hey, i just filled up my 75 gal. put in the cycle and am waiting for the water to be ready so that i can throw in a tea cup ray. im not really sure what other nice looking fish i can throw in there. considering the rays are very sensitive to the water. any ideas? ide really appreciate it
TEACUP RAYS
- Thread starter dovi623
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No, there is no such thing as a "teacup ray". People just refer to juvenile rays in pet stores with that term.
retics are referred to as "teacups" but still get too big for a 75 and are not easily cared for. Good luck with your pursuit 
If you do end up getting a retic, keep it by itself for at least a few months. You are going to have your hands full with just trying to get him to eat. He will need to be fattened up and get comfortable before you think about tankmates. Belive me, it's not easy. No ray is going to be small enough to live in a 75 for life. You should look into a heartier ray (that may get larger since you need to upgrade anyway)for your first. Teacup rays are cheap, but there is a very good chance it will die shortly after aquiring. I've also heard rumors that they are removed from the mother prematurely via c section which kills the mother. Don't know if it is true or not, but if it is, it is not a healthy start to the ray's life and definately not something to support by buying one.
You could keep a small ray in a 75 for a few months. Might as well save yourself the headache and get what you need now. Indoor ponds are the cheapest and most efficient way to go. They are also easy to build.
As far as a good starter ray goes, I would stay away from P. Reticulatus
A great starter ray would be a Hystrix, but they are a little harder to come by and carry a higher price tag.
I personally would recommend a Motoro. By far one of the hardiest rays, will eat almost anything and have great patterns. They also are not very expensive.
Vamptrev is selling some pups right now. You should check it out.
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=241504&highlight=motoro
They do get to be quite large, so you will need a large enclosure eventually.
(minimum 8'x4'x2') but that is the case for all rays
(meaning even the smaller rays will require this footprint if not bigger)
(Some do require larger i.e. Tigers, Castexi...ect)
As far as a good starter ray goes, I would stay away from P. Reticulatus
A great starter ray would be a Hystrix, but they are a little harder to come by and carry a higher price tag.
I personally would recommend a Motoro. By far one of the hardiest rays, will eat almost anything and have great patterns. They also are not very expensive.
Vamptrev is selling some pups right now. You should check it out.
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=241504&highlight=motoro
They do get to be quite large, so you will need a large enclosure eventually.
(minimum 8'x4'x2') but that is the case for all rays
(meaning even the smaller rays will require this footprint if not bigger)
(Some do require larger i.e. Tigers, Castexi...ect)
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