elvis
01-25-2004, 12:46 PM
Okay, so I have a pond in my basement thats about 400 gallons or more. In the pond I have 3 freshwater stingrays and 1 ??? stingray. I know that 2 are Motoro rays, possibly what is called the marbled or chainlink variety. Number 3 is a Hystrix or mottled ray. Then ther is number 4, the new guy. My local fish store got him in and marked the tank "Brazilian Stingray" which is funny since all freshwater rays available in the states are brazilian. All the guys at the store could tell me was that they never saw one like this before. Anyhow, I let them hold him for 2 weeks and he was doing well swimming and eating worms and shrimp. So I brought him home introduced him to the pond and all is well. Except one thing, I think he belongs in saltwater!! I keep searching everywhere for more info on different freshwater breeds but nothing looks like this stingray. But I did find info on a saltwater species called the southern stingray and i'm almost convinced thats what he is. Pointed nose, grayish brown on top, striking white on bottom, tail longer than its body looks like a whip. I already know that a southern stingray can get over 2 meters across, which is fantastic! But could one possibly have swam up the amazon, got himself caught, be kept in freshwater, shipped here and sold, and continue living in freshwater? Should'nt he be dead by now if that was the case? Would'nt he lose to much salt? I'm not positive that he feels fine, but he sure seems okay swiming around with his new friends. Well, if anyone has heard of this before, thinks its possible, or knows what he could be fill me in!! One more thing, I heard in the past that some eels can swim into freshwater and survive yet it shortens their lifespan. Is this true? Could it be something like that? If he is a southern, and this scenario is possible, how long could he live like that? I'd rather take him up to the aquarium in Baltimore to be taken care of than let him die here. Thanks.