# Got my first ray today



## JD7.62 (Apr 7, 2005)

Well my first ray arrived today at my LFS. Of course it was labeled as a "tea cup" ray and when I asked which species he did not know. I know they are not the best for begginers but at 40$ I had to do it. The owner handpicked the ray out from his supplier who has had it with about 10 others for three weeks and they say they have not lost one. I told him to be my eyes there and get me the best one and boy did he deliver. This lil boy (it is a boy) is FAT!! I am pretty sure its a retic. I would say the disk is about 5 inches and the tail is very long, around 7 inches or so.

If anyone saw in the water chemistry section I had problems with the tank he is going in so I moved some fish around and he is going into a tank that has been running perfect for over a year. The fish is being acclimated with the drip method. My only question so far is the drip rate. Right now it is about 5-8 drops persecond. Is that too fast or too slow or just right?

Check out the pics of my fat boy. He is still in the bag so they are not the best, but plenty more wil come!


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## Guest (Jan 25, 2006)

it's not fair!!!!! I want one too. best of luck with it and cant wait to see more pics.


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## f242 (Feb 15, 2004)

congrats on your ray, looks like a cute lil bugger.


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## JD7.62 (Apr 7, 2005)

Im about to add him to the tank the water chemisty in his bag matches that of the tank! Pics soon.

Here are the pics. I know I know they suck but I rushed because I did not want to leave the light on that long, but check out that long tail! Enjoy!!


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## JD7.62 (Apr 7, 2005)

Whooo Hoooo!!! I just dropped some ghost shrimp in there not thinking the ray would actually eat after being in the tank for only like ten minutes and that beast ate two right off the bat! Im so excited. I have been researching rays for awhile now and I went into it hoping for the best but not really expecting it but gosh darnit this guy just rocks! I know its early but so far so good!


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## Joga Bonito (Oct 30, 2004)

what size tank do you have him in?


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## kingsnar (Nov 17, 2005)

5-8 drops per second is to fast..... but looks like he acclimated well so no worries, what size tank is he in and is it his permanant home? ill try to find you a FW stingray feeding website, i forgot the name of it but the site looked A W E S O M E.......... whats his diet going to consist of? is he accepting prepared foods yet?


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## JD7.62 (Apr 7, 2005)

Right now it is in a 55. I was not expecting him to be as large as he is but as soon as he is as long as the tank is wide I will upgrade to a larger tank. This summer I am getting my first house and I plan on building a pond for him and some buddies.

I have read a bunch of different sites over and over so I hope it is a new one. As for prepared foods I have not tried that yet because I have only had him for a few hours. I will see if he will take shrimp tomorrow. I hear a varied diet is best. So far I am thinking Ghost shrimp, frozen shrimp, black worms, chopped redworms, and perhaps some feeder guppies every once in a while. Sound good?


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## dracofish (Jul 13, 2003)

That's definately a P. reticulata and it looks quite healthy! For new Rays I generally will feed them whatever they'll eat till they get settled and plump. However, In time you should try to get it feeding on a diet primarily of frozen raw foods like shrimp, squid, scallops, and fish fillets. Blackworms get very expensive and earthworms/redworms can get up there as well. Little Rays are easy to feed but boy can they eat when they start to grow! My two Leopoldi can take down 2 dozen nightcrawlers each in one sitting! Yes, nightcrawlers! They can also take down more than a pound of blackworms a day, so you can see why I stress on feeding frozen fish market foods.

With the super long tails of Retics, a standard 55 gallon isn't going to last you very long. You'll most likely have to upgrade within a year. Actually, by the look of that guy in your pics, it looks like he's almost as long as the tank is wide. If the Ray's tail rubs on the glass a lot in a tank that isn't wide enough, it can cause iritation and even cause the tail to break down! An 18" wide tank is a much better starter. As an adult you can expect a disk diameter of 10-12" and a length exceeding 24" with tail! I know someone who has a breeding pair and his female is huge!

Just keep the water clean and the stress to a minimum and you should be good to go.


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## JD7.62 (Apr 7, 2005)

Draco, you mentiion that when the tank is as wide as the ray is long it will rub against it with its tail and cause irritation. Well right now my ray is an inch or so short of the width of my tank but he is constantly moving up and down on the glass. Alot of the times he is also moving parrallel along the glass dragging his tail. Could that cause irritation?


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## dracofish (Jul 13, 2003)

I don't think that should be a problem. My guys do that as well. The risk of irritation or worse comes when the Ray is constantly forced to have it's tail up the side of the tank to turn around.


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## Guest (Jan 27, 2006)

Draco, Im thinkin about saving up for a 75g and a Motoro Ray ($200 at my LFS).

Is this a good idea?


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## dracofish (Jul 13, 2003)

A 75 is okay to start but definately won't do for life.


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## JD7.62 (Apr 7, 2005)

Ok it has been a little over 48 hours now and he is doing great. I am having problems with rising nitrAtes with this tank as well so I did a 50% water change last night. The nitrAtes are still high so I am going to have to change again tonight.

So far he has downed about 3 dozen ghost shrimp and still seems hungry! I tried frozen shrimp with little success today, however. After the dozen or two ghost shrimp that I have are gone I will try and get him on the frozen stuff. If he refuses how long should I go with trying to get him to eat that before I have to give him somthing I know he will eat? A couple days? A week?

A few fresh pics to enjoy! Draco, does his under side look healthy? The day I got him I noticed a tiny red blotch, but it has disappeared.


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## kingsnar (Nov 17, 2005)

what other fish do u have in there? from what i can see youve got an applesnail and an exodon? the snail isnt dead yet and the ray hasnt been munched on? wow


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## dracofish (Jul 13, 2003)

Young Rays generally have pinkish undersides. That one looks fine. What other inhabitants are in the tank and what do you have for filtration? It looks like an Exo in that pic...not sure that's such a great idea.


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## JD7.62 (Apr 7, 2005)

I have two Emp 400s so that is about a 13x turnover rate an hour.

The snail is actually dead and it is just the shell, and the lone exo has not touched the ray. The exo does follow the ray when he is sifting through the sand hoping to find some food, but other then that he is usually just swims back and forth near the top.


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## JD7.62 (Apr 7, 2005)

Well I finally did it. It took five days but now he is eating frozen shrimp. I didnt starve him I just dropped small pieces of shrimp in when ever I was feeding my Ps to see if he would eat. If not after a few minutes I would take it out. The first few times he would swim over then swim away as if the shrimp scared him. When he did start to eat I noticed that if they were not tiny pieces he had a very hard time "chewing" it up and made a huge mess in my tank shaking it violently. While it is not as fun as watching him sneak up on a ghost shrimp and pouncing on it like a tiger it sure is better on my wallet and healthier for him!

I also have two large styrofoam boxes that fish are shipped in and I have added some worm bedding and 60 red worms in each box hoping that they will multiply and I have a good supply of worms. Unfortunatly he wont eat those yet but my Ps love them! Does any one have any experience in worm farming?


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## dracofish (Jul 13, 2003)

We tried that once. All it did was turn into a nasty moldy smelly mess.


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## JD7.62 (Apr 7, 2005)

Yum! Do you know what went wrong?


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## TheAntiEggroll (Jan 23, 2006)

I wish I could get a ray but my 120 gallon tall couldnt support one for life.


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## Powder (Nov 24, 2004)

ive worm farmed and it was pretty easy for me just got a 5 gallon tank threw in some dirt and about 3 dozen worms i got when it rained 
then added a bunch of flake food some bloodworms shrimp pelets ( crushed ) and a few other fish foods and it was goin for about 2 moths before i moved 
did fine for me left it outside coverd with a screen ( bring in if it rains )
and they get plump on the fish food and when your fish eat them they get more nutrients than that of just a plain ol worm
i say try it worked forme


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## oscared15 (Feb 3, 2006)

congrats on the new ray


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## dracofish (Jul 13, 2003)

The main problem with the worm farm idea was that they didn't reproduce and grow fast enough to sustain my Rays. Just my two Leos can take down two dozen nightcrawlers each in one sitting! Frozen foods are much easier and more economical to deal with in my situation.


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## JD7.62 (Apr 7, 2005)

It has been about 3 weeks now and the ray is still doing great! He loves frozen shrimp and as you can see he will readily take it from my hand. He has gotten so accustomed to eating from my hand that when I put my hand in the tank he instantly swims up and around it searching for food! He still will not eat worms, however. I have even tried holding a piece of shrimp and a tiny piece of worm in between my fingers to hand feed him and when he swims over and gets a wiff of the worm it is as if he is terrified of it and swims to the other end of the tank.









I have had one problem with him. After about a week I noticed one morning about a 1/4" of his tail turned white and fell off! Needless to say I was quite upset and not sure why it happened. He is constantly "poggo sticking" on his tail as he climbs the sides of the tank so I dont know if that caused it or not. The damage was minimal and has not happened since.

I have been so happy with him and the guy I got him from that I asked the guy to get me a female. It should be here in a few weeks. I cant wait!


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## dracofish (Jul 13, 2003)

I'm sure part of the tail broke off because of the tank size. Retics have very long and delicate tails that are easily broken.


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## JD7.62 (Apr 7, 2005)

In spending many hours watching him (his tank is right by my bed) I think it is because of his "pogo sticking." I mean this guy is constantly trying to go up the side of the glass!

It just seems he is digging the tip of his tail into the sand more then rubbing it against the glass. I have been debating to go bare bottom since he has not burried him self since the first few days I have had him.

Another observation I have made is that he likes to sleep in. Most of my fish are active before I turn on the tank lights because there is enough light coming through the windows in the mornings, but Slick (his name) just chills untill I turn on the tank lights. He also is in the exact same spot and same postition about every morning. At night when I turn off the lights and go to bed he somtimes keeps me awake becuase he swims near the surfaces and makes a funny splashing noise.

Is any of this normal?


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## dracofish (Jul 13, 2003)

Yes, those are all signs of a healthy Ray. But, I don't think the "pogo sticking" is entirely the problem. You still have him in a 55gal, right? That's an awfully narrow tank. My guys are constantly up the sides and all over the place and I've never had any problems with tails. The only time I did was when I raised out a Ray in a 12" wide tank and didn't upgrade in time.

However, I would upgrade as soon as possible and not worry too much about the tail. By the time most Retics even arrive in stores they've already lost part of the tail. From what I've heard, most either lose them on the line or in shipping.


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## RAYMAN45 (Oct 2, 2004)

very nice fat ray... all i can recomend is getting another one


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## JD7.62 (Apr 7, 2005)

Thanks rayman and I do have another one ordered, a female. The place I get them from doesnt have them but his wholesaler does and he just picks out a good one for me. They have the "teacups" ( my retic was a teacup) for $40 and guyana rays for $50. He says the Guayana rays look nicer but I cant go to the wharehouse to see for my self.







Does any one have any info on them or pictures? I cant really seem to find anything.

Rays kick ass. I am buying my first home this summer and hopefully by then I would have the experience to build an indoor pond and keep some Tigers!!


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## Guest (Feb 16, 2006)

Did you get rid of that Exodon yet...???!


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## dracofish (Jul 13, 2003)

JD7.62 said:


> Thanks rayman and I do have another one ordered, a female. The place I get them from doesnt have them but his wholesaler does and he just picks out a good one for me. They have the "teacups" ( my retic was a teacup) for $40 and guyana rays for $50. He says the Guayana rays look nicer but I cant go to the wharehouse to see for my self.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I wouldn't get another Ray till you upgrade that tank.

"Guyana Ray" is a name often applied to P. humerosa or P. orbingyi, two commonly confused species. The funny thing is that they aren't just from Guyana.

Here's a shot of my P. orbignyi:


















They get quite a bit larger than Retics, usually about 15" in diameter, though I know a couple people that have had them get bigger.


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## JD7.62 (Apr 7, 2005)

Thanks for the pics draco. Are those severums in with your rays?

Danny I have removed the exo. One day while Slick was buried beneath the sand the exo came down and nipped at his stinger. I think it was because it was white and pretty much the only thing showing but I still removed him promptly. Oh and Exos and Ps do not work sadly.


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## JD7.62 (Apr 7, 2005)

As of yesterday I have had him in my tank now for a month. He is still doing great. Yesterday I offered him some squid instead of shrimp. He ate the first piece but no more. I decided not to feed him shrimp and hope he would take squid today. So today at feeding time I first hand fed him some shrimp which he devoured instantly. Next I tried a piece a squid and he ate that just as eagerly. I alternated the shrimp/squid combo a few times, but once he started to fill he would only accept the shrimp and not the squid anymore. Tomorrow I will try just squid and see how that works. I have yet to get him on earthworms. Who has ever heard of a fish that didnt like a worm?









Anyhow I am bored so I decided to give an update and add a few pictures. He has really started to color up in the past couple days.I have also added some new tankmates; 2 frontosas that I got from Petsmart for $8 that I couldnt pass up and 2 turqoise severums that are really looking nice!

Enjoy


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## Rigor_mortiZ_Rhom (Dec 21, 2003)

I got a pair of Motoros in a 60 gal... they eat like crazy (blackworms). I have them with 2 plecos. I had a ghost shrimp in there... and he was eaten...


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## quickdeath (Jan 15, 2006)

THAT'S PHUKIN AWESOME!!!!
CONGRATS!!!
Now if you don't mind, I have to go buy a new tank and prep it for some rays!
ha ha
QD


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## black_piranha (Jan 12, 2006)

dangggggg, i want a ray now so badly!


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## JorgeRemigio (Mar 31, 2005)

so nice!!! good luck with it!!


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## JD7.62 (Apr 7, 2005)

I had to do it.

I was at my LFS today just looking around and what do you know I see that they have a motoro stingray for sale. I have never seen anything other then retics around here so I took a closer look. She was in a tank with at least half a dozen huge african clawed frogs a few JDs, a couple oscars and about eight 6-8" royal plecos! Needless to say she was not happy. She had two bite marks out of her disk from the frogs and was a little skinny. I asked to see her feed and as expected the oscars, JDs, and frogs engulfed as many ghost shrimp as they could, but amazingly she was fighting her way through the frenzy and grabbed a few shrimp as well!

My girlfriend and I fell in love with her spirit and felt bad for her being in there with all those aggressive tank mates. After a little talking about how good of a customer I am I bought the 6" motoro for a grand total of $37.15!

Here is a pic. You can see the two bite marks and they look much worse in the pics then in real life. My question is, waht is the best way to medicate these injuries?


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## r1dermon (Mar 9, 2005)

dude, you f*cking STOLE that ray!!! lol, thats an amazing price for a motoro. i've never owned a ray, so take this with a grain of salt, but my buddy has two, and he said that he can't medicate them because they're sensitive to meds, and also salt isnt a good idea either...i'd suggest just keeping the tank nice and clean, motoro's are known to be more hardy than a lot of the other commonly sold rays, so im sure he'll regrow his disc if proper water cleanliness is kept. good luck, hell of a buy!


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## JD7.62 (Apr 7, 2005)

Here are a couple pics. Her color is starting to brighten up a bit, but she is still skinny. She is eating chopped earthworms really good though so I am keeping my fingers crossed. Look how fat my retic is now. I fed him his daily fill of frozen shrimp and then put in some ghost shrimp for the motoro thinking he was all ready full. As you can see I was wrong! Luckily he wont touch the earthworms so she will not have any competition for them.


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## dracofish (Jul 13, 2003)

So when you gonna upgrade that tank? You can get a great price from glasscages so no excuses!


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## JD7.62 (Apr 7, 2005)

Im pissed off. There was a 220 gallon tank in the paper drilled with overflows for $150 and I called to buy it and he said it was his wifes birthday and to call back tomorrow. Well I gave him all my info and I said that I will call back at the time he wants for me to come pick it up. Well I call at that time the next day and the f*ck-tard sold it all ready!

Grr

Once they out grow an 18in wide tank I am not going to mess around with a bigger tank I will be building a pond. I just helped build a simple pond at work 5'x5' and it did not seem too difficult.


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## r1dermon (Mar 9, 2005)

rays are best viewed from the side IMO...not much action in a pond, you'll just see the topside of their disk...i'd get a bigger tank, you can watch them go up and down through the glass, versus watching a moving disc in a pond....just my opinion.


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