Stingray Fish

The Round Stingray is a temperate water species that is found living off the western coast of the United States, Northern Mexico and nearby areas of the Eastern Pacific. Due to the large numbers of this species found living off the coast of California, many retailers and hobbyists have begun calling them the California Stingray. The relatively small size (10 inch main disc) has made the Round Stingray very popular with advanced aquarium hobbyists who keep shark / stingray tanks. Even though the Round Stingray is considered a smaller ray species, they still require a minimum of a 180 gallon aquarium with at least 2 feet from front to back to allow them to turn around comfortably within the aquarium.

Stingray aquariums should provide a minimum of 2 feet from front to back, 6 feet in length and 2 feet high in order to provide even smaller stingrays with room to swim and turn. As with most stingray species, the tail spine of the Round Stingray is venomous and can inflict a nasty wound if the ray is provoked. Hobbyists should be aware of the rays location within the aquarium when performing maintenance within the aquarium. The Round Stingray also needs to be transported with caution as the tail spine can become entangled in nets, which will stress the ray.

The freshwater stingray can be an elusive species for many hobbyists. They need massive tanks and are sensitive to water parameter fluctuations.

For many hobbyists, they are a holy grail.

If kept well, these mysterious species become not only majestic showpieces but also very personable pets – almost like playful puppies!

Stingrays, like their names suggest, have stingers. This stinger is a barbed appendage that is located about two thirds the way down the tail.

And yes, their stings are poisonous.

In today’s article, we’ll go in-depth about this majestic family of fishes and how best to keep them in the home aquarium.

Freshwater Stingray Care Guide

What Are Freshwater Stingrays?
Freshwater stingrays belong to a large family of true rays, much like their saltwater relatives. These rays are also close cousins of sawfish and sharks.

Freshwater stingrays have a cartilaginous skeleton rather than bone. They also possess electrosensitive pores called Ampullae of Lorenzini, which enable the fish to detect the electronic impulses given off by all animals. That allows the carnivorous stingrays to detect prey items hidden under the substrate and hunt in complete darkness.

Where Do You Find Stingrays?
Where do you find stingrays? Stingrays can be found mostly in coastal tropical and subtropical waters. In most cases, you will find them in warm shallow water on a sandy bottom. Many times buried and hidden in the sand. In Africa and South America, there are some freshwater stingrays that keep to rivers. There have also been reports of stingrays in the Mississippi River of the United States.

The Atlantic stingray is common along the Atlantic coast of North America and down to Mexico. Other stingrays are common throughout the world including the Caribbean and along the Australian coast. Australia is home to about 50 different species of stingrays. Queensland claiming about 21 species – Queensland Museum.

I did say stingrays are most common in tropical and subtropical waters, but they are also common in Britsh and Irish waters. Thornback rays being the most common. They can get big too. 21 12 oz being the British shore record.

While riding in a boat off the North Queensland coast a 12 year-old boy was struck by a large fish that had catapulted itself out of the water. The fish was a ray of unknown type, with a wingspan of about 1 m. The boy immediately complained of pain in his chest and difficulty breathing. His companions noticed a wound next to his left ni**le, as well as another puncture wound near his left knee. He was taken to shore and and arrived at the nearest medical clinic 30 minutes after the time of injury

Stingrays Don’t Need to “See” with Their Eyes
Stingray eyes aren’t great for hunting for food, mostly because they’re on the dorsal side, while their mouths and nostrils are on their underbelly, which can make it hard to hunt using sight alone.

That’s why they have something called the ampullae of Lorenzini, which assists them in detecting changes in electrical fields caused by their prey’s activities. But don’t worry—a fish moving in the water feels very different from a human shuffling past!

What are Freshwater Stingrays?
Freshwater Stingrays are some of the most unique aquarium fish you could ever own.

As members of the superorder Batoidea, they are true rays just like their marine cousins. This also makes them close relatives of sharks and sawfish.

Common stingray!

Species of Stingray and Their Characteristics
A stingray’s habitat
The vast majority of stingrays live in saltwater, spread throughout our planet’s oceans. Their ability to adapt to their environment is remarkable. For example, they can live in coastal areas, in the open sea, and even in depths of up to 10,000 feet.

Motoro Stingray – Facts | String | Size | Diet | Traits | Lifespan
Motoro Stingray Feeding
Freshwater rays are flesh-eaters that feed primarily with fish and crustaceans within the wild. These are lively fishes with high metabolism levels, and that’s why you need to feed them a minimum of twice a day.

REEF MANTA RAY

-The Reef Manta Ray is the worlds second-largest species of ray, and has a wingspan of approximately 14ft.
Their two triangular pectoral fins, which are frequently referred to as "Birds of the Sea," resemble the wings of a bird.
The Reef Manta’s upper body features a small dorsal fin, which from the surface can easily be mistaken for a Dolphin or Shark. The most common color of a Reef Manta Ray is either black or dark grey, with a white underside.
Much like the Oceanic Manta, Reef Manta’s also have horns used to feed on plankton.
The Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans' tropical waters contain this ray species close to coral reefs surrounding islands and atolls.
Due to entanglement, plastic pollution, and illegal fishing practices, the Reef Manta is now considered a vulnerable species.

OCEANIC MANTA RAY

-The world's largest ray species is the oceanic manta ray.
They can reach a length of at least 23 feet and a weight of an astonishing 4,000 pounds from wingtip to wingtip!
Warm tropical waters are home to oceanic mantas, which spend the most of their time between the surface and a depth of about 400 feet.
The Oceanic Manta Ray may be identified by its enormous black and white patches on its back, which are usually located over its shoulders.
Each has a special design all its own. It can be difficult to differentiate between the many ray species because there are so many of them, but the Oceanic Manta Ray can be identified by the horns on either side of its enormous mouth.
Plankton, a favorite food of Manta Rays, is funneled via these.
Oceanic Mantas frequently gather on reefs that have currents that are especially prone to luring schooling fish and plankton.
These places are used by the mantas as feeding and cleaning stations. With a lifespan of 15 to 20 years, oceanic manta rays are primarily eaten by sharks and killer whales.
The Oceanic Manta Ray is the first manta ray to be categorized as an endangered species, however, due to human influences like irresponsible fishing and a growing market for their body parts.