Aquarium stingray: description and content

Huge stingrays attract with their unusual appearance and atypical sizes for an aquarium inhabitant. One of the most popular is the freshwater motoro stingray, which can be accommodated at home.

Such creatures belong to the order of stingrays and are considered relatives of sharks. These sea inhabitants live most often in salt water. However, some of them have adapted to live in freshwater waters. You can meet them in the reservoirs of Colombia or Uruguay, as well as in the South of America. If we talk about the appearance of the motoro stingray, it is worth noting that its dimensions are relatively small. This allows you to keep it in aquariums. These sea creatures quickly get used to a new place. In good conditions in an aquarium, they can live up to 20 years.

The motoro aquarium stingray has an oval and flat body shape. Above, there are eyes and breathing holes, and below, a large mouth with strong teeth, nostrils, and gill slits. The tail of the stingray is rather muscular, moreover, it ends with a spike that has a notch. At the very base of the thorn there are glands that produce poison. Once or twice a year, the thorn falls off, and a wound forms in its place. It tightens, and after a while a new thorn appears in its place.

The individual is painted gray or brown, with small spots of a yellow tint, reminiscent of eyes. Below the color is already white. Babies remain vulnerable to various factors for a long time. Over time, their immunity becomes stronger.

After all, individuals may die during transportation. After 5 years, the rays reach their maximum size. This is usually about 45 centimeters. In addition, male stingrays are smaller in size. But they are distinguished by a brighter color.

To acquire a healthy stingray, you need to pay attention to some of the distinguishing features of such individuals. First of all, the stingray must be well-fed. In addition, the tail at the very base should be 3 times larger than the thorn. On the upper part of it should be placed 2 tubercles, which are called "butt". They have fat stores as well as many nutrients. They are round in shape. In addition, all patterns on the body of the stingray are two-color. There can be no completely discolored or white areas on the body, as well as plaque. It is impossible for fungal spots to be present on the tail.

A healthy stingray after any move to a new environment should take an interest in the proposed feed.whether it's squid or peeled shrimp. If this does not happen, and the stingray does not eat, then you must either return it back, or seek advice from a specialist. Problems with appetite are one of the main signs that the stingray is unwell.

In addition, often when transporting skates for the safety of people, special caps are put on the spikes. They are made from silicone tubes, the diameter of which must correspond to the size of the needle, called cambric caps. The slope does not suffer from this, since the retainer falls off along with the old thorn.

Large species of fish that are not too aggressive in nature can be added to the stingrays. It is very important that at the same time they have similar conditions of detention. These can be catfish, tiger bass, discus, and other marine life. You also need to know that when keeping stingrays in the aquarium, there must be a jig. Damaged individuals are placed in it.

After all often in the process of caring for their "ladies", males become too aggressive, and females can get various injuries... But they still recover quickly enough. In addition, stingrays are by nature very curious and playful. They quickly get used to their owners and after a while begin to recognize them. The stalkers can even eat from their hands, which is always a pleasure for toddlers and adults.

Keeping stingrays in an aquarium is available to almost everyone. The first thing you need is a fairly large container. For example, to keep stingrays, you need an aquarium with a volume of at least 250 liters. Moreover, its length should be up to 1.5 meters, the width should not exceed 60 centimeters, and the height should be up to half a meter. There must also be 2 external filters.

Live plants with well-developed roots can also be planted in a home aquarium. It is best to place them in special containers. But for decorating the aquarium, plants are often used that float or take root on old driftwood. Since stingrays love sand or silt, the bottom of the aquarium should be the same.

The container in which the slopes are kept must be closed with a lid or glass. After all, they can jump out of the water when feeding. It is worth noting that caring for stingrays also includes regular water purification. There should not be a drop of ammonia or nitrates in the aquarium. After all, because of this, the stingrays will simply become lethargic, and their appetite will also disappear.

In their natural environment, stingrays eat quite differently.It is very difficult to create the same conditions in an aquarium, but it is still possible. All stingrays do not suffer from a lack of appetite, because they swim all day long in search of food. This takes too much energy. Therefore, individuals need a lot of food, which will be both high-quality and nutritious.

It can also be frozen or boiled shrimp, which can be purchased at any grocery store. If they are sold frozen, they must first be defrosted and then peeled. At the same time, you should not boil seafood. It is better not to buy peeled shrimp, because they can be subjected to chemical processing. In the event that the stingray is still very small, large shrimps must be broken into pieces that will fit in its mouth.

Peruvian squid meat may also be present in the diet of stingrays., since it is soft, unlike squid from the Far East. Scallop meat, which contains silicon, is also perfect for feed. And it promotes the maturation of the genitals in stingrays. As an additional feed, you can use pollock or cod fillets, which are rich in calcium and phosphorus. They aid in the formation of teeth and cartilaginous skeleton of stingrays. Babies can be given large brine shrimp or fresh frozen gammarus.

In addition, you should not use industrial dry feed, because they may contain chemical additives. The stingray will smell food in a matter of minutes. Despite the fact that his eyes are located on his back, and he does not see food, the animal feels it with its developed receptors. He swallows food in an instant.

It takes a lot of experience to breed such unusual marine inhabitants. Puberty in stingrays occurs when they are 3 or 4 years old, and their size will reach 40 centimeters. Pairs can be very difficult to create, because pets may simply not get along in character. If the female does not accept the male, then he is deposited for 10-12 days in another container. When the right time has passed, you can try again. If the female does not accept him again, then it is necessary to look for another male.

Pregnancy in stingrays lasts about 12 weeks. During this period, the female should be well fed, approximately 3 or 4 times a day. You also need to ensure that there are no temperature changes, otherwise a miscarriage may occur. One female can give birth to 2 to 20 babies. The sizes of newborns are up to 9 centimeters in diameter. Literally on day 2, they can already move. For feeding, you can use the same food as for adults. We can say that the content of stingrays is available to almost any person. The only thing that is needed for this is to create good living conditions for the pet.

For information on how to properly feed the aquarium stingray, see the video below.