# Motoro Stingray



## TheWayThingsR (Jan 4, 2007)

I'm strictly a piranha keeper, but I want to have another show tank in my living room and I'm just wondering what would be an appropriate size tank for a 4"-6" Motoro Stingray. Keep in mind that it wouldn't be for life, rather till it was too big and then I would trade or sell it.


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## ICEE (Feb 3, 2007)

ive heard of ppl keeping them in 40g breeders but I dont thinks thats enough room... Id say 120 gallon


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## dracofish (Jul 13, 2003)

Even a 120 is not enough. Motoros can reach 18" in diameter and even exceed that size. That's not including the length of the tail. A tank at least 36" wide is needed to house one for life. A 75gal can be used as a growout, but it would need to be upgraded within a year or so.

Here's a post I recently made in a similar thread:

Most Rays available in the hobby are freshwater...and most of those require the same type of conditions and diet.

Here's my setup for my Leopoldi:

They are housed in a 72 x 24 tank (which will need to be upgraded at some point down the road). The female is about 13" diameter and the male 12" (I've had them for over 4 years now). The total length is pushing over 18". They are housed with a Silver Arowana, South American Lung (which I've heard can cause problems but I haven't seen any of yet), Black Ghost Knife, and Silver Dollar. The tank is filtered by 3 Filstar XP3 canisters (with Eheim Ehfisubsrat and lava rock for media). I perform a 50-75% water change once a week. There is no substrate and they are fed a diet of scallops or shrimp every other day (the Arowana gets a bit every day because he's young). The pH is kept at around 6.8 and ammonia and nitrites are always at 0. Nitrates are kept to a minimum. I haven't decided what type of filtration system I'm going to go with when I get the bigger tank, but I'm assuming it will be some type of wet/dry setup.

As said above, depending on the level of hobbyist, Stingrays can be considered extremely hard or not that bad (especially a settled, long term captive). They can, however, create a lot of stress for you. I worry about my guys constantly. I guess it could be because I've had them for so long and I've grown attatched to them, and also because they're Leopoldi and are now extremely hard to come by. People are constantly asking to buy them and I always respond with a "hell no," lol. I've had a lot of close calls with my male and he's always come through. The key is consistency. Don't mess with stuff. For example, if you have hard water with a higher pH, it's often better to properly acclimate rather than trying to adjust your water. Messing with your pH can cause a "roller coaster" of stress because it'll just bounce right back up. Just don't mess around with things because that can oftentimes make things worse.

For more information, here's a copy of a profile that I wrote up a couple years ago:



> Scientific Names:
> There are many different species of Freshwater Stingray. The most commonly kept types are from the family Potamotrygon. Within that family there are many species that are available to the aquarist. These names include P. reticulata, P. motoro, P. hystrix, P. leopoldi, P. henlei, P. menchacai, P. schroederi, P. orbignyi, P. humerosa, P. castexi, and P. scobinae. There are others, but these are the most commonly available...some more common than others. This profile will touch upon the above listed names, but is meant to be more of a guide to keeping Freshwater Rays in general.
> 
> Place of Origin:
> ...


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## JD7.62 (Apr 7, 2005)

Remember too that rays are very nitrate sensitive. yes a 40breeder may be enough room for a new born ray (4-5"), but since they make massive amounts of waste the nitrates will rise to toxic very fast and many and large w/cs are needed.

Nothing less then a 75gallon to START with. 300g+ for life. Also females get much larger then males so you may take that into consideration.


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## TheWayThingsR (Jan 4, 2007)

JD7.62 said:


> Remember too that rays are very nitrate sensitive. yes a 40breeder may be enough room for a new born ray (4-5"), but since they make massive amounts of waste the nitrates will rise to toxic very fast and many and large w/cs are needed.
> 
> Nothing less then a 75gallon to START with. 300g+ for life. Also females get much larger then males so you may take that into consideration.


Are they sexually dimorphic? How do you determine male or female?


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## piranawick (Dec 1, 2004)

^^^^^ great read draco


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## JD7.62 (Apr 7, 2005)

It is very easy to tell the sexes apart. Like sharks, the male has a pair of claspers in between the pelvic fins.

Do ALOT more research before you buy!


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## dracofish (Jul 13, 2003)

TheWayThingsR said:


> ^^^^^ great read draco


Thanks!


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