|
Freshwater Teacup Stingray, Reticulated Stingray
SUBMIT Common name - Reticulated Stingray, Teacup Stingray Scientific Name- Potamotrygon Reticulata Native geographical area- Amazon Basin, South America Native habitat- murky streams and rivers with sandy or muddy bottoms and submerged vegetation. Maximum Size- 12-14 inches in disk diameter (this does not include the length of the tail!) Minimum Aquarium Size-125 gallons, 72”x18”x24” Diet- most meaty foods such as black worms (my ray‘s favorite), bloodworms, earth worms, krill, beef heart, even live feeders or any fish small enough to fit in it’s mouth. Tank zone- bottom dwellers Temperament & compatibility- teacup stingrays tend to be very peaceful and will usually ignore other fish in the aquarium (aside from eating very small fish). Males, however, can become aggressive towards other rays and when it is spawning time, the male will bite the female’s disk as a part of courtship. Hardness range-soft water (less than 10 DH) pH range- around 6-7 is usually optimal Temperature range- 78-82 degrees F Notable sensitivities- burns: stingrays are very sensitive and even a slight touch of a heater can cause a burn. make sure to buy a heater cover or place the heater elsewhere such as a sump if that is being used. Hardiness- teacup stingrays are fairly hardy for freshwater stingrays, but are not for beginning hobbyists. Physical description-the teacup stingray is an olive color with dark markings that sort of resemble a net. They have a white underbody. They’re tail is about 1/2-3/4 of the length of they’re body. Spawning notes- During courtship, the male may bite the disk of the female. Stingrays give birth to live young. Sexing a stingray is easy: males have claspers and females do not. Claspers are small fins under the base of the tail. First Aide- as most people may know, all freshwater stingrays have a venomous barb at the end of their tail. The venom is not fatal, but it causes a lot of pain. Here are some steps to take if one was ever stung by a freshwater stingray: Apply pressure to the wound, but do not apply a bandage to put pressure on. Place the wound in hot water. This can help lesson the pain. Disinfect the area after removing it from the hot water. Seek medical care. Restrictions- The following U.S. states have restrictions on freshwater stingrays. They are either illegal to own or you need proper permits (usually only for educational or research reasons).: Arizona Arkansas California Florida Georgia Hawaii Nevada Oklahoma Texas Utah Tankmates - As mentioned before, teacup stingrays are usually very peaceful and will mind their own business (as long was the tankmates are not too small to swallow). Avoid aggressive tankmates. There have been stories some more aggressive attacking the ray’s disk and tearing them to shreds. In my own experience, I had a tinfoil barb that was very aggressive and nipped off some of my teacup stingray’s disk. This forced her into hiding and she was deprived of food. Also, some plecos have been known to suck off the stingray’s mucus coating on their disk and they will eventually succumb to disease and die. Diseases - Argulus - commonly called Fish Lice. The small parasites attach themselves to the stingray’s disk and extract nourishment by piercing the flesh with a pointed organ called a style. The wound can cause bacterial or fungal infections. Although one or two may not cause a serious problem, a serious infestation can be fatal. To remove the argulus, one can carefully remove it with tweezers. |
That looks good! I wanted one but looks as though they are illegal in FL.
|
That looks great! I'm glad you put which states they are resticted in too. That is a good idea. Also first aid is a good idea. Very well written!
|
not bad for a rough draft! I'm impressed, but knowing skuba kid, not surprised.
|
Rough draft???
Oh, if only all the rough drafts could be this good. |
lol thanks TOS. sorry i haven't been able to finish it. ive been really busy with school starting and all. but i have free time now, so i guess ill work on it. :D
|
all done. if something needs to be fixed or if anyone thinks it's missing something, please let me know.
|
good profile :) Consider it posted!
|
Bumping to current in case it wasn't
|
Can anything be added to this?? Just something I think should be noted...
Often in stores you see stingrays with pelvic bones or spine showing. This is a malnourished ray. Rays should have a smooth top with a raised "lump" (for lack of a better word) in the middle where their organs and body structure are. Many people loose rays to underfeeding. The ray seems fine and then suddenly dies with no indication of why (if water parameters are correct) - this is from starvation. Rays eat ALOT! A 8" ray can consume about 6-8 shell on shrimp, a chunk of fish, and a few mussels or scallops or other small meaty item daily (and then some). A cube of bloodworms simply won't do it. :) |
Id disagree with the hardiness you posted. retics are really sensitive untill adult size and not a good beginer ray.
|
Quote:
When I had my little one, the only problem I had was feeding. |
I never had a problem with my retic. It was a pretty hardy ray and ate well.
But that's not all that makes a good beginner's ray...availabilty and price do as well. i understand that other rays may be hardier than the retic, such as the leopoldi...but they are by no means readily available and incredibly expensive. But I never said anywhere that they make really good beginner's rays...i said fairly good implying that there are hardier rays out there, but I did not reccomend them to a beginning fish keeper. |
I never said a beginer fish either, i said beginer ray. Motoros are the best beginer ray by far. How many adult retics have you seen? not many. Why because there not so easy to get to adult size.
|
I've actually seen quite a few....
in pet stores? no. why? they sell very quickly. I do agree about motoros, but i did not make a profile about motoros. i made one for retics. sorry you disagree, but that is my opinion on them. |
| All times are GMT -6. The time now is 03:00 AM. |
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.2
Copyright ©2000 - 2013, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Content Relevant URLs by vBSEO 2.4.0
Copyright - FishForums.com