random death

[keepinfish]

You should not go so long on a newly imported ray without food... Be prepared!!

It looked healthy though, so i doubt it starved to death. It may have been eat up with parasites... hook in its belly, or a number of things.

Retics, are a tough ray to start off with especially when it comes in with lice...etc... It makes them not a beginner ray.

 

[sbuse]

You should not go so long on a newly imported ray without food... Be prepared!!

It looked healthy though, so i doubt it starved to death. It may have been eat up with parasites... hook in its belly, or a number of things.

Retics, are a tough ray to start off with especially when it comes in with lice...etc... It makes them not a beginner ray.

i know, i know.... i had alot of black worms and frozen blood worms, and some on order before i ran out...but the company didn't get them in and no other store had some of either...i was pissed...they seemed to eat some shrimp and mysis shrimp(witch i have plenty of as that is what they had so i bought some and i feed shrimp to my other fish)...these guys had no lice, maybe internal parasites, but the poo was not broken up when it came out...are there any other ways to tell parasites...also i never ease into things i dive in and do some of the toughest things to start, so when it is all said and done have have exp. with the tough ones so the easy ones are more easy

 

[keepinfish]

get a microscope and check for parasites in the poo.

IMO throw away the blood worms. They are a waste.. Feed small rays blk worms (if you have to) cut up earthworms/nightcrawlers, try cut shrimp/krill (very very small) even smelt (also cut very small)

feed a ray that is as small as the one in this thread twice daily at min. as much as he will eat. Once he gets some size on him feed once a day.

Also any ray that comes from TFD needs to be treated for parasites

 

[sbuse]

i geuss now, when my females come in i will double my food supply, with some on order, and i will know witch male knocked them up later on...

 

[keepinfish]

what size is the tank? what are the tankmates?

 

[sbuse]

get a microscope and check for parasites in the poo.

IMO throw away the blood worms. They are a waste.. Feed small rays blk worms (if you have to) cut up earthworms/nightcrawlers, try cut shrimp/krill (very very small) even smelt (also cut very small)

feed a ray that is as small as the one in this thread twice daily at min. as much as he will eat. Once he gets some size on him feed once a day.

Also any ray that comes from TFD needs to be treated for parasites

i have and have been offering them cut crawlers and they seem afraid of them...i put market shrimp in my food procer/blender and ofer that...i was feeding them 3 times a day, and i will continue to...they picked at the shrimp maybe eatting a little, i have no access to a microscope...the blood worms and black worms are what they ate readily so i stuck to them as the main corse being black worms...while offering the others daily

 

[keepinfish]

if the worms are scaring them then you need to cut them smaller.... most rays will never pass up nightcrawlers... I thought you said they have not eaten since Friday?

You can get a microscope for like $20-25 at toys r us or walmart.

 

[sbuse]

what size is the tank? what are the tankmates?

now its foot print is 48"x12.5" (55gal)...with 750gph...this was the back up plan i was going to put them in my 180gal but they came in to small for my catfish...tankmates are 3 african peacocks, 1 yellow lab, 1 firemouth, 2 bgks, 1 ck, 1 severum, 1 peacock eel, 2 bala sharks, the other male retic, and a jardini aro...i check the water religously with no spikes and change it 50% minimum every 2 days even though it doesn't need it...

 

[sbuse]

if the worms are scaring them then you need to cut them smaller.... most rays will never pass up nightcrawlers... I thought you said they have not eaten since Friday?

You can get a microscope for like $20-25 at toys r us or walmart.

not eatten a full days meal, the small amounts they were eatting really didn't count for much, imo...besides the fact that they did still pick at stuff...friday was the last full meal of black worms that they really chowed down...they never ate crawlers and i was offering them stuff but i could not garentee they were eatting well as i haven't seen them go to town since fri....if that makes sence...

 

[sbuse]

i type really slow sorry for the delays