All fish / Dasyatidae

Blue-spotted Stingray

Neotrygon kuhlii

Also known as kuhl's stingray, kuhl's maskray, blue spotted maskray, bluespotted stingray, blue spot stingray, maskray, no, ปลากระเบนจุดฟ้า, pari lalat, ヤッコエイ, pari totol biru, pari kembang

A small, rounded ray with a greenish-brown to olive disc scattered with bright blue spots, a dark band across the eyes and a banded tail with a venomous spine. Aquarists keep it for its striking spots and its interesting habit of gliding over and burying in sand.

Care at a glance

Care level

Hard

Temperament

Peaceful

Adult size

30 cm

Temperature

24 to 28 °C

pH

8.1 to 8.4

Smallest tank

1000 litres

Keep as

Singly or as a pair in a very large tank

Diet

Carnivore: shrimp, squid, mussels, clams, small whole fish and other meaty seafood

Swims

Bottom of the tank

Lifespan

8 to 15 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Western Pacific: Melanesia (Solomon Islands, Vanuatu); the wider Indo-West Pacific forms are now split into related species

Breeding

It gives birth to live young after the eggs develop inside the mother, with small litters of one or two pups. Captive breeding happens in public aquariums but is rarely managed in home systems.

Good to know

The tail spine is venomous, so handle with great care and use a large, open sand bed with no sharp rockwork. It eats crustaceans and small fish, so it is not reef safe, and the old species has been split, which means many fish sold under this name belong to related Neotrygon species.