Potamotrygon motoro

Freshwater Motoro Sting Ray

Updated: 6/05/2009 added Email Based Motoro Stingray FAQ.

Recently getting back into the aquarium hobby Kara and I decided we wanted a tank upstairs with some very unique fish "oddballs". Kara and I both have always been fascinated with Sting Rays (especially after being able to swim with them years ago on our honeymoon when we stopped at the Gran Cayman Islands.), and about a year ago I found out that they came in freshwater flavors. After setting up our secondary "adult tank" upstairs, we waited for it to cycle and placed our order with Aquascape.

Tank setup is as follows:

In preparation for the new arrival, I did water tests every other day. From the research I had previously done, I knew I had to cover the heater as Rays burn with ease. I made a heater guard out of an aquarium vacuum. I used a dremel to drill random holes and also to affix a suction cup. It worked perfectly, and looked presentable in the tank.

I made us of both a power filer and a bio wheel, as the rays require the cleanest of water. Of course this will not alter the weekly water change, but in addition to.

The substrate I used was aquarium sand. They had a very nice black sand that I could not pass up. It was on the more expensive side, but I did not want to take any chances with the Ray's disc. Let me warn anyone reading this and thinking about using sand as a substrate it takes some time for your aquarium to clear even AFTER rinsing the sand. After about 5 days and a filter change my tank finally cleared up.

Next was a stop at the seafood counter at the local grocery to pick up some fresh shrimp, and the onto Wal Mart for a couple cups of night crawlers.

About a week after I placed my order the box came in. Full of anticipation, I immediately opened it up in a dark room.

The box was packed well with four layers of insulation, and a heat pack between the bags.

It was time to check the new arrivals.

I also order a pig nose (arrowhead) puffer fish. I figured with that much space and very clean water thsi species would also fair very well.

Time to acclimate. The process took about an hour.

With the process compete it was time to unleash the beasty.

The business end of things:

I am not the best at photography but this next picture  is probably the best I took, I didn't want to hang around the tank too long as not to stress the new arrivals.

The puffer seems to be enjoying his new home as well.

How are yooouuu doin'?

He did swim up and did puff when seeing another fish, I can't believe how large he swelled up.

Update 2-26-07

After several feeding attempts with fresh shrimp and earthworms, I discovered that my Ray prefers trout. I was running out of options and decided to give fresh fish a try. I purchased a whole trout that was on sale for about $2.00. I filleted it, and then froze some pre cut pieces. The Ray loves it. The puffer is also a big fan.

The Ray seems as if he has finally become comfortable with his surroundings, he enjoys riding the bubbles from the airstone and is really starting to share his personality.

*UPDATE* 10/11/08

Update! After 9 months of successful "Ray Keeping" I couldn't be happier to report that my girl is doing wickedly awesome. She has grown faster than expected. Since the initial page I have removed all of the tank mates. The puffer was too aggressive and did take a bite out of the her. After that the puffer was history. The senegals were chomped in half, death by ray or puffer I do not know. I still keep up the twice weekly water changes, and have a staple food now.

I like to use the mixed bag of seafood available at the local grocery store in the frozen foods section. This bag contains a great mix of squid, mussels, octopus, and shrimp! I buy a couple bags and they last me for a month. When I get home, I separate the mix into "weekly" bags, put one in the fridge and freeze the rest until needed. At about $4.00 per bag, you cant beat the flavor and nutrition that this offers. Below is a picture of what to look out for:

Inside you will find these goodies.

I supplement with fresh fish, more shrimp, or crab depending upon what's for dinner during the week. I also frequently feed earthworms and as a treat I soak the worm in dried blood worms. 

She enjoys playing in the bubble walls for hours. I would recommend anyone thinking about ray keeping getting a couple bubble walls to provide hours of what seems to be Ray entertainment and joy!

I have also had great luck in finding a stinger shed. I took the opportunity to scan it, see below. The bars on these are amazing!

Last, but not least a few more pictures of her.

*UPDATE* 5/25/09

 It's been awhile since the last update, and all is well. The Ray is doing exceedingly well and she continues to grow. In the future I may add more about Ray biology and such do the the large amount of emails I receive about this small page. To all who have emailed thanks, and I hoped I have helped out in some way.

My Motoro has grown even larger and I estimate her diameter now to be about 12.25" and her length at approx. 18.25". She continues to have a very hearty appetite and I have expanded her meals to include a good amount of fresh salmon as well as halibut. She is less skittish now, and seem to have grown in her cognitive recognition of me. I continue to enjoy "hand feeding" her (which I DO NOT RECOMMEND anyone trying due to the always unpredictable nature of animals) which I tried to capture in two of the new pictures below. She continues to shed her stinger, a sign of good health, and grow. The spines on her tail have become more pronounced and are now prominently very visible. I have noticed a white build up just before she sheds her barb, almost as if the tail is molting akin to a reptile. I have installed a more powerful canister filter to replace the second bio-wheel and it seems to be doing a wonderful job. 

Above: Hand Feeding the Motoro Sting Ray.

Above: *Burp*

Motoro Sting Ray FAQ

In order to provide more information I am starting this Motoro FAQ. Below are some of the emails I receive along with my detailed answers. I hope this helps, and remember my answers are based solely on my personal views coupled with my experience. 

6/05/2009: Jay writes:

My name is Jay and I was just reading the latest update on your ray. I would like to congratulate you on what looks to be an absolutely stunning creature!!! Over the past couple of months I have been really looking into getting a ray. I have been fish keeping for years now and I have/and have had a wide variety of fish. Can you please tell me about your setup? about your experiences ordering the fish online? Clearly a larger tank is needed I currently have my 150gal occupied but getting another would be no problem. Where did u go to find info on rays and ray keeping? Where did you purchase your ray? I really appreciate your time and any response you may have. Thank you.

Response: 

Thanks for your email, I appreciate it. I would recommend at least a 100 Gallon. I started off small 55 Gallon, which was great for about a year. I do think the key is in the filtration more so than size at first. I also recommend housing only rays (two at most) in the tank. Personally, I think a large amount of people begin to have flaws when they introduce other fish into the environment. As we don't know too much about susceptibility I personally suspect that a common aquatic illness that tends not to (visibly) majorly affect the vast majority of commonly kept species tends to have devastating effects on sting rays.

As for ordering fish online it's always a gamble. I would advise starting with the best possible conditions to ensure live arrival. 

By this I mean: 

1.Try to order at a time when your local weather will not have too much of an effect on the animal in transit.

2. Do some research on the route the animal will take to get to your place as well. It may have an unexpected stop along the way.

I'm sure you are aware of the basics like having everything ready on your end including a complete aquarium cycling.

I ordered my ray online at a place called aquascape, she was a bit lethargic upon arrival. You can never tell if they are sedated or not and this varies in practice from company to company. With the aquarium already setup try and ensure the least possible amount of stress. I did the transfer in low light and kept her in darkness for about 48 hours. She recovered well.

Presently, I see several people selling Motoro's online that are captive bred. You may pay a little bit more but the captive bred rays have a better chance of survival and their eating habits have been reported to be less of a problem.
When in doubt about feeding go with earth worms. (My Ray is old enough and I look forward to starting a small breeding project and offering quality pups in the near future.) I hope this helps, let me know if you have any other questions and I will be more than happy to offer my experience.

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