Stingrays and Plecos

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StiffMeister

Fire Eel
MFK Member
Jun 14, 2006
2,490
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Netherlands
Guys, as you might know my first ray adventure ended short and terrible. so now im re-thinking everything and reading a lot. But one thing entered my mind which i cannot find an answer to: is it possible that a stingray might sting a pleco??

they both live on the floor of the tank. my plecos will probably not harm/suck on the stingray (they are panaque) but what if they just lay on top of the ray and the ray feels treathened?? not unimaginary imo. anybody have exp with this, or read or heard about this?
 
why especially panaques?? any experience with those combined with rays?

i dont understand why so many ray keepers also have plecos in the tank if the risks are so high??
 
I have had a lot of experience with this. I have had rays for seven years now and plecos are some of my favorite fish. I lost a large Leo to a pleco a few years back . The pleco will definately try to suck the slime off of the ray. It can work for a while but it can become an instant problem. A very expensive one at that. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone . That includes Fly River Turtles.
 
I've never had any problems keeping the two together, including panaques. Not saying its a great idea, but I had success with the combo for about 6 months.

I don't think plecs will go for the slime if they're fed well, but every fish has its own personality, so its still a risk.


IMO, rays will always do best by themselves, but the ray/pleco combo isn't impossible.
 
thanks guys. from what i experienced with other fish, panaques will not suck. other pleco species might suck. i think i will give it a shot if i find the right ray.
 
Avoid it if possible. I keep some plecos with my rays and have not had any problems. However, I did have a big royal who became nasty very quickly.

It is a risk.
Colin
 
im gonna try it. ive seen a nice motoro P1 at my lfs. its been there for months so i could talk the price down a bit. Its a male with a disksize of 18cm. ill be picking it up 2moro. I will aks that if i get any unexpected problems with the royal, which should be visible quickly, i can return it.

here is a pic of the little fella:

watermark.php
 
i wouldnt bother, especially if you think that could have been the reason for the loss of your old ray. i feed my plecos plenty, but they will still go after a slime disk on such a giant tasty surface. they just graze around as normal, and discover they like the taste of it and will not stop until the ray is dead, or you seperate them. the first of these tasting sessions start at night time of course, and sometimes it can be too late before you notice it (depending of the relavent sizes of each)
 
to be honest, my royals have never touched another fish for their slime. i have polypterus in the tank and even though they lay on top of eachother, they will not touch it. i have good confidence that the royals will not start now.
 
i have only had problems with giant flat fish like rays and soles. never had any problems with other fish either. just my experience :) i hope it works out for you, you have great plecos, and thats a nice ray
 
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