Why do YOU like stingrays?

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I like them cause I can keep them with the greatest freshwater fish in the friggin world! Armatus. The Marble pup I have in with my Armatus figured out how to eat krill before the Armatus. It only floats and the tank is a 180. For that ray to figure out how to come to the surface to feed before the fish realized it was food speaks for itself.
 
About 6 1/2 years ago, I was keeping community fish, blah blah blah, Then I walked into a fish store in Bellevue and saw the most amazing little "fish" It was a retic. If I can quote Frank from his website, "It was love at first sight" I had no clue what to do, but I bought it and fed it ghost shrimp and frozen blood worms like the LFS told me. It died about 3 months later and I wanted to figure out all I could about these animals. I did months of research and got a big tank and bought 2 more rays. Now I have 28 and I breed them. The things I like about the rays. They hardly have any medical issues in my experience. No Ick. Its a fishkeepers dream come true. They are quite the conversation started when people see them. I like the way they swim. They glide through the water almost flying. They do have their separate personalities. Some are very mellow and just scoot around the tank. Others are like almost A.D.D. or something. Always active and zipping around the tank. Some are standoffish when my hand goes in the tank, others come up to it wondering whats going on. I like the bold patterns that they have. In my opinion, stingrays are the most amazing fish ever created. I enjoy them alot.
 
I love them because of there swagger as they move through the water, when my ray plays in the water all that come to my home and see this are curious as to what he is doing and seem mesmerized by him. When I first seen him in the store he was doing this and I thought this was the coolest thing to watch him flutter like silk through the tank. I would liken his grace in the tank too James Dean he is just to cool for words. I will always keep rays for ever more. It also helps that the danger they present is aw inspiring. Something so mysterious/playful/and dangerous is also beautiful/colorful/stealthy/and just plain amazing. Even while sitting on the bottom of the tank full of Cichla he is still a force to be reckoned with and looks like a king among the rest of the fresh water aquarium. Rays have the natural look of a "Natural Born Predator" who wouldn't love this. They are in a league of there own. Just learning about them sets all of us aside from any other owner of any pet period. And I have the pleasure of owning one, how many people can say this and enjoy this display of elegance? Not many!
 
I love the way they glide threw the tank
i love how they interact with one another
i love how they beg for food
i love how they can squirt water at me for attention
i love there incredible strength.
i really love these guys!
 
i wantched them in my friends shop for a few months and thought "what a waste of a tank" then one day he said do me a favor and feed those Leo's for me, so i got some worm's out and started feeding them then one of them came up the glass and stuck half its head out of the tank and took a worm right from my fingers. they had only been imported 2 days before. that was it i was hooked. i bought a couple and have never looked back, not once in the last 5 years.
 
Great thread!
I don't keep them anymore (money and parental limitations) but when I did they were my favourite.
Like said above, the way they glide like silk through the water, the way they play in the bubbles from the airstone, and the way they bounce up and down the front of the glass for food. Whilst being quite a challenge for freshwater keepers, once you know your stuff and they are settled you are pretty much set - they are more fun and pleasure than a job. The colours and patterns are amazing, I love the way they pounce on food.

They do have their own characters/personalities whichever you prefer, and they just seem so carefree and playful! Life seems all about food and fun for them.

Definately an addiction.
 
i can honestly say that the danger aspect never came into it for me, just made me a bit more wary of them. ive lost count of the amount of time's ive had the conversation "are they the one's that killed steve irwin"!!!!!! as ive said before i spent a week swimming in the xingu and when we come across them they showed no aggression at all, allthough the brazillian guy's where quite wary of them:D and telling me to be careful. i just fell in love with the feeding from your hand, as most other people have said the grace when they swim is amazing, i think once you have owned a ray ( unless you have a very aggressive one that has gone out of its way to sting you:WHOA:) then you will allway's love them even if your situation changes and you cannot keep them anymore.
 
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