Potamotrygon Laticeps

[Jonny967]

Hi everyone,

New to the forum as i have just purchased a Potamotrygon laticeps stingray and would like a bit of info if possible?
The conditions of my tank are excellent as i did a bit of research before buying him and got everything set up as i know these fish are very sensitive. He seems to be doing well just 3" diameter at the moment and feeding on bloodworm but is there any other foods i could feed him at this size to give a balanced diet?
He is also very active and goes up and down the front of the tank most of the time, is this normal? i thought rays just liked to hover around the bottom?

One last question is whether or not the barb is dangerous? i have read some articles which say the barb will give a nasty sting and produce intense pain in the affected area , but what i really want to know is wheteher of not the venom alone can kill a human?

Cheers Jonny

 

[CFC]

P.laticeps is an old disused name that has previously been asigned to a few species, most commonly they turn out to be P.humerosa these days and occasionally varients of P.motoro.

You really want to get the ray onto meatier foods as bloodworm doesn't provide much protein, but at that size they can be fussy and eating bloodworm is better than nothing, try soaking small pieces of prawn or mussel in the water you defrost the bloodworm in and offering them with the bloodworms, if it hasn't eaten them within an hour remove them and try again the next day.

The sting is very dangerous and if you do get stung (rare occurence) then you must seek medical attention immiedietly, the sting itself isn't fatal but the after infections from the bacterial slime that sheath the stinger are extreemly nasty and will require a long course of anti biotics, the stinger is also designed to fragment on impact so a surgical clean up of the wound to remove all bits of the stinger is usually required. Best thing is just don't get stung, treat the animal with respect and don't do anything that might prompt a sting.

 

[mark7616]

Do you have any pics mate we can give you a proper id on the fish. Also what size tank you got mate good to see another monster keeper on here.

 

[Jonny967]

Thanks for the quick answer, I am currently feeding live bloodworm to him but he is very gready to may try some chopped up shrimp and have a go.
He is definatly not a motoro ray so ill have to look up a humerosa. The shopkeeper told me that i can expect him to grow between 8-10" but i have accomidated him in a 350litre tank so there shouldn't be an issue with space.
Would you recommend that i have another ray in the tank with him or are they fine alone?
I currently have 2 angelfish, 10 neon tetras and 2 pink kissing (Guarmani)? i think thats their name in the tank and none of which are interested in the ray - so i'm not too sure whether or not there is enough room for another ray.

Do you have any pics mate we can give you a proper id on the fish. Also what size tank you got mate good to see another monster keeper on here.

I will take some pictures tonight and get them uploaded tomorrow,

Thanks for the info,

Jonny

 

[mark7616]

No ray grows 8-10" and your tank is no where near big enough for any ray so you have not done much research. Also you tank mates will all be killed at some point. The smaller species of ray scobina and hystrix could be at a push be kept in a 6x2x2 but thats not ideal a 6x30x24 minimum would be best for these species but you will Never find them in the UK. What you have I will place money on it is either a humerosa, peruvian motoro sp. or a retic. All needing much bigger tanks that you have. What you need to do is either 1. rehome the ray or 2. Do lots more research and get a much bigger tank and some different tank mates it shows in your last post you have done absolutely no research into keeping stingrays.

 

[CFC]

Any of the smaller species that are easily available will attain a size of around 15" across the disc in a 3-4 year time span, motoro varients can get to over 2 feet.
The angelfish will be fine but expect to start losing neons soon, the kissing gouramies are probably not a good idea as they will probably start sucking on the rays back which will expose it to infection, and small rays die easily.

The tank will do for now but eventually you are going to need one that is a lot larger, 60x30x24 minimum and prefferably 6 feet long instead of 5.

 

[cane76]

to keep the ray you will need a bigger tank but you have plenty of time to prepare
id be interested to see some pics 3"disc is very small alsmost new born
chopped earthworm is good for small rays

 

[Jonny967]

No ray grows 8-10" and your tank is no where near big enough for any ray so you have not done much research. Also you tank mates will all be killed at some point. The smaller species of ray scobina and hystrix could be at a push be kept in a 6x2x2 but thats not ideal a 6x30x24 minimum would be best for these species but you will Never find them in the UK. What you have I will place money on it is either a humerosa, peruvian motoro sp. or a retic. All needing much bigger tanks that you have. What you need to do is either 1. rehome the ray or 2. Do lots more research and get a much bigger tank and some different tank mates it shows in your last post you have done absolutely no research into keeping stingrays.

I think you will find i have done some research as the minimum size tank for a ray is 190litres, so my 350litre tank will be far better for a baby ray. I also have plans to double the capacity when i find a suitable tank and then use the 350ltr tank as a small marine aquarium.
I think you need to get your facts right before making assumptions.

 

[CFC]

Where on earth have you read or been told that the minimum size tank for a ray is 190 litres? 190 gallons maybe but definately never no way 190 litres, which isn't even a good sized 4 foot tank.

You may have done research but from the sounds of things it was at a very unreliable and poor source. The absolute minimum for keeping tiny new born rays would be a tank with a 4x2' foot print. Rays NEED stability and perfectly clean water, but they are also heavy eaters and create a lot of waste so small tanks get polluted with nitrates and dissolved organic solids very quickly, small rays are extreemly sensative to any pollution so the smaller the tank the greater the chance of losing the ray in the first 6 months.

Everyone who has answered in this thread so far are experienced ray keepers with years of experience in keeping and even breeding them.

 

[Jonny967]

This is the small ray i have, the shop where i bought it from also has two adults which are not for sale, I'm told they were 4 years old and looked to be around 8".

[img=http/img296.imageshack.us/img296/9121/stingcloseupwh0.th.jpg]

 

[CFC]

The picture is very blurry but it appears to be a P.orbygini (commonly known as reticulated rays and previously named P.reticulatus).

8 inches is a bit small for a 4 year old ray, by that age P.orbygini should be around the 12" mark.

 

[Jonny967]

Thanks for the info, i just googled that but not sure from pictures if its an accurate match. My pictures wasn't brilliant though (took it with my phone) will get a better quality one with the camera tonight.

I have also just purchased a larger tank from a friend the link below shows a similar tank, let me know what you think. If evrything goes to plan then i will just use this as my ray tank.

New tank

I will need to put sand in the bottom of this which i have never had in any of my tanks so could you let me know the best way to clean this?
I'm guessing that my vacuum will suck the sand up.

 

[mark7616]

The ray you showed a picture of is a Potamotrygon reticulata with a maximum disk size of 16" but this species has a very long tail that can easilt make this ray 24". For that reason a 72x30x24 is a must. The tank you put a link to is not even 24" wide and is no good for any ray species. The shop who sold you the fish has not been honest with you and where ever your did your research is very wrong indeed. The gravel you have it on is no good either you need either 1-3mm smooth gravel or sand.

 

[Jonny967]

Just googled that and it looks more like it. average size in captivity quoted 14"?. Definatley need a larger tank for when it grows. Has anyone had any dealings with www.fishandfins.co.uk? they make custom aquariums 84 x 24 x 18 (10mm glass) for £395, didn't think this was bad.

Wonder if this is just a plain tank or whether lid with lights are included?

 

[CFC]

P.reticulatus is an old synom for what is now called P.orbygini, scientists seem to have nothing better to do than keep changing the names of fish http/www.fishbase.org/NomenClature/Scien...amp;backstep=-2

The 24" width is what isnt good enough, length isn't as importent as long as its over 5 foot but you NEED to have a tank that is at least 30" from front to back otherwise the ray wont be able to turn around without dragging its tail across the glass, which can lead to a bent deformed tail. You dont need to worry about the new tank straight away so you have pleanty of time to get some quotes and put the money aside, expect to pay around £400 for a plain glass tank.