Stuck with a Motoro...will this work long-term?

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RyanM

RyanM

Plecostomus
MFK Member
Oct 13, 2016
250
122
61
Canton, OH
Just over a month ago I got a great deal on a 180g setup, but the owner would only sell it along with the 9-10" Motoro that had he had been keeping for almost 4 years. He swore it would be a piece of cake for me to see the stingray, but I have not been able to find any takers and my kids are in love with it!

I wouldn't be completely opposed to socking the 180g around the ray, but based on the research I have done it sounds like these (in theory?) can easily outgrow a 180g and I don't want to be stuck with a huge ray in a few years. On the other hand, I am wondering if since it has only hi 10" in 4 years, will this really ever outgrow my tank?

One other question: how dangerous is the venom? Are the barbs that it drops occasionally still filled with venom?IMG_20160907_175013.jpg
 
4 yr old motoro at 10 inches? something is off. you sure he didn't say he had it for 4 months?
 
The 180g is a standard 72x24x24.

He said the tank was setup by a local store in 2012. He didn't have any reason to lie about the age of the ray and there were no other fish in the tank he could have been talking about.

What size can I realistically expect him to get?
 
If it is a male then it's reasonable he could get up to 18 or 20 inches in diameter

If he is 4 years old he may not get huge.

Show us a picture of his claspers...

As far as keeping a male Stingray in a 180 long-term it would require light stock in the tank and very frequent water changes or better yet a drip system

If it is a female odds are she will outgrow that tank as she will likely end up over 20 inches in diameter but it will take a few years to get there

It seems to have a nice pattern so it should not be too hard to sell if you really wanted to
 
scott s said:
If it is a male then it's reasonable he could get up to 18 or 20 inches in diameter

If he is 4 years old he may not get huge.

Show us a picture of his claspers...

As far as keeping a male Stingray in a 180 long-term it would require light stock in the tank and very frequent water changes or better yet a drip system

If it is a female odds are she will outgrow that tank as she will likely end up over 20 inches in diameter but it will take a few years to get there

It seems to have a nice pattern so it should not be too hard to sell if you really wanted to
Click to expand...

Remember, I am a total ray noob. I assume by "claspers" you mean the skin flaps at the base of its tail?

I have been trying to sell it on craigslist with zero luck. Any better places I should try?
 
I texted he guy I bought it from and he said he had it almost 4 years. Could its growth be stunted for some reason? The tank was almost empty so it had plenty of room to move around.
 
Could be a smaller variation, same as there are different sizes in people. Also the ray isn't fat so he may be feeding it enough for health but not power feeding for size.

A male mantilla I have took 3 years to break 10" but he has continued to grow and is now about 14 or 15" at 5+ years old
 
mscamp02 said:
Could be a smaller variation, same as there are different sizes in people. Also the ray isn't fat so he may be feeding it enough for health but not power feeding for size.

A male mantilla I have took 3 years to break 10" but he has continued to grow and is now about 14 or 15" at 5+ years old
Click to expand...

He said he was feeding 3x nightcrawlers 2-3x a week. I assume nightcrawlers aren't a very balanced diet and that may not be much food for a large fish.
 
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