20 rays, 5 years, patting them, netting etc... never been stung. They are ok when coming to you and begging for food.
Don't be paranoid and don't get an aggressive ray... about 1 in 50 rays are insane and attack hands/nets going in... most are fine as long as you respect them.
20 rays, 5 years, patting them, netting etc... never been stung. They are ok when coming to you and begging for food.
Don't be paranoid and don't get an aggressive ray... about 1 in 50 rays are insane and attack hands/nets going in... most are fine as long as you respect them.
I have never heard of a ray being aggressive but then I only have a small number of them (12). I hope I never encounter an aggressive one, it would scare the **** out of me.
I don't use gloves when I am around my rays but I do keep an eye on them and make sure that the tail is not too close. You never know when one might get startled. I have touched their tail with a feeder stick and other fish have bumped into them and even when startled, they have never struck. They just get out of the way. I think you would have to actually hurt the ray before it would strike in self defense.
Rays are really mellow and always come to the glass to see me when I approach the tank. If your tank and filtration are large enough, I'd say go for it. Just make sure you're up to the commitment of the large water changes and food bill that will come your way. I spend about $25/week on market shrimp and do three 30% water changes per week.
If you are having reservations, it probably isn't a good idea to stick your hand in the tank without something like Oddball suggested. We've got a video of Ashley standing in our tank to clean the gravel and adjust the decorations; it is all up to your level of comfort.
Some people enjoy white-water rafting, skydiving, mountain-climbing, and bungee-jumping, which are all high-risk activities. If the danger puts you off, I would suggest staying away from the keeping of poisonous animals. There are ways to protect yourself, if you are really not comfortable with it, but to me that is all part of the experience of living with these beautiful creatures.
I have never heard of a ray being aggressive but then I only have a small number of them (12). I hope I never encounter an aggressive one, it would scare the **** out of me. 
