Freshwater Stingrays.. Husbandry and care sheet

Discussion in 'Oddball fish' started by MariaS, Feb 20, 2017.

  1. OP
    MariaS

    MariaS Retired Moderator

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    @Reedfish...

    He says he cycled the tank but we cant be sure..

    We dont really know all these people that keep contacting us.. they buy the rays and when things dont go too well they get given Cesar's number.... and he has been trying to help with advice as much as he can..
    This is what made me start this thread hoping it helps someone and their rays now or in the future

    Yes.. he lost 2...

    Personally i think it might have been cycled but not mature enough and not enough media he then added too many rays in one go to an already slightly overstocked tank and the biofiter was not strong or established enough to handle the extra sudden bioload
    As for the bioload produced by rays, @BoelderBeestie is right....I have now read on numerous forums and articles that they produce 10 times more ammonia than other fish due to their very primitive digestive system, they produce large amounts of urine
    This together with as you say, the large amounts of high protein food they get fed... was recipe for disaster
     
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  3. OP
    MariaS

    MariaS Retired Moderator

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    @BoelderBeestie ... its not only MFK that states the facts you quote... its in many many other forums and more scientific reviews as well.
    Looking at the waste produced by ours, I believe its true
    If you have a filtration system set up to cope with it then its a matter of routine and should not be anymore of a problem as keeping your discus healthy

    But when you start adding rays and more rays to an already fairly well stocked tank.. dont upgrade your filter.. then yes... its a problem
     
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  4. neltf

    neltf

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    awesome

    Sent from my HUAWEI VNS-L31 using Tapatalk
     
  5. Hendre

    Hendre Polypterus freak

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    MB is used often in shipping and reduces the effects of ammonia burn and allows better absorption of oxygen. That's all I know.

    This is kinda why I don't want rays, they are extremely demanding water wise. Although I would like a freshwater Nigerian whiptail ray someday. Quite a manageable size
     
  6. OP
    MariaS

    MariaS Retired Moderator

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    Possibly with other fish but they certainly dont use MB with rays which is why i haven't recommended it

    Most of the rays and specifically All the Black Diamonds have arrived individually packed with a tiny bag of what looks like matrix or amoguard in their bag...

    So... Please... lets not recommend or suggest what is not specifically used and recommended by the experts for rays on this thread or we defeating the object and possibly be the cause of mishaps instead of helping people.....
     
  7. OP
    MariaS

    MariaS Retired Moderator

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    Rays are not anymore difficult to keep than discus
    If you can successfully keep discus, you can keep rays...
    Good filtration, water changes and a love for them......they just get bigger than discus....
     
  8. Jwh

    Jwh

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    Pretty sure that tank was not established/mature, you add small pups to it, and things can go south pretty quickly from there. Keep in mind that these pups would have experienced 3 significantly different water environments in the 72 hours prior to arrival, and would be stressed/weakened from the 24 hour trip and 4 days without food.
    I don't find keeping rays any more challenging than any other fish I have kept. Plan a proper setup, keep you water parameters good and everything falls into place after that. I use Seachem ammonia alerts in all my tanks, it gives instant and continuous readings on ammonia levels, I would suggest these are a worthwhile investment for tanks with expensive fish.
     
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  9. OP
    MariaS

    MariaS Retired Moderator

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    Thanks for your input @Jwh .... its appreciated.


    I agree 100% with you

    The tank had apparently been running for quite a while with several other fish but as i said... it was fairly 'well stocked'
    So... I think it might have been cycled to some extent but not enough media to cope with the sudden increase in bioload of adding 4 rays all in one go which were from the slightly bigger ones that came in, not the tiny pups?
    I also believe he was only doing a 20% water change weekly which as you know is not enough...
     
  10. Jwh

    Jwh

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    And he didn't test/monitor his water....
     
  11. OP
    MariaS

    MariaS Retired Moderator

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    I think you know the answer to that....

    Ironic.....He actually did have a test kit because a few minutes latter we got the reply after we told him to test it.......

    I think sometimes when things go ok for a while people become complacent and start taking for granted that if its been ok for a while they dont need to be alert and monitor regularly?
    The other problem is that again 'i think' some people dont realize that even though all has been well, adding 5 or 6 fish in one go can throw things a bit pear shaped especially if its messy fish.... not to even mention 4 rays in one go...

    Bottom line.... a combination of too little water changes, sudden increase in bioload which filter could not handle and no monitoring...

    On the positive side.. at least he realized his costly mistake and is following the advice given and doing large water changes and has upgraded his filter system..
     
  12. BoelderBeestie

    BoelderBeestie

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    I feel very bad for the owner sake. It wasn't intentional. It was a learning step with horrible consequences. It happens to all of us eventually. We man up and try again. He's corrected the issue and moving forward. That's great news.
     
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