Help Teacup Stingray Acting weird!!!

[phongnguyen123]

Hey i have a male teacup stingray i had him for about almost 2 years, but today he started acting very weird. He usally eats 3-4 massivore pellets at one feeding time, 3 times a day. and he would swim all over my tank but recently he stopped swimming around my tank and all he does is sit still or try to swim up my fish tank glass. Im not sure what the problem is?? can anyone help me? i have him in a 60 gallon bowfront with black carib sand and a couple amazon swords and anubias. he currently lives with a couple discus around 6? i got 3 hang on aquaclear 50s filter long air rod and everything i change my water 30% every 2-3 days. i have a heater the water temperture is always at 84-83. All my fish is doing great except the stingray is just acting weird swimming up the tank glass all day. like i see him doing it for hours just swimming up the glass. HELPP!! I really dont want to lose this sting ray he is about 6-7 inch and is breathing really fast. :yellowcry:

[Cliff]

Has anything changed in the tank?

Are your discus still acting normal ?

[phongnguyen123]

Nope nothing has happened to my discus everyones fine, stingray started acting normal again and eating properly. Just feed him some massivore pellets and smelt. thumbs2:

[phongnguyen123]

Need help my tea cup sting ray was good yesterday and today he has been swimming up the glass for the whole day. he has been doing this non stop just swimming upwards towards the glass. i think something is wrong with him. Im just not sure what??????

[ScottishFish]

Teacups move large distances, this is why they require biiiiiiiig tanks, I think your teacup has run out of place to go so he is going up the sides. I've volunteered in a marine aquarium for 4weeks before and witnessed this behaviour. Even though the rays were only 20-40inch across with a tank 20ftx15ft and 3feet deep they still one this.

[Stlouisfish]

What are your most recent water parameters? Ammonia, nitrites & nitrates

How long has the stingray been in the tank? You said you have 6 discus in there too?

[phongnguyen123]

Honestly i dont know i dont remeber the last time i checked. i've had the tank with the stingray running for about 2 years. everything was fine until just recently. i do water changes every 2-3 days. 30-40% at a time, i also add melafix, mthyline blue, aquaruim salt, and big als water conditioner. i just resently used a mecdicine called "colony fresh water professional grade nitrifying bacteria" i dont know if that could be making him trip out?

[phongnguyen123]

I have been doing the same thing for the 2 years, except for the colony ammonia medicine. i have with him 7 discus 2 big ones 1 medium one and 4 small ones, 2 bristle nose plecos and 1 ryukin goldfish that i rescued. I also got 3 amazon swords and 3 anubias, the swords are planted in the backs corners and the anubias is stuck on my air bubble wand not planted but floating in the middle.

[ScottishFish]

Stingrays are very sensitive to water conditions, adding salt and melafix won't be helping any. Why are you adding these things? Trying to heal something?

Surprised your discus are doing ok.

[phongnguyen123]

yeah one of my discus has his fins torn up abit from the biggers ones. yah the discus and ray dont do anything to each other at all. they just mind they own buisness. i did have a discus in the tank that did not eat at all for months and pooped out white stringy poop so i moved him out and started adding salt and everything else.

[Stlouisfish]

I got the impression you've been adding the meds since you started the tank! I also wonder whether the meds are affecting the ray, plus, thats a lotta fish in there!

If I were you, with such sensitive fish in there, I would check my water parameters.

[phongnguyen123]

yeah the only meds i been adding from day one is big als conditioner and methyline blue, and aquaruim salt. those 3 i been adding from day one when i bought my tank. big als conditioner for tap water, aquaruim salt for nitrites, and methyline blue becasue a employee at big als told me its good for bacteria.

[Limming]

Stop adding the salt and methyline blue. The salt doesn't do anything to reduce nitrites and if the tank is cycled (since its been running for 2 years shouldn't be a problem) that shouldn't be a problem either. The methyline blue does nothing for the bacteria the employee was just trying to sell you unneeded items or was very misinformed. It is never a good idea to add salt and or medication to tanks without a set reason why such has a sick fish.

[Limming]

Sorry saw 2013 instead of 2012 at a glance.