Saltwater Stingrays: Why Not Give One a Try?

We have heard of and seen pictures of stingrays on TV among other venues from time to time. We have also witnessed the death of Steve Irwin(Crocodile Hunter) due to being stung by a stingray while filming them in nature. Then there are those fortunate enough to be able to actually swim with the rays at "Stingray City" on the Cayman Islands. For those of you who are enthralled, mystified and find stingrays rather appealing as far as their behavior and appearance are concerned, there is hope for those wishing to purchase a stingray and keep successfully in a captive environment, and not just by those that work at their neighborhood public aquarium.

I have always been fascinated with sharks and rays since I was a little boy, having many opportunities to view the rays and sharks at various aquarium settings. I have also been fortunate to swim with rays that reside along the Gulf Coast of Florida. I have even witnessed my brother get stung by one as he just so happened to step on one that had been camouflaged underneath the sand in the shallows at our beach. I assure you that you do not want to go through something as painful as that, but other than that possible problem, stingrays are truly a unique animal. Having said this however, one should be aware that stingrays are NOT aggressive towards humans and the harming of these timid animals should not be administered.

There are both fresh and saltwater rays, and they all carry venom in their barb located in their tail as a form of protection and defense. Other than that however they are completely harmless and docile in nature, often lying at the bottom of the shallow sea floor, covered with sand to protect them as they lie in wait for an unsuspecting meal to come around. They do not have teeth but rather use a system of two bony plates, used to crush shells of crabs, clams and prawns, which are their primary food staple. They will accept small fish, brine and mysis shrimp and formula foods in captivity however. There really is nothing that they will not eat as long as it is cut up enough to fit in their mouths.

Stingrays do not have bones in their body, but have a bone structure that is made up entirely of cartilage, which makes up the hard structure in the tip of our noses and ears. They share this unique trait with sharks, skates, guitarfish and sawfish. Stingrays make up the family Dasyatididae.

There are a couple nice choices for those wishing to keep a stingray in a larger fish only tank set-up. Many rays grow to large to be housed in any tank set-up other than evident at a public aquarium, but there are a few that make an ideal choice for a 100 gallon tank or larger. These being the California Round, Yellow Tail, and the Blue-Spotted ray.

Their docile nature, often times becoming tame enough to hand feed, small size often not exceeding 12 inches in wingspan. These three species are very hardy and easy to keep as the only thing to really be aware of is the amount of nitrates in the water. Nitrates should be kept as low as possible, and considering the amount of food that they eat, a effective and efficient filtration system should be employed to combat the chances of water getting to polluted and developing too many nutrients in the water column, stemming from over feeding or deification produced by the rays.

Rays consist of a flattened body depicting a bird in flight when swimming. They have one or more spines or barbs on their tail that contain poison that will inflict a dangerous and painful wound. Rays also contain gill slits at the lower region of their head, and do not have a dorsal fin

The toxic poison that is hosed in the sheath of the tail of rays is a protein based poison that is very sensitive to heat. Because of this, if one happens to get stung by a ray, they should quickly clean the wound and soak the wound under water that is as hot as you can stand to reduce the pain, then seek the assistance of a trained physician to remedy the situation without further complications. Such complications can include vomiting, seizures, hypotension, abdominal pain, fatigue, diarrhea, nausea and muscle cramps.

I include this caution and remedy for the unlikely even that one gets stung by a ray not as a threat or deterrent from possibly purchasing a ray but to enlighten one as to the good and bad often evident with the purchase of any animal.

Rays can become a wonderful addition to a fish only or specialized ray tank. I have had a yellow ray in my 75 gallon tank for over three months now and am amused, fascinated and pleased with my decision to take the plunge and purchase a ray.