.why do people say to increase the temp when a rays not doing well.all i can think is to boost the rays metabolism?what happens if you boost the metabolism and they still dont eat wouldnt you simply be killing them quicker?

i have herd this about the pups.i did keep all my pups at 86-90 and all grew very quickly and are still very healthy.i cant remember ever keeping my rays below 85 before.

i have also herd keeping your tank at 85 or above kills your biological filteration off.nitrifying bacteria apparently cannot survive??? this is only what i have been told by one member on a different forum.i maintained my tanks at 88 for over a year fine not a single death .no biological crashes too.

 

[Proximus]

why do people say to increase the temp when a rays not doing well.all i can think is to boost the rays metabolism?what happens if you boost the metabolism and they still dont eat wouldnt you simply be killing them quicker?

I have been wondering about this too. I simply fail to see the point of turning up the temp when a ray is in a bad condition.

When you turn up the heat - it`s not only the metabolic rate of the fish that will go faster... bacteria and fungus also grow faster in warmer water. And not only that, - ammonia will also be more toxic in warmer water.
Would be really great if anyone could tell me exactly how (and why) a higher temperature would do any good to a sick ray...?

 

[Just Toby]

The human immune system raises out temp when we are I'll, this is why we run a fever, I believe it is to speed us up and fight off the illness....maybe people think this should be the same for rays? Or maybe it should be that way?

I can understand that rays would breathe harder and nitrifying bacteria could struggle in hotter water as the hotter the water the less oxygen is available.

Interesting about the different places of the amazon...thanks for posting the map and the explanation.

 

[DavidW]

The temp in the amazon river basin water is 29C/84F almost year round.

Actually this is not so. Water temp is often much lower, depending on the rain.
water temp can vary up to 10+F between night and day, between 70 and 82.
Night/day water temp differences are actually larger than seasonal temperature differences.
Water stratifies in temperature layers, so while the surface may warm up during the day the bottom, where rays live, tends to stay cool, depending on depth of course. When it rains the temp drops fast.
It can get quite chilly there at night. much of the water is covered by forest canopy so doesn't get the radiation that you might imagine. In the flood season nearly all of the water is under the forest canopy and stays cool 24/7
Xingu Indians actually hang their hammocks over camp fires at night to keep warm!
In the drier season sometimes oxbow lakes are formed as river levels drop, and these can become much warmer, this kills stranded fish as oxygen levels deplete, and then they often dry out all together.

 

[calgaryflames]

just like any river in the world day and night temps vary for sure,i would emagine winter months would have the greatest differences.shorter days and hot afternoons still.i dont think it gets much cooler than 20 celcius down their in winter months.summer probably close to 50 celcius as extreme during dry seasons.water gets so hot in some trapped pools that it kills the fish during dry season.

"wet season" when is that david fall -winter?? probably depends where you are i guess,its a huge area we are talking about.i herd a fact if you take the 2,3,4 and 5th largest rivers in the world add them up it still doesnt = the amazon

funny i call plus 20 winter,plus 20 in calgary is a hot summer day haha you guys in usa are lucky we just got 2 feet of snow yesterday

 

[yargnits]

Actually this is not so. Water temp is often much lower, depending on the rain.
water temp can vary up to 10+F between night and day, between 70 and 82.
Night/day water temp differences are actually larger than seasonal temperature differences.
Water stratifies in temperature layers, so while the surface may warm up during the day the bottom, where rays live, tends to stay cool, depending on depth of course. When it rains the temp drops fast.
It can get quite chilly there at night. much of the water is covered by forest canopy so doesn't get the radiation that you might imagine. In the flood season nearly all of the water is under the forest canopy and stays cool 24/7
Xingu Indians actually hang their hammocks over camp fires at night to keep warm!
In the drier season sometimes oxbow lakes are formed as river levels drop, and these can become much warmer, this kills stranded fish as oxygen levels deplete, and then they often dry out all together.

that was similar to what i was going to sugest. the water tends to be warmer at the top of the river but cooler at the bottom so i wonder what the actual temperatures are that rays live in . i wouldnt be suprised either if pups spent more time in the shallower / warmer water as they may be less likley to hold larger preditors and provide more cover and food for pups i know other fry spend more time in the shallows than they do in open water.

ive read that most of the temperature information is airtemperature or water *surface* temperature at best so it does raise alot of questions and it stands to reason that whilst lakes would still be colder at depth that they would more than likley be warmer than a river of the same depth as its constantly fed rather than standing. but even in lakes the temp is massivly different in the shallows to the surface of deep water.

it would be nice if someone could tag a ray and check temperatures and movment and put some definate answers in here