teacup stingray

[hc8719]

the lfs specially ordered one for a customer, and said they'd do the same for me, but i declined. i know they are difficult, and i have no intention of getting one currently. i also know they do best in a species only tank.

but the lfs guy said that it would get about 5" in diameter, which to me sounded off, but then again, ive never kept one

while i googled it, i couldnt find any direct, or sites that matched their max size, any of you guys know?

 

[tkos]

Teacup ends up being a common name applied to many varieties of sting ray. So there is no true way of knowing, without iding a live specimen, whether or not it will reach more than 5 inches.

 

[coldmachineUK]

I don't know anything about rays other than an article in PFK about a guy who transformed the foundations of his house to accommodate them and some other large fish (arowana, pacu etc.).
However in a quick google for 'teacup stingray' I found this fairly informative homegrown site which says:

8. Choosing the correct type of ray.
The cheaper more commonly seen rays generally referred to, as Teacup rays are unfortunately not really suitable for the novice ray keeper. Although it is wise not to purchase any ray that is under 6” diameter. Small rays are very delicate & unless you have experience in their husbandry they are very difficult to keep alive. The rays generally referred to, as Teacups are usually either Potamotrygon Histrix or Reticulata. Although they are both very attractive rays & normally available at very affordable prices they are very difficult to keep. For a first ray I would recommend a Potamotrygon Motoro or Leopoldi. Both of these rays are very hardy & relatively easy to care for. They both cost more than you would pay for a Teacup but it will be money well spent because they are far more tolerant of water parameters etc.

-- http://www.geocities.com/david_upton_73/tentips.html

So, strangely enough it sounds like small rays aren't a great idea for those new to keeping stingrays.

Edit: Looking some more I searched for "Potamotrygon Reticulatus". Even though this grows to 35cm which is extremely small as far as rays go, it still needs a tank size in the region of 400L. I guess the shape of them makes a larger tank footprint essential.

 

[hc8719]

hmm, im curious as to how delicate teacups are, discus like i'd assume?

thanks for the info guys