Overfeeding Stingrays?? Lead to problems down the road??

JD7.62

Dovii
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Sep 13, 2005
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If I understand the document rayman posted, it seems rays usually have relatively full stomachs in the wild. Maybe instead of one or two large feedings, small feedings throughout the day would be better?
 

turkeyboy85

Jack Dempsey
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Oct 14, 2007
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JD7.62;1677229; said:
If I understand the document rayman posted, it seems rays usually have relatively full stomachs in the wild. Maybe instead of one or two large feedings, small feedings throughout the day would be better?

Thats what they say about humans as well... its better to snack throughout the day then to have huge meals 3 times a day
 

tank125

Feeder Fish
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Apr 20, 2005
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Stingingrays;1676949; said:
OMG I just lost two rays yesterday and their liver's look just like those in the pictures huge and about the same color......(yes I disected my rays) and my rays were nice and fat!!!!! I wonder is this is why my two died... cause the other 4 are doing great weren't as fat as the two I lost but I checked my water and every thing is good..... still can't believe I lost the two.
What species?
How big?
How long did you have them for?
What are your general water parameters? --hardness, pH--
What did you feed to them and relative frequency of each food type?
How often did you feed?
Did you feed to stuff?
 

severum1

Fire Eel
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May 25, 2007
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In my Greenhouse, lakes and tanks, i only feed my fish once a week. As you can see i don't powerfead and they are healthy. They eat all kind of insects, but i don't think they are to much. So i think African_Fever is right.

And when i'll put my rays in there, i'll tell you how everything will work.
 

chris_wb

Gambusia
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Oct 7, 2007
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Hi,

i knew that ray becaus it swam in a friends tank. And I can say that it wasn't really fat!

Maybe you should read the thread, where this very interesting diskussion went on.

http://board.rochenwelt.eu/viewtopic.php?p=7539#7539

I agree with rayman. Many rays are overfed! And they should not get as much food, as they can take. Wild rays really have to "work hard" for their food and have to swim a lot. In captivity they don't have to. I will think about my feeding an will reduce it after this experiece.
 

Wimmels

Feeder Fish
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chris_wb;1678851; said:
Hi,

i knew that ray becaus it swam in a friends tank. And I can say that it wasn't really fat!

Maybe you should read the thread, where this very interesting diskussion went on.

http://board.rochenwelt.eu/viewtopic.php?p=7539#7539

I agree with rayman. Many rays are overfed! And they should not get as much food, as they can take. Wild rays really have to "work hard" for their food and have to swim a lot. In captivity they don't have to. I will think about my feeding an will reduce it after this experiece.
Hello Chris
I am afraid that most of us can't speak or read German, can you give a description what is being told in that discussion?
 

rk59

Feeder Fish
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Dec 4, 2005
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JD7.62;1677229; said:
If I understand the document rayman posted, it seems rays usually have relatively full stomachs in the wild. Maybe instead of one or two large feedings, small feedings throughout the day would be better?
I agree with your conclusion that more small feedings are much better than one large meal a day.

But it was reported also in the document that 1/3 of the orbignyi rays are placed under level 1 (1/4 filled stomach) and some of them have no food in it. It tells me that we have to review our opinion rays will find food in the wild any time.
So raymans advice that a ray has to continue looking for food after he has been fed gives a good indication in order to not overfeeding the rays.

The other important issue is the consistence of the food in the wild. I will change the menu for my ray now and skip the fillet of fish. He will get more shrimps in future.
But where I can get frozen Water Lice from?:confused:
 

chris_wb

Gambusia
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Oct 7, 2007
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Hi,

my english is not the best, but i will try...

The amount of food is hard discussed. In the opinion of the most keepers, we feed our rays to much. As I said already, wild rays need a lot more energy, to collect their food. They don't have this movement in our tanks, but they mostly get as much food as they can eat.
The growth-rate is much bigger and also the batches are. So you can influence the breeding.

But it's quite unhealthy for the stingrays. They have a natural "fat-liver" to reserve energy or even to control their swimming!
By feeding to much, the content of fat in the liver rises above the natural level. The liver isn't able to work as it should do.

After the crash of the filter-system, the liver wasn't able to manage the poison. In connection with an possible bacterial infection, the organism broke down.

For the actual cause of death we have to wait for the result of the veterinary analysis. In fact, to much feeding can cause the death, especially in connection with other problems like a filter-crash or stress. So it is mentioned, that breeding-stress can cause something like an infarct, if stingrays are to fat.

I hope I got the most important facts and translated it correct. If not, maybe anyone of the german users can help.
 
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Dracofish

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I've always kind of suspected the overfeeding thing...

I've had my Leos for alomst 5 years now and they've always been happy, healthy, active, and bulky (but not obese)....all on a feeding schedule of every other day.
 

tank125

Feeder Fish
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Apr 20, 2005
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Something to consider as well would be feeding methods that encourage foraging or activity in order to gain access to food. This would just be a copy of the methodology that zoos practice for feeding animals such as birds, monkeys, really all inhabitants, not only to keep them from becoming sedentary and obese but also a mental stimulation. I am not trying to "derail" into a discussion about the cognitive abilities of Stingrays. I am just trying to think of ways that we can make our rays "work" for their food. Too bad they don't have hands! Also time release type feeding is tough unless the rays on a pellet diet.


So I think that at this point of the thread it is accepted that there is a propensity to overfeed Stingrays in captivity. Now we need to focus on methods to avoid obesitiy: working for food, food selection, frequency of feeding, amounts of feed at any given meal, etc.
 
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