I’ve had 2 retic/teacup rays at different times 15 plus years ago. Here’s my 2 cents. One took frozen bloodworms from my hand and such and the other was stubborn and only wanted live Black worms. I used Red Flint #20 sand, but it’s hard to find. I’ve contacted Red Flint directly and they will ship 50-100lb bags, but shipping is outrageous as one can imagine. I work in the water utility industry and was tipped off by a well driller in my area that they are a distributor for Red Flint. Red Flint 5 or 6 for well packing passes the same sieve size as their #20. I have samples at home from trade shows and have talked directly to Red Flint’s sales and technical personnel. If one wants to find Red Flint sand or gravel or a similar product, my best advice is to look up commercial well drillers that do gravel pack (not rock wells drillers) as ask them if they are a Red Flint distributor and explain you are looking for a couple hundred pounds of sand or fine gravel. Ask if they have any excess from a past job or if they would be able to order you some (know exactly what kind by checking Red Flint’s website and look by grain size) on their next shipment. During the summer months when well drillers are busy it’s common for some drillers to order in gravel monthly by the flat bed semi direct from Red Flint or similar supplier. If you only need a few pounds look into other alternative substrates, as the well drillers will not be likely to assist. Sorry, lot of info but passing it along.
Recapping that I had retic/teacup rays, until I moved out of state. I waited 15 plus years until getting a 480 gallon recently for the motoros I’ve been getting over the last 1.5 years. Rays are a ton of work, but very rewarding and enjoyable to keep, but my suggestion is to look at a different species that’s captive bred, slightly more expensive up front, but likely to be cheaper in the long run.
Also, I’ve seen a number of “teacup” rays in pet shops and it was clear to me the shop didn’t take care of their fish well and didn’t know much about keeping rays. Again, if you know and trust where you’re getting a retic/teacup that’s a little different, but I suggest not ordering them unless you get to see the exact ray first. Also, there’s a guy on Craigslist in Louisville I believe that has a retic/teacup pushing 10-12” for sale that I saw recently.
