Ok well after SEVERAL messages into my inbox about ....How did you get retic's to adulthood and then actually have them breed with a good outcome. I figured I would post a thread about what I did and what worked for me.
First things first I would never put any stingray in anything less than a 75 and thats only if you get one, and they are a small pup, and then only if you know with absolute certainty that you will be upgrading. And fairly soon, they can not be kept for life in anything less than a 125 that is my opinion on the matter.
1) Got healthy eating rays from my LFS October 2007( Aquarium Solutions Spokane Valley Washington) Theres a plug for ya Barbie!
2) Had my rays with other peaceful fish in a 125 with 2x the filtration as was reccommended, I used a RENA canister filter and 2 hang on back aqua clears (more for aeration than anything). Always kept bubble wands or bubble disks in with them.
3)Fed them a variety of fresh good foods (night crawlers, market shrimp, scallops, massivore pellets, black worms and krill) Their favorites of course though are the nightcrawlers, which I have always just gotten at Wal-Mart. Rays have always only been fed once a day, from the time I got them when they were only 4 inches and all through the females pregnancy. Only rarely did they get fed twice and that was only if we had company that had never seen them eat.
4) Water changes of about 40% 2x a week until they went in the new big tank. Prime was always added with each water change. And new water going into the tank was always ran at the coldest temperature comming from the tap.
5) Got a bigger tank! They hadn't outgrown the 125 but I had planned from the second I bought my rays that they would get a bigger tank within 2 years. And thats exactly what I did. They got their new tank March 2009. Again with awesome filtration this time with a 180 gallon sump.
6) Still performed regular water changes after getting new big tank just only of about 20% once a week.
7) The only medication I ever used in my tank was salt and that was only on occasion when somebody had an "accident" like when my male bit the female and took a pretty good size chunk out of her disk.
8) Lights have always been on timers for routine and ease for me. They go on at 830am and off at 9pm, just what worked for me.
9) K.I.S.S otherwise known as keep it simple stupid. People make these rays harder than they really are in my opinion.
**Biggest tank you can afford, best food you can buy, clean water, and patience**
Rays were roughly 4-6 inches when they were purchased. And at current female is 13 inches and male is between 10-11 inches.
Male reached what I figured to be fully mature about 9 months ago so he was ROUGHLY 3 years old. His claspers are atleast an inch long past his body and are about 1/2 inch in diameter and completly rolled. He was also about 10 inches in disk size this is not including the tail in any of these measurements.
Noticed movement on female June 18th 2010. I seperated her within 2 days of noticing movement into her own part of the "big" tank. If I had known it would be so long of a wait I wouldn't have seperated her for at least 40 days after I saw movement. Would have saved me a ton of anxiety! She delivered her first litter consisting of 1 pup last night sometime between 11pm and 5am August 12th 2010.....53 days after seeing movement in the female!
Male and female were showing signs of mating first thing after I introduced female back into the main part of the tank.
Oh what I would have paid for this thread 3 years ago! And even more so in the last 8 weeks!!!
If I forgot anythign or you have questions beyond what I have answered then please send me a message.
P.S. Just so there is no confusion I am a girl! I know weird a girl fish keeper but there it is. I am 33 years old and fairly new to the hobby by most standards only about 10 years. I have 4 children, run a daycare, and also have 2 dogs.
First things first I would never put any stingray in anything less than a 75 and thats only if you get one, and they are a small pup, and then only if you know with absolute certainty that you will be upgrading. And fairly soon, they can not be kept for life in anything less than a 125 that is my opinion on the matter.
1) Got healthy eating rays from my LFS October 2007( Aquarium Solutions Spokane Valley Washington) Theres a plug for ya Barbie!
2) Had my rays with other peaceful fish in a 125 with 2x the filtration as was reccommended, I used a RENA canister filter and 2 hang on back aqua clears (more for aeration than anything). Always kept bubble wands or bubble disks in with them.
3)Fed them a variety of fresh good foods (night crawlers, market shrimp, scallops, massivore pellets, black worms and krill) Their favorites of course though are the nightcrawlers, which I have always just gotten at Wal-Mart. Rays have always only been fed once a day, from the time I got them when they were only 4 inches and all through the females pregnancy. Only rarely did they get fed twice and that was only if we had company that had never seen them eat.
4) Water changes of about 40% 2x a week until they went in the new big tank. Prime was always added with each water change. And new water going into the tank was always ran at the coldest temperature comming from the tap.
5) Got a bigger tank! They hadn't outgrown the 125 but I had planned from the second I bought my rays that they would get a bigger tank within 2 years. And thats exactly what I did. They got their new tank March 2009. Again with awesome filtration this time with a 180 gallon sump.
6) Still performed regular water changes after getting new big tank just only of about 20% once a week.
7) The only medication I ever used in my tank was salt and that was only on occasion when somebody had an "accident" like when my male bit the female and took a pretty good size chunk out of her disk.
8) Lights have always been on timers for routine and ease for me. They go on at 830am and off at 9pm, just what worked for me.
9) K.I.S.S otherwise known as keep it simple stupid. People make these rays harder than they really are in my opinion.
**Biggest tank you can afford, best food you can buy, clean water, and patience**
Rays were roughly 4-6 inches when they were purchased. And at current female is 13 inches and male is between 10-11 inches.
Male reached what I figured to be fully mature about 9 months ago so he was ROUGHLY 3 years old. His claspers are atleast an inch long past his body and are about 1/2 inch in diameter and completly rolled. He was also about 10 inches in disk size this is not including the tail in any of these measurements.
Noticed movement on female June 18th 2010. I seperated her within 2 days of noticing movement into her own part of the "big" tank. If I had known it would be so long of a wait I wouldn't have seperated her for at least 40 days after I saw movement. Would have saved me a ton of anxiety! She delivered her first litter consisting of 1 pup last night sometime between 11pm and 5am August 12th 2010.....53 days after seeing movement in the female!
Male and female were showing signs of mating first thing after I introduced female back into the main part of the tank.
Oh what I would have paid for this thread 3 years ago! And even more so in the last 8 weeks!!!
If I forgot anythign or you have questions beyond what I have answered then please send me a message.
P.S. Just so there is no confusion I am a girl! I know weird a girl fish keeper but there it is. I am 33 years old and fairly new to the hobby by most standards only about 10 years. I have 4 children, run a daycare, and also have 2 dogs.
